Team from the University of Colombo wins the Nuremberg Moot Court 2026

The student team of the University of Colombo from Sri Lanka won the final round of the Nuremberg Moot Court 2026, held at the historic Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice in Germany. The University of New South Wales, Australia, finished as the runner-up.

The International Nuremberg Principles Academy and the International Criminal Law Research Unit (ICLU) of Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) hosted the 14th edition of the Nuremberg Moot Court in Nuremberg, Germany, between 22 and 25 July.

This year, 130 international law students of 34 universities from 25 countries competed in the oral rounds. The students refined their advocacy skills by competing on a fictional case on the war crime of recruiting children under the age of 15 into a non-state armed group.

The overall winning team from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, comprised Gevindu Pitiduwa Gamage, Zaman Mohamed Nazar and Sahanma Perumbuli Achchige. The University of New South Wales from Australia, represented by Simon Wilton, Will Martin and Rowan Gray, finished second.

High-profile judges, including judges, prosecutors and academics made up the distinguished international jury. Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC, Judge at the International Criminal Court, who presided in the finals, considered it "a real privilege to be asked to take part in and judge this moot".

The three best overall speakers of the Nuremberg Moot Court 2026 were Natalia Anesashvili (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia), Zaman Mohamed Nazar (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka) and Simon Wilton (University of New South Wales, Australia).

This year's second best overall speaker title was shared by seven participants with identical scores: Elene Ekaterine Dvalidze (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia), Sarah Greilich (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany), Samantha Kenkel Danly (Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, United States of America), Ananya Kumar (Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, India), Will Martin (University of New South Wales, Australia), Devni Neha Jayaweera (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan) and James Phillip Goroh Sewe (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya).

The awards for the best written memoranda prosecution went to the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, India, and to De La Salle University, The Philippines. The team from Rivers State University, Nigeria, received the award for the best written memorandum defence.

Professor Dr Christoph Safferling, Director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy who also holds the Chair of International Criminal Law at FAU in Erlangen, said:

"Seeing students from across the globe engage with international criminal law in Courtroom 600 sends a powerful message. They came from States Parties and non-States Parties to the Rome Statute alike, including countries affected by ongoing armed conflicts. Their participation demonstrates that the values of justice, accountability and dialogue continue to inspire the next generation of legal professionals. The future of international criminal justice is in capable hands."

Photos of the Nuremberg Moot Court 2026 and the video recording of the finals will soon be available on the website of the Nuremberg Moot Court.