Pax Moot Court Competition
A European moot court on private international law. Teams argue cross-border cases before academics, practitioners and judges. Funded by the European Union.
Cross-border law.
The PAX Moot began in 2012 at Sciences Po Paris as an internal moot court activity initiated by Professor Horatia Muir Watt and Hélène van Lith. It now draws teams from across Europe and beyond.
Participants argue jurisdictional, choice-of-law and recognition-and-enforcement issues. Successive EU programmes (JUDGTRUST, PAX, PAX 2.0) have expanded the moot's scope and reach.
Students, judges, practitioners and academics convened around a single question of law.
In collaboration with the following partners:
Funded by the European Union. Past and present partners include the institutions below.
Two steps to compete.
Register your university, then upload your written memorials before the deadline. Oral rounds follow for qualifying teams.
Register
your team
Reserve your university's spot in the Vladimir Koutikov Round. One submission per university. The team coach is the primary contact and receives credentials for the team space.
Submit your
memorials
After registration, the coach signs into the team space to upload the Applicant (red cover) and Respondent (blue cover) memorials. PDF only, anonymised, OSCOLA citation.
Qualifying teams advance to general oral rounds, then quarter-finals, semi-finals and the Grand Final.
Download brochure ↗From clarifications
to grand final.
Timeline from case release to closing ceremony. Memorial and clarification deadlines are fixed for 2026. Oral-round dates are confirmed closer to the event.
Exact dates are updated each edition. Confirm against the latest timeline on the official PAX Moot website.
- 01 Available now
Case & rules released
The 2026 case and the rules for the Vladimir Koutikov Round are published online.
- 02 16 January 2026, 23:59 CET
Clarification questions due
Up to five questions per team via info@paxmoot.eu, subject line "Request for Clarification".
- 03 Late January 2026
Clarifications & corrections
A single consolidated document is released to all teams.
- 04 27 February 2026, 23:59 CET
Written memorials deadline
Applicant (red cover) and Respondent (blue cover) memorials in PDF, anonymised, OSCOLA-cited.
- 05 Spring 2026
General oral rounds
Each team pleads four sessions: twice as Applicant, twice as Respondent.
- 06 Spring 2026
Quarter-finals
Top eight teams paired by ranking: 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5.
- 07 Spring 2026
Semi-finals & Grand Final
Final round determines the Winning Team, included in the PAX Hall of Fame.
The schedule, in your pocket.
The PAX Moot companion app provides the schedule of rounds, call-times and room assignments, updated live throughout the competition.
Requires iOS 16+ or Android 9+ · Free for accredited participants and judges.