The 10th Annual Rhode Island Regional High School Ethics Bowl will held at Brown University on Sunday, February 1, 2026. Click here for registration information.

General Information:

The Rhode Island High School Ethics Bowl is an annual competition in which high school students from across the state come together to discuss ethical questions.  The event is hosted by the Brown University Department of Philosophy.

In the Ethics Bowl, teams of students consider cases dealing with questions of contemporary concern — from the ethical status of walking one’s dog through a graveyard, to questions about immoral art, nuclear proliferation, and medical triage.

Team members take turns talking through the issues at hand and respond to questions and comments from the other team and from a panel of judges. It’s not a debate competition. Teams start from open questions – not opposing positions.

Ethics Bowl scoring rewards collaborative discussion, engagement with conflicting viewpoints, and generous acknowledgement of objections. It’s fun, and a great way to practice constructive and civil disagreement.

Every year we bring together a large group of students from Rhode Island public high schools, public charter schools, and independent private schools for a series of robust ethical discussions.

Past events:

For more information: