Duo from India wins 24th Annual Stetson IEMCC in first all-virtual version of contest
The 24th Annual Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition (IEMCC) looked a little different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but 17 teams from 10 jurisdictions participated virtually over the course of three days, April 2-4, 2020.
Shilpa Prasad and Pranav Valiathan Pillai from National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi, India, emerged as champions. Rayana Mukherjee and Aaditya Shankar Dixit from National Law Institute University in Bhopal, India, were runners-up.
NUALS also received the award for the best memorial, and all of the teams that participated in the virtual rounds received the Spirit of Stetson Award. The full results are below.
The competition was held in conjunction with the International Wildlife Law Conference this year, and both events were moved online in light of travel restrictions and social distancing. The conference presentations can be viewed in their entirety on Stetson’s YouTube Channel, and clips from the IEMCC are available on its Facebook page.
It was a community-wide effort involving many people and departments from Stetson Law, including Media Services, Communications and the Web Team, Faculty Support, International Programs, the Advocacy Center, the Office of Professional Education, and the Business Office to make the virtual versions of the events a success, said Royal Gardner, director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy.
“The students were very much appreciative,” he said, and shared an excerpt of an email from one of the competing teams.
After having booked our flights and made plans to meet you all in Florida, we were extremely disappointed to find out that the rounds had been canceled due to the pandemic. We were rather hesitant to even take part in the virtual rounds.
But after having gone through this unique virtual experience, we are truly overwhelmed with the kind of resilience, support, and patience your organizing team displayed. We cannot even imagine how difficult it must have been for you to coordinate with the judges, teams, and volunteers and take such tireless efforts to conduct this moot so smoothly. We had a wonderful time and every single moment was perfect. Please thank all the volunteers on our behalf.
Once again, thank you for spearheading these efforts and giving us this chance. It truly means the world to us.
24th Annual Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition
International Finals – Virtual Rounds
April 2–4, 2020
Oralist Awards for the Preliminary Rounds:
- Fifth Place Oralist: Rayana Mukherjee, National Law Institute University, Bhopal – 2000
- Fourth Place Oralist: Lin Shi Yuan, National Taiwan University – 2083
- Third Place Oralist: Beatriz Anna S. Balbacal, University of the Philippines College of Law – 2039
- Second Place Oralist: Shilpa Prasad, National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi – 2099
- Best Oralist in the Preliminary Rounds: Urania Estrellita Amelia Remedios P. Lindo, University of the Philippines College of Law – 2039
Memorial Awards:
- Third Place Memorial: National Taiwan University – 2083
- Runner-up Best Memorial: Ateneo de Manila University School of Law – 2040
- Best Memorial: National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi – 2099
Semifinalists:
- George Washington University Law School – 2009
- Law Society of Ireland – 2032
Final Round:
- Runner-up: National Law Institute University, Bhopal – 2000
- International Finals Champion: National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi – 2099
- Best Oralist in the Final Round: Rayana Mukherjee, National Law Institute University, Bhopal – 2000
Spirit of Stetson Award:
- All teams that participated in the virtual rounds of the competition
View photos from the competition
A gallery of photos from the virtual rounds of the competition is available on Zenfolio.
Post date: April 6, 2020
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580