» Chapman University Official Home of the SoCal Regional High School Ethics Bowl Since 2016

What is High School Ethic Bowl?

The National High School Ethics Bowl and the regional ethics bowls it supports are competitive yet collaborative events in which students discuss real-life ethical issues. In each round of competition, teams take turns analyzing cases about complex ethical dilemmas and responding to questions and comments from the other team and from a panel of judges. An ethics bowl differs from a debate competition in that students are not assigned opposing views; rather, they defend whichever position they think is correct, provide each other with constructive criticism, and win by demonstrating that they have thought rigorously and systematically about the cases and engaged respectfully and supportively with all participants. The program is designed to teach and promote ethical awareness, critical thinking, civil discourse, civic engagement, and an appreciation for multiple points of view. And 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. Learn more about this national program.

Southern California Regional HSEB

Regional bowls are held across the country, with winners advancing to compete in regional playoffs and then in the national competition in April. The Southern California regional bowl is held each year with schools from San Diego to Santa Barbara participating. This year the competition will again be in-person on February 8th, using the companionate mode integrating scoring with the online system.

Reserve Your Spot to Participate in the So Cal Bowl Today!

Once you have formed a team at your high school and found a coach, you need to reserve your spot in the regional competition by completing this form. Our bowl is limited to twenty teams so be sure to let us know of your high school’s intention to field a team as soon as possible by completing the form.

The deadline for signing up for the regional bowl form is Sunday, December 8th. Along with registering for the regional competition, your team must also register with Nationals. Initial registration with a discounted fee closes on November 1, 2024, but the final cut-off is January 11, 2025. The sooner you sign up, the better!

If you have any questions about the registration process or the competition in general, please contact ethicsbowl@chapman.edu.

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The first step is to form a team at your high school (often as a student club) and find a coach/advisor. The National High School Ethics Bowl website contains all the updated information you will need to prepare for this year’s regional competition. Under “Official Rules and Documents” you will find:

Please note: We will be allowing teams up to 6 minutes to present their cases (rather than 5 minutes) as this is the standard also for the national competition, and this year all conferral periods for teams have been increased to 3 minutes to accommodate the virtual platform.

The National HSEB organization has also created an exciting new online resource: NHSEB Academy to assist teams and coaches in preparing for the competition and it includes resource kits for teams, coaches, and judges as well as organizers. There are also a range of helpful videos, and teams can schedule appointments to work with specially trained coaches and participate in online events. I encourage you to take advantage of these great resources as you prepare for the competition. As a reminder, each team must have at least 3 students and is capped at seven, though only five students can be seated on a team in any round, and all students must attend the same high school.

You will need to register your team with NHSEB (please do so by November 1, 2023). You can register on-line at the NHSEB registration site as soon as your team is confirmed for the So Cal competition. The fee for national registration is now $125 if you register by November 1, 2023. After that the fee increases to $175. (Please contact the national organization if your school does not have the resources to cover this). There is no further fee to participate in the So Cal Regional HSEB.

This extraordinary program is only possible with the participation of volunteer judges and moderators for the competition. Each match requires a moderator and a panel of three judges and the morning three rounds allow all teams to compete with 10 matches simultaneously underway in each round. Undergraduates, some of whom participate in collegiate ethics bowl, from Chapman and other regional universities serve as moderators while judges include professors, graduate students, and community members from across the region, and include Chapman alumni.

Why Volunteer? Hear what one judge has to say…

Those who do volunteer find the experience inspiring and rewarding, and many return to do so year after year.

A “Judge Kit” is available for download, moderators follow a set script, and several videos are available to familiarize both judges and moderators with their roles:

» Chapman University Official Home of the SoCal Regional High School Ethics Bowl Since 2016

What is High School Ethic Bowl?

Southern California Regional HSEB

Preparing for the Competition

Volunteer Judges and Moderators Needed!