Ethics Bowl

What is the Virginia High School Ethics Bowl?

The Virginia High School Ethics Bowl brings together students from across Virginia to tackle some of the toughest moral questions of our time — not by arguing to win, but by engaging in civil, respectful conversation. Here, competition meets collaboration. Teams listen carefully, speak thoughtfully, and work together toward deeper understanding.

The Ethics Bowl format is rooted in ongoing dialogue and deliberation: a series of two-way exchanges between equals. It is designed to get students thinking, talking, and ultimately working together on some of the toughest moral issues of our time.

How Does an Ethics Bowl Work?

Ethics Bowl is, at its core, a collaborative discussion during which the first team presents its analysis of a question about the ethical dilemma at the core of the case being discussed, offering support for its position but also considering the merits of other positions. Teams are rewarded for the degree to which they adopt the spirit of civil dialogue. The central goal in competition is to demonstrate breadth and depth of thinking about difficult and important ethical situations. In each round:

Two teams analyze a real-world ethical case
They respond to questions and engage in dialogue with each other and a panel of judges
Students defend the position they find most reasonable, exchange constructive feedback, and remain open to revising their views

This process is grounded in civil discourse — reasoning respectfully together, even when opinions differ.

Who Can Participate?

Students in grades 9–12 from public and independent Virginia schools
Teams typically consist of 3–8 members, guided by a teacher or coach

Registration & Fees

Schools must register with the National High School Ethics Bowl at nhseb.org to participate in the regional qualifying event (fee applies).
Teams register through Collegiate School — $100 per team.
Case packets are released in mid-September on nhseb.org to give teams ample preparation time.
If this fee poses a hardship, please contact us to discuss support options.

For more information, cases, rules, and guidelines, visit https://nhseb.org/.

How to Get Involved

Students: Join or start a team at your school
Teachers/Coaches: Mentor students and foster respectful dialogue

Contact

Rhiannon Boyd
Virginia High School Ethics Bowl Coordinator
rhiannon_boyd@collegiate-va.org

Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship

Citizenship requires engaging in the problems of our local and global communities through discourse and compassionately yet critically assessing reasons for action. By serving as the statewide coordinators and host for the annual Virginia High School Ethics Bowl, Collegiate School maintains its commitment to ethics education and civic engagement, connecting students with their peers to consider in collaboration how we ought to live. The Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship proudly supports the Virginia High School Ethics Bowl.

About the National High School Ethics Bowl

Virginia’s Ethics Bowl is a National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB) Qualifier. Each year, our top team advances to a virtual playoff to compete for a spot at the National Championship hosted by UNC Chapel Hill’s Parr Center for Ethics. Organized by The Parr Center for Ethics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the National High School Ethics Bowl is a competitive yet collaborative event in which students discuss real-life ethical issues. It promotes ethical awareness, critical thinking, civil discourse, civic engagement, and an appreciation for multiple points of view.

"NHSEB’s goal is to do more than teach students how to think through ethical issues: It is to teach students how to think through ethical issues together, as fellow citizens in a complex moral and political community."

To learn more about the National High School Ethics Bowl, review cases and resources for this year's competition, please visit http://nhseb.unc.edu/resources/.