Proces simule devant la Cour penale internationale 2026-2027: French-language ICC Moot Court Competition [The Hague, 3-6 May 2027; Free; Register by 30 October 2026]

The "Proces simule devant la Cour penale internationale" is a French-language moot court competition organised by The Hague Academy of International Law with the support of the French Embassy in the Netherlands and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Academy launched it in 2021 and the first edition was held from 30 May to 3 June 2022. Under its rules it is the French-language version of the ICC-sponsored moot court competitions.

The competition aims to promote the study of international criminal law, to contribute to the training of young lawyers and to strengthen skills and knowledge in international criminal law. The 2026-2027 case and the registration were opened on 26 August 2026.

The official language of the competition is French. All documents, communications and written pleadings are produced in French (subject to bibliographic references and citations in their original language). Each member must be considered by their institution to have sufficient written and spoken command of French.

• Any higher education institution offering a law degree, including any law faculty attached to such an institution, may enter a team. Schools and training centres for advocates (ecoles et centres de formation des avocats) are excluded.
• Rules, Article 8: a person may be a team member "whatever their nationality" if they are a student in the competition year (2026 or 2027), pursue full-time or part-time law studies at a minimum level of the first year of a Master's programme (exchange students may represent their host university), have sufficient command of French as judged by their institution, and have not previously taken part in the competition as a participant or as a coach.
• Each team has four members enrolled in the same law faculty of the same institution. Teams may be assisted by one or two coaches; a coach may not be or have been a permanent teaching-research staff member or a staff member of an international criminal court (doctoral candidates and doctors without a permanent post are allowed).
• For the written-phase ranking, teams are grouped into five regions, including Asia and Oceania, so teams from Indian law faculties that meet these conditions can take part.

• Written (qualification) phase: each team argues the case from three roles, the Office of the Prosecutor, the legal representatives of participating victims and the Defence, and submits three memorials in Word and PDF format in a single email. Memorials are graded A to D in a double-blind evaluation.
• Only teams with a grade of at least B can qualify. A maximum of 10 teams are selected for the oral phase, including where possible at least 2 teams from each of the five regional categories.
• Oral phase: the qualified teams meet in The Hague in two pools, followed by semi-finals.
• Final: the two best teams plead in public in a courtroom of the International Criminal Court, before judges or staff of the ICC.
• Each team may submit up to 5 clarification questions on the case, all at once, by email to concours@hagueacademy.nl.

Registration for the competition is free (Rules, Article 10). Within the limits of its budget, the Academy covers transport, accommodation and a modest per diem for teams admitted to the oral phase that come from the countries listed in Annex 1 of the Rules (22 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Chad and Togo). India is not on that list, so this travel support does not extend to teams from India.

• Members of teams that are ranked or that reach the oral phase receive a certificate stating their result or their access to the oral phase. The ICC gives a certificate to the teams that reach the final and offers prizes to the finalists and to the best speaker of the final.
• The Scientific Council and the Academy award prizes to the best semi-finalist team and a special jury prize ("coup de coeur"), and individual awards for the best memorial (for each of the three roles), the best speaker of the pool rounds and of the semi-finals (Prosecution and Defence), and the best legal representative of victims.
• Prizes are not monetary. According to the Rules they take the form of, among other things, books on international criminal law and scholarships reserved for attending a session of courses at the Academy.

• Registration is online only through the Academy's registration form, and you need a Hague Academy account to fill it in. Applications must be submitted before 30 October 2026, 23:59 (GMT+1, The Hague time), which is 4:29 am IST on 31 October 2026.
• One team member registers the team and uploads: the team email address, the university's name, the name, email and academic CV of a coach, and a dated and signed letter from a university representative certifying the team's participation and its official composition (a template is provided in the form).
• Each member then joins the team and uploads a valid passport or identity card, an identity photograph (JPEG only), a CV and a certificate of enrolment for the current academic year. All other attachments must be in PDF.
• Incomplete forms are not considered, and nothing sent by post or email is accepted. Throughout the competition all communication with the Academy must come from the team email address; coaches may not communicate with the Academy.