May 2026 Newsletter: Global AI Debates Winners, Upcoming Tournaments & Philosophy Camps
In this issue:
Spring 2026 Global AI Debates: winners and thanks
Upcoming events through 2027
Marc Sanders Case Writing Prize is open
John Locke prep and free coaching
New philosophy camps for August
The Spring 2026 Global AI Debates wrapped Saturday
51 student submissions. 69 students. 5 countries: US, Canada, China, Japan, South Africa. 143% growth over Fall 2025 and 96% over Spring 2025.
Senior Speech finalists
Elaine Kim — Gold
Eugene Choi — Silver
Rora Kim — Bronze
Watch the senior speech finals: youtu.be/KvjtSxMDLHA
Other winners
Junior Speech (7–10): Carter Ong, Gold
Middle Speech (11–14): Haejoon Lim (Gold), Sana Vinoth (Silver), Soha Subramanian (Finalist)
Debate Champions: Daniel Chou, Jemin Jeon, Milo Takemoto
Debate Finalists: Sahayu Raja, Ameen Patel, Eric Shen, Yaesh Alimchandani, Pranav Elaprolu
All six top essays, with theses and excerpts: read the essay collection.
The Future of Life Institute funded the season with a $10,000 grant covering finals prizes, fee waivers, and outreach. Thank you.
From the Spring 2026 finals:
Upcoming Events
All events online unless noted. In date order.
TKEthics Novice Invitational 2026: Saturday, August 29, 2026, 6:00 PM ET. Worldwide, ages 13–18, teams of 3–5. For teams with fewer than 2 prior ethics competitions and no medals. $225 per team. Closes July 29. Register
TKEthics Invitational Grand Final 2026: Saturday, August 29, 2026, 6:00 PM ET. Qualifying teams only.
Arizona In-Person Invitational: Friday, October 9, 2026. In person, Arizona. Details TBA.
TKEthics Fall Invitational 2026: Saturday, November 7, 2026, 6:00 PM ET. Worldwide, ages 13–18, teams of 3–5. $225 per team. Qualifier for the TKEthics Invitational Grand Final 2027. Closes October 7. Register
Global AI Debates, Fall 2026: Submissions due November 14. Finalists announced November 28. Live finals Saturday, December 5. Code EARLYBIRD for 20% off before July 1. Registration closes October 1. Register
Middle School Pan-Atlantic Ethics Olympiad 2026: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:00 AM ET. School-based teams from the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Ages 10–14.
TKEthics Spring Invitational 2027: Saturday, March 6, 2027, 6:00 PM ET. Worldwide, ages 13–18, teams of 3–5. $225 per team. Closes February 6, 2027. Register
Senior European Ethics Olympiad 2027: Thursday, March 18, 2027. UK and European school-based teams, ages 14–18, teams of 3–5. $180 early bird (closes Jan 26), $225 regular (closes Feb 26). Qualifier for the International Final 2027.
Senior Pan American Ethics Olympiad 2027: Saturday, April 3, 2027, 10:00 AM ET. School-based teams from North, Central, and South America, ages 14–18, teams of 3–5. $180 early bird, $225 regular. Qualifier for the International Final 2027.
TKEthics Invitational Grand Final 2027: Saturday, August 28, 2027, 6:00 PM ET. Qualifying teams only.
Now Open: Marc Sanders Foundation Case Writing Prize
Awards outstanding student-written ethics cases on technology and ethics. Winning submissions may be included in future TKEthics Invitational case sets.
Prize
$1,000 USD to the student's school for ethics and philosophy education
$500 USD to the student author or authors
MPI may divide prizes across up to three winning entries
How to submit
Cases should be 300–600 words with three discussion questions beneath the case
Citations welcome
Multiple cases per submission allowed
Cases due September 30, 2026
Past case sets: modusponensinstitute.com/case-sets
Student Resources
John Locke Essay Competition prep
We publish free research packets to help students prepare for the John Locke Essay Competition. Browse current packets, and vote on which topic we cover next.
Research packets: modusponensinstitute.com/john-lock-essay-competition Vote on the next topic: cast your vote
Coaching and tutoring
We have a roster of coaches currently completing PhDs in philosophy who can support teams or individuals preparing for Ethics Olympiads, the International Philosophy Olympiad, or general philosophy and ethics tutoring.
Students from low-income schools can access this support free of charge. Paid coaching is open to anyone.
To get in touch: modusponensinstitute.com/contact-us
Online philosophy camps, August 2026
Three online camps running late August. 12 hours over 4 days each. $40 CAD per hour regular rate. Express interest now for 15% off when registration opens.
Beginner: Intro to Philosophy
Intermediate: Epistemology (JTB, Gettier, and the rest)
Advanced: Formal Logic
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