NILOS Moot Court Competition 2026-27 on the Law of the Sea, Utrecht University [International Rounds in Utrecht, 14-16 April 2027]

The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) at Utrecht University has announced the fourth edition of the NILOS Moot Court Competition. It welcomes universities from all over the world and describes itself as the first moot court simulating proceedings under Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The moot simulates proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or an Annex VII Arbitral Tribunal, so teams engage with both substantive law of the sea and the procedural side of international dispute settlement.

The competition has two stages: National or Regional Rounds, held in each country or region where more than two teams take part, and the International Rounds, held in person in Utrecht, The Netherlands, from 14 to 16 April 2027. Each stage has written pleadings (Memorials) and oral pleadings, and each participating country may send up to 2 teams to the International Rounds.

NILOS is a research institute established in 1984 within the School of Law of Utrecht University. Since 2013 it has been part of the Utrecht Centre for Water, Ocean and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL). It works on the law of the sea and oceans governance, and its staff practise and teach the law of the sea and international law, including in the Utrecht Master in Public International Law. NILOS is the permanent and executive office of the competition and is responsible for its administration.

The case, Maritime Entitlements and Ocean Governance (Republic of Renobar v. Federation of Yashik Oba), is set in the fictional Sixth Ocean. Renobar, a small island developing State, lost the island of Toranaga to the sea after a typhoon and wants to keep the baselines and maritime zones that Toranaga generated. The dispute raises:

• whether a regional treaty (the Sixth Ocean Treaty) precludes unilateral recourse to Annex VII arbitration under UNCLOS;
• the validity of baselines and maritime entitlements after an island is submerged, and whether Renobar’s claim is really a claim to historic title;
• the designation and management of a marine protected area, and whether UNCLOS requires traditional knowledge to be taken into account alongside the best available science; and
• the duty to cooperate under Article 197 of UNCLOS.

Any university offering a degree in law, international law or law of the sea, or international relations at Bachelor’s or Master’s level may take part, so Indian law schools are eligible.

• Team members must be pursuing a law, international law or law of the sea related, or international relations related degree at Bachelor’s or Master’s level, and be enrolled full-time or part-time at the institution they represent.
• A team has at least 2 and at most 5 members, and may have up to 2 coaches.
• A team may combine students from up to two universities in the same country, and from one or more colleges, faculties or schools of a university.
• Anyone who has judged Memorials or oral rounds at any level of the competition cannot compete.
• Team members’ names must be submitted at registration, and substitutions afterwards are allowed only in extenuating circumstances at NILOS’s discretion.

The registration fee is EUR 750 per team. After registration, an invoice is sent to the team contact and the university, and registration counts as complete only once the invoice is paid. NILOS then assigns an official team number, which must be used on all communications and on the Memorials.

Teams that cannot pay the fee in full may apply to NILOS for a waiver or discount, granted at NILOS’s discretion in exceptional circumstances. Fee waiver applications must reach NILOS by 15 October 2026.

• Each team prepares one Applicant and one Respondent Memorial, submitted in Word format by email to nilos.mcc@uu.nl from the team contact’s registered email, by 8 January 2027.
• Required parts, in order: Cover Page, Table of Contents, Index of Authorities, Statement of Facts (up to 500 words), Summary of Pleadings (up to 1,000 words), Pleadings and Submissions and Prayer for Relief (together up to 10,000 words), and optional Annexes of up to 5 pages. Other parts, such as a Table of Abbreviations, are not allowed.
• Recommended format: A4, margins of at least 2.5 cm, Times New Roman 12-point throughout, 1.5 line spacing.
• Memorials are anonymous. AI tools may be used only to edit and refine the team’s own writing, and every team must submit an AI Use Disclosure Statement with its Memorials.
• Each team must also nominate two qualified persons to the Committee of Appointed Judges, which grades the Memorials, by 8 January 2027.

Each oral round lasts 90 minutes, with 45 minutes for each side, argued by two members of the team. An oralist may speak for up to 25 minutes, including a rebuttal or surrebuttal of no more than five minutes. Visual presentations and electronic devices at the counsel table are not allowed. Benches of three judges score teams and individual oralists. National or Regional Rounds are scheduled for February to March 2027, with dates and venues set by each National or Regional Administrator.

Read the Rules of Procedure and the Case, then complete the online registration form. The form asks for university details (including an invoice email), a primary team contact, the name, degree programme and institution of each team member, and details of up to two team coaches. The registration page, timeline and form all give 13 November 2026 as the deadline for team registration and payment of the fee; the competition’s overview page mentions 16 November 2026, so plan for 13 November. Requests for clarifications or corrections to the Case are also due by 13 November 2026. Queries go to nilos.mcc@uu.nl.