I. Competition
A. Moot Court
The Moot Court Competition will be based on Public International Law, with a focus on animal rights and their interplay with other areas of global concern, including, among others, the protection of human rights and the environment. As such, each issue of the compromis will focus on the interactions of Animal Rights Law with International Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law, etc. The compromis will be based on a fictitious version of our world in which one or more International Animal Rights Law instruments exist, in addition to the laws that already exist in our real world on International Human Rights Law, International Environmental Law, etc. Participants will be expected to engage with multinational instruments, customary international law, general principles of law, domestic and multinational jurisprudence, and writings of jurists, legal philosophers, and legal theorists—actual and fictitious. They will first produce and electronically submit written submissions in the form of a memorandum, and then, during the competition rounds, present their oral arguments to a panel of expert competition judges, selected from International Law and Animal Law, comprising both scholars and industry practitioners.
B. Policy Negotiation
The Policy Negotiation Competition will be based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on policies concerning animal rights and their interplay with other areas of global concern, including, among others, human rights and environmental protection. As such, each policy of the negotiation problem will focus on the interaction of animal interests with humans, the environment, etc. The Negotiation problem will be based on a fictitious version of our world, in which one or more policies concerning animals are proposed. Participants will be expected to engage with multinational instruments, academic research, and writings—actual and fictitious. They will first produce and electronically submit written submissions in the form of a policy paper, and then, during the competition rounds, present their oral submissions to a panel of expert competition judges, selected from International Policy and Animal Policy, comprising both scholars and industry practitioners.
II. Training Courses
The Sparks Moot also exists to train university students and teachers in mooting/negotiating and moot/negotiation coaching, through a two-pronged training course. For students, the Training Course is an exciting opportunity to develop research, writing, and presentation skills necessary for effective animal rights advocacy and negotiation, international, regional, or domestic. For educators, the Training Course helps develop the pedagogical skills necessary to effectively coach moots/negotiations. Experts in mooting, negotiating, and coaching from across the globe come together to deliver high-quality training for 12 hours per course. Through the support of these specialist training experts, all participants will develop their legal or teaching skills and finish with a strong grounding in the intricacies of their respective crafts.