A team of students from the University of San Carlos, Cebu, in the Philippines, won the 20th Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition on April 16 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Fla.

For two decades, students from across the globe have honed their skills as environmental advocates in the annual competition. The runner-up was the University of the Philippines College of Law.

This year, students presented arguments on whether an ambassador should be prosecuted for illegal ivory smuggling and whether the confiscated ivory should be returned to the country of origin as cultural property.

Regional competitions were held in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Teams of students from Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Ireland, Kenya, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States participated in the international finals this year at Stetson law school.

Students from the University of Nairobi won the Spirit of Stetson Award. The team from the University of San Carlos also won Best Memorial, with National Law University, Jodhpur, India winning the second-best memorial. Mark Lawrence Badayos of the University of San Carlos was named Best Oralist in the final round.

Final round judges were Wil Burns, founder and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy, Elizabeth Gitari of Kenyan non-governmental organization WildlifeDirect, and Marceil Yeater, the former chief, legal affairs and trade policy, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

This year’s final round of the competition was held in conjunction with the International Wildlife Law Conference at Stetson law school. Attendees from around the world addressed topics including hunting, fishing, and other impacts on wildlife, as well as connections and collaborations across multilateral environmental agreements.

Visit Stetson University College of Law for more information.