Indiana High School Ethics Bowl

The Prindle Institute is proud to have been host of the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl (IHSEB) since its foundation in 2014. As a qualifying Regional Competition of the National High School Ethics Bowl program, the IHSEB makes use of the same format, rules, and regulations as the NHSEB. After the Regional Competition each February, the IHSEB winner annually advances to the NHSEB Central Divisional Playoffs. Winners of Divisional Matches will advance to the NHSEB National Championship held at the University of North Carolina each April. For more information on the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl, or for assistance starting a team at your school, please contact Associate Director and Organizer Emily Knuth.

As the host of the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl, the Prindle Institute is offering startup grants up to $500 to found and coach new Ethics Bowl teams during the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, Prindle Institute staff members are available to offer coaching guidance, including tips to recruit and prepare high school students for competition. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and funds are first-come, first served until exhausted. Grants will be disbursed in two installments: the first in December 2024 and the second following the IHSEB in February 2025.

2024-2025 Grant Application →

The Indiana High School Ethics Bowl (IHSEB) is an affiliated Regional Competition with the National High School Ethics Bowl program. The 2024 IHSEB will take place on Saturday, February 1, 2025 at the Prindle Institute for Ethics on the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. All teams will participate in three preliminary rounds in the morning, with winning teams moving onto elimination rounds in the afternoon. The winner of the IHSEB will advance to NHSEB’s Central Divisional Playoffs (also hosted by the Prindle Institute) to compete for a seat at the NHSEB National Championship in April 2025 at the University of North Carolina’s Parr Center for Ethics.

Registration for the Indiana High School Ethics Bowl will open in September. The registration fee for 2024-2025 is $200 before the December 1 deadline, after which the fee will increase to $250. Additional teams from participating schools (up to three) may be accepted if space allows, and will require an additional $75 registration fee.

Schedule (Tentative)  →
Team Registration  →
Participant Release Form  →

Ethics Bowl matches feature two teams meeting head-to-head to discuss and evaluate case studies which feature tricky moral questions or dilemmas. These cases typically come from one of the NHSEB’s annually released Case Sets—one for Regional Competitions, and one for the National Championship each April. Each match will also have three judges and one moderator in attendance, and spectators are encouraged to join in as well.

To open the first half of the match, copies of the first case and question will be distributed to the judges and teams. The moderator will then read the case number, title, and a question for competition. Neither judges nor the teams will know in advance which case will be presented or which question will be asked. The first half then proceeds as follows:

Moderator Period: A moderator will start the match by introducing a case from the set (which students have prepared with in advance) and asking a question that the discussion will address (which they have not).

Presentation Period: After the case and question are introduced, Team A will have up to two minutes to confer, after which any member(s) of Team A may speak for up to five minutes in response to the moderator’s question, based on the team’s research and critical analysis. Team A must address the moderator’s question during the time allotted.

Commentary Period: Next, Team B will have up to two minutes to confer, after which Team B may speak for up to three minutes to comment on Team A’s presentation.

Response Period: Team A will then have up to two minutes to confer, followed by three minutes to respond to Team B’s commentary.

Judges’ Period: The judges will then begin their ten-minute question and answer session with Team A. Before asking questions, the judges may confer briefly. Each judge should have time for at least one question, and may ask more questions if time permits.

This process will repeat in each respective half of the match, with the teams switching places (i.e., the team which presented in the first half will play the commenting role in the second, and so on). Upon the conclusion of each half of the match, judges will score each team based on the following criteria.*

• Team’s Presentation on the Moderator’s Question: Is the presentation clear and systematic? Does it address some central moral dimensions of the case? Does it indicate awareness of and responsiveness to opposing viewpoints?
• Responding Team’s Commentary: Is the commentary constructive? Does it advance the conversation by offering opportunities for clarification, questions for the presenting team, etc.
• Presenting Team’s Response to Commentary: Does the presenting team take seriously and adequately reply to the comments from their respondents?
• Presenting Team’s Responses to Judges’ Questions: Are judges’ questions answered effectively, clearly, and responsibly?
• Each team’s display of Respectful Dialogue throughout the match: Is each team committed to the central values of the competition—collaboration and the pursuit of truth, rather than, say, combativeness or belittling rhetoric?

Match Scoring Criteria →
Judge Scoring Form →

* For a full account of all National High School Ethics Bowl procedures and guidelines, see the current NHSEB Rules Manual and other supporting documents. You can also see things for yourself, and check out a full Ethics Bowl match in action here.