International Business Mediation Competition

08.30 – 11.30: Round 1

*14.00 – 16.00: Professionals’ Event

17.00 – 20.00: Round 2

20.30 – 23.00: Welcome Ceremony

08.30 – 11.30: Round 3

12.00 – 12.30: Announcement of the Semi-Finalists

*14.00 – 16.00: Educational Event

17.00 – 20.00: Semi-Finals

20.30 – 21.00: Announcement of the Finalists

*21.30 – 00.00: Social Event

*10.00 – 11.30: Social Event

12.00 – 15.00: Final

15.30 – 17.00: Award Ceremony and Closing Drinks

The IBMC is an in-person event, with all rounds taking place in Amsterdam.

The competition consists of three preliminary rounds, two semi-finals, and one final. Each round features a different commercial dispute.

Student teams negotiate a commercial dispute. Two professionals will judge both participating teams. An expert mediator facilitates the session.

Mediators will receive only the general information for each case, while judges will receive all case materials, including the confidential information.

No, the organization will not provide accommodation or housing, and we do not offer any special rates or recommendations.

Amsterdam offers plenty of hotels and hostels, and the competition venue—De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek’s office—is easily accessible by bus, tram, and metro.

Amsterdam is a small city, so if you choose your accommodation wisely, your commute should take no more than 20 minutes.

If anything changes regarding special rates or accommodation recommendations, we will include that information in the confirmation email sent to accepted teams and professionals.

Each case will include general information, which we will distribute publicly, along with two sets of confidential information: one for the requesting party and one for the responding party. We will share the confidential information with each team individually.

We will distribute the cases well in advance to give all participants sufficient time to prepare.

We assign cases randomly but ensure that each team will act as the requesting party and as the responding party at least once.

We will award a first place, a second place, and two third places. Since different judges score each semi-final, awarding a single third place would be unfair given the subjective nature of judging.

In addition, we will present special awards to teams that do not advance to the final rounds but demonstrate outstanding performance in a specific category of distinction.

We will communicate all deadlines and important dates—including the registration window, application outcomes, and the release of the problems—in due course.

To stay updated, follow our LinkedIn page and RSVP to our event there—so you don’t miss a thing.

All students enrolled at a university or any other tertiary education in the 2025 calendar year are eligible to participate.

For this year’s edition this means that students enrolled in any bachelor’s or master’s in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic year are eligible to participate.

Students can participate no more than two times in a row in this competition.

Each team must include a minimum of two students and may include up to four students in total. For each round, the team selects two representatives to negotiate the case. Teams may rotate their representatives between rounds.

In other words, a full team consists of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people (students and coaches combined).

Each team may bring up to two coaches. Coaches may not compete or participate in any mediation round, but they are welcome to observe all rounds in which their team is actively participating.

Each team must also designate one team leader, who can be either a student or a coach.

The organization will communicate only with the team leader regarding the application process and all further competition-related information once the team is accepted.

We aim to make IBMC as inclusive and accessible as possible—everyone is welcome to apply. Our goal is to host a high-quality, diverse, and dynamic competition.

If interest exceeds our capacity, we may need to apply selection criteria to ensure a balanced and enriching experience for all participants. Should this be the case, we will share clear and transparent guidelines when registration opens.

For now, we encourage everyone—students, coaches, and professionals—to express their interest and stay connected via our LinkedIn page. We’re excited to build this event together with you!

Yes, we will charge a modest registration fee to secure your commitment to prepare and participate. We will keep this fee as low as possible.

In addition, we will offer an optional social package. Events included in this package will be marked with an asterisk (*). You can find a more detailed schedule here.

We will confirm all prices in due course.

No, we will not charge professionals a participation fee, as a way to recognize and appreciate the time, effort, and resources they contribute to the competition.

In each round, two professionals judges will evaluate both teams’ performance.

After the mediation concludes, each judge will individually select the team they believe demonstrated the strongest skills during the round by marking a ‘win’ on the scoresheet.

Judges will assess teams based on their approach to the mediation—not the outcome. We will share the scoresheets in due course.

In each preliminary round, both judges will independently mark one team as the ‘winner’ of the round.

If both judges select the same team, that team will earn three points while the other team receives none. If the judges select different teams, each team will earn one point.

After the third and final preliminary round, we will compile a general ranking. The four teams with the highest scores will advance to the final rounds.

In the semi-finals and final, at least three judges—and always an uneven number—will score the teams’ performances. The team that receives the most ‘wins’ from the judges will advance to the next round or win the competition.

If two teams are tied in points, we will use the number of distinctions they received during the preliminary rounds as the tiebreaker.

A distinction is awarded when a team demonstrates exceptionally strong skills—such as effective use of the mediator, strong teamwork, clear advancement of their interests, or a powerful opening statement, among others.

We will share the exact list of distinctions and a detailed scoresheet at a later stage.