The University of Toronto Mississauga is home to the Ontario Ethics Bowl Championship, an annual event that brings together teams of bright and dedicated high school students from across Ontario to compete in a contest of reasoning and persuasion. Ethics Bowl matches are different from other debate formats in that teams are encouraged to develop their own position on contemporary ethical dilemmas, and to revise and refine their ideas in light of the other side’s criticisms. Ethics Bowls promote the value of informed civil discourse and encourage deep engagement with political, social, and moral viewpoints different from our own.
Teams addressing the judges’ questions at the 2024 championship finals
2025 Ontario Ethics Bowl Championship
Date: Saturday March 22 and Sunday March 23
Location: University of Toronto Mississauga, Manjiwe Nendamowinan (MN) Building
The 2025 Ontario Ethics Bowl Championship will bring together the top teams from nine regional Ethics Bowls hosted by universities across Ontario. The final match will take place on Sunday, March 23 along with a talk by UTM’s own Lu-Vada Dunford. The winners of the Ontario Championship will then travel to Winnipeg for the National Championship in April.
Become an Ethics Bowl Judge!
The 2024 winners, Assumption Catholic Secondary, posing with the trophy along with Ontario Ethics Bowl’s Jeffrey Senese (left)
We are looking for volunteers to help judge the 2025 Provincial Championship! Judges assign scores to teams’ presentations and formulate questions that help teams to refine their positions. Ideal candidates for judging would be people with degrees in philosophy, other humanities disciplines, or social sciences, and/or people with expertise in areas like law and medicine. No prior experience or familiarity with the Ethics Bowl is required; judges will complete a half hour asynchronous training module. If you’re interested, you can sign up here: https://forms.gle/dZFCN24APGxmw4rv5
Links
- Ethics Bowl Ontario’s Website
- Ethics Bowl Canada’s Website
- The cases to be discussed at this year’s events
- Information for new teams
- Website for the College Bowl, the Ethics Bowl for teams of university students
Questions about Ontario Ethics Bowl? Email Elliot Carter, Marketing and Outreach Officer in the UTM Philosophy Department: elliot.carter@utoronto.ca.