Information for 2025 applicants

Eligibility

Undergraduate or postgraduate students in law or other disciplines at any Australian university are eligible to apply, although selection generally favours mid-degree or final-year LLB/JD students or LLM students. Prior negotiation and/or mooting competition experience is very desirable but not essential (note: the INC is structured differently from most other international competitions). Previous members of Team Australia (and previously unsuccessful applicants) are eligible to reapply but should note course credit is not available for repeat participation.

Application process

  1. Applications should be submitted by email to the co-ordinating lead coach, James Fisher (ANU Law School): james.fisher@anu.edu.au

  2. Applications must be received by close of business on 13 June 2025. The coaching team may solicit additional applications after the closing date if necessary (e.g. to find candidates with the language skills necessary to enter the Japanese language division).

  3. Your written application must include: (a) a one-page cover letter detailing your motivation to participate in the competition, prior mooting and/or negotiation competition experience, and your Japanese language proficiency (if applying for the Japanese-language division, or to both language divisions); (b) a CV; (c ) a copy of your university academic transcript (this need not be an official copy; an auto-generated PDF or equivalent is sufficient); (d) for students studying at the ANU and/or seeking New Colombo Plan financial support for participation in the competition, a copy of the Privacy Statement and Consent Acknowledgement statements (see below).

Selection

All short-listed applicants will be interviewed (in person or via Zoom). Note: shortlisting and interviews are conducted on a rolling basis (as applications are received). The interview assesses:

  1. Personal qualities;

  2. Mooting and/or negotiation competition experience;

  3. Evidence of proven teamwork and/or leadership skills; and

  4. Demonstrated language proficiency in Japanese (for the Japanese language sub-team)


FAQ:
(a) How many students are selected?

The size of the team varies each year depending on the number and quality of applications and the available funding. Each participating team is permitted up to 3 sub-teams, each of which may have 3-5 members. Note: regardless of the number of sub-teams formed, each comprises members from multiple Australian universities and the teams collaborate and support each other as part of a single, inter-varsity Team Australia.

(b) Do I need Japanese?

No Japanese proficiency is required for applications to the English language division. However, a high degree of proficiency in spoken and written Japanese is required for the Japanese language division. Students with intermediate or developing levels of Japanese are encouraged to get in touch in advance of application to discuss application options.

(c) Will I travel to Tokyo if selected?

It is expected that all members of Team Australia will travel together to Tokyo to participate in the competition. The next competition is scheduled for 15-16 November 2025. Participating students in receipt of New Colombo Plan travel/accommodation funding must be in Tokyo from approximately 3-17 November. This period includes extensive on-site preparation and educational/professional enrichment activities.

(d) When will I be notified of application results?

Successful applicants will be contacted by email by the end of June 2024.

(e) Can I get course credit for participating?

LLB and JD students at the Australian National University and the University of Sydney routinely receive course credit for membership of Team Australia as electives. At the ANU these are LAWS4266 International Arbitration and Negotiation Moot Competition in Japan or an advanced Japanese language course. At USyd they include LAWS 3489 or 5360 International Moot and LAWS 5189 Independent Research Project. Other institutions may award credit in similar or other ways: it is the responsibility of individual applicants to investigate this if they wish to receive institutional credit for their participation in Team Australia. If you are successful in your application, we will liaise with academic and professional staff at your university to help you make the necessary arrangements. Please note in the body of your application your proposed basis for receiving course credit. Note that eligibility for New Colombo Plan travel/accommodation funding is contingent on enrolment in a credit-bearing elective at your home institution.

(f) Is there financial support available?
Most years (including 2025) participating students are supported by New Colombo Plan funds which substantially cover the costs of travel and accommodation in Tokyo. Students are responsible for meeting other costs (such as food, city travel and incidentals while on the ground in Tokyo, and domestic travel within Australia as occasionally necessary for team preparation). Many institutions offer additional discretionary financial support for participating students to allay these incidental costs, and we routinely liaise with universities in support of such applications.

Time commitment: planning your study in Semester 2

Participation in Team Australia is intensive and demanding: far more so than participation in most other competitions you are likely to have experienced. It is not readily compatible with a demanding part-time job: we estimate it to represent more than 30% of a full-time study load.

Accepting an offer to join Team Australia means promising to prioritise preparation over other engagements such as internships and summer jobs. You will need to make time for:

  • At least weekly team meetings between August-November;

  • Intensive personal time commitment during drafting periods;

  • At least weekly or bi-weekly oral practice sessions through July-October before the competition (with adjustments for assessment requirements at team members’ home universities); and

  • Regular coordination via platforms such as Slack and Zoom.

  • Around two weeks in November 2025

  • Note: Much work for the competition takes place during most Australian universities’ exam period. If competition preparation clashes with an exam, we will support your request to your institution for accommodation, but cannot guarantee the result.

Privacy Statement

The following applies to applicants from the ANU and those from other institutions who are seeking financial support from the New Colombo Plan grants administered by the ANU.

“The Australian National University College of Law, Governance and Policy is collecting the information on this application to enable us to assist students enrolled in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs to complete their studies. This information will be shared with academic and professional staff members employed by the Australian National University as required and confidentiality will be maintained. This information may also be shared with the relevant host organisation as required, and/or the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Please note that DFAT may disclose your personal information to an overseas recipient who may not be bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or subject to any equivalent privacy obligations. ANU and DFAT will not be accountable under the Privacy Act if the overseas recipient breaches the Australian Privacy Principles. Furthermore, Australian Privacy Principle 8.1 will not apply to the disclosure of your personal information to an overseas recipient.

 The Australian National University (ANU) is required by law to handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. For more information on how ANU handles personal information, and how to request corrections or make complaints about your personal information, please see the ANU Privacy Policy on the ANU website, at https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_010007, or contact privacy@anu.edu.au.”

Please copy and include the above Privacy Statement and the below Consent Acknowledgement as an extra page in your letter of application.

Consent Acknowledgment:

“I agree to all the above statements and requirements and give my consent accordingly. I consent to my full application, including my contact details, being shared with the competition host as part of the selection process for the opportunity I am applying for.

I agree to APP 8.1 not applying to the disclosure of my personal information by DFAT and/or the ANU to an overseas recipient for the purposes of the consideration of my participation in the New Colombo Plan (NCP) Program.

I acknowledge that Team Australia is supported by funding from the Commonwealth of Australia represented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the New Colombo Plan (NCP) program. To be considered for an NCP grant, I consent to ANU sharing my personal information with DFAT as a potential NCP grant recipient. If I am selected for and accept an NCP grant, I understand that DFAT may contact me in the future to evaluate the program’s outcomes and benefits and/or to invite me to participate in promotional activities related to the mobility funding program.”


Contact for applications and other questions:

james.fisher@anu.edu.au

 
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