Various moot court awards are annually given in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna as well as the Willem C. Vis (East) Moot in Hong Kong. The top prizes in Vienna are the Pieter Sanders Award (Best Claimant Memorandum), the Werner Melis Award (Best Respondent Memorandum), the Martin Domke Award (Best Oralist), and the Eric Bergsten Award (Winner of the Moot; known as Frédéric Eisemann Award until 2017).Rules of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Honourable Mentions are also awarded for the best oralists, memoranda, and teams that qualified for the knockout stages in the oral phase.
For the competition in Hong Kong, the top prizes are the David Hunter Award (Best Claimant Memorandum; known as Eric Bergsten Award until 2017), the Fali Nariman Award (Best Respondent Memorandum), the Neil Kaplan Award (Best Oralist), and the Eric Bergsten Award (Winner of the Moot; known as David Hunter Award until 2017). Like the Vienna competition, Honourable Mentions are awarded for the best oralists, memoranda, and teams that qualified for the knockout stages in the oral phase. Up until 2016, a separate winner for the Asian Division was also declared.
Between 2020 and 2022, due to COVID-19, both Vis moots were conducted online. In-person hearings resumed for both moots in 2023.
Vis Moot in Vienna Awards for the best memoranda in Vienna Honourable Mentions are awarded for the best memoranda of the competition, and the Pieter Sanders Award is given for the Best Claimant Memorandum. During the first three Moots, the award was given for the Best Written Memoranda in support of the positions of Claimant and Respondent. Subsequently, the Werner Melis Award was introduced as a separate award for the Best Respondent Memorandum. Pieter Sanders was one of the founders of modern international commercial arbitration.See B.E. Shipman, "Professor Pieter Sanders", International Law FORUM du droit international (2000), 41-44 He was one of the principal drafters of the New York Convention and the 1976 UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. Professor Sanders was also founder of the Law Faculty of Erasmus University Rotterdam and co-founder of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration as well as the Netherlands Arbitration Institute. The Werner Melis Award is named after an Honorary President of the International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (Vienna) and Honorary Vice-president of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration.
MootYearWinner of Best Claimant Memorandum Winner of Best Respondent Memorandum1st1994University of FreiburgNA2nd1995University of BaselNA3rd1996University of CologneNA4th1997University of CopenhagenDeakin University 5th1998University of MünsterUniversity of Münster6th1999University of BaselUniversity of Basel7th2000Heidelberg UniversityHeidelberg University8th2001University of FreiburgUniversity of Zagreb9th2002University of Queensland University of Mainz 10th2003University of Bonn University of Cologne11th2004Heidelberg UniversityUniversity of Zurich National University of Singapore12th2005University of CopenhagenHumboldt University of Berlin13th2006Columbia University LMU MunichLMU Munich14th2007University of FreiburgUniversity of Freiburg15th2008University of California, BerkeleyHeidelberg University16th2009University of SydneyStockholm University17th2010University of New South WalesUniversity of New South Wales18th2011Stockholm UniversityQueen's University University of St. Gallen19th2012Harvard University University of ZurichUniversity of Freiburg20th2013University of Belgrade LMU MunichNational University of Singapore21st2014University of FreiburgUniversity of Fribourg (Switzerland)22nd2015Humboldt University of BerlinNational Law University, Jodhpur23rd2016University of LucerneUniversity of Freiburg24th2017University of Freiburg Columbia University University of Geneva LMU Munich25th2018University of GenevaHumboldt University of Berlin26th2019University of SydneyUniversity of Vienna27th2020London School of EconomicsUniversity of Vienna28th2021Aarhus UniversityUniversity of Zurich29th2022Heidelberg UniversitySofia University30th2023Saarland UniversityUniversity of Freiburg31st2024University of HamburgUniversity of Zurich32nd2025University of Fribourg (Switzerland) University of ViennaUniversity of New South Wales33d2026University of Freiburg (Germany)University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Award for the best individual oralist during the general rounds in Vienna
Honourable Mentions are awarded for the best oralists of the competition; the Martin Domke Award is awarded to the Best Individual Oralist. Both types of award are for the general rounds, and not elimination rounds. To be eligible for either award, a participant must have argued at least once for the Claimant and once for the Respondent. The Martin Domke Award was named after a former adjunct professor of law at New York University and a well-known scholar of international arbitration. Professor Domke was also vice president of the American Arbitration Association for 25 years and served as editor-in-chief of the then Arbitration Journal (now the Dispute Resolution Journal). He also was the author of Commercial Arbitration, published in 1965, and The Law and Practice of Commercial Arbitration, published in 1968.
MootYearWinner of Best Oralist2nd place3rd place1st1994 Gregor Kirchhof, University of Freiburg William Spiegelberger, Columbia University Larisa Malakoff, Columbia University Neil Oberman, Laval University 2nd1995 Chantal Niggemann, University of Freiburg Neil Katz, Laval University Dennis Willardt Zewillis, University of Copenhagen3rd1996 Kay-Jannes Wegner, University of Cologne Friedrich Blase, University of Cologne Kelly Longton, Deakin University Sebastian Semran, University of Cologne 4th1997 Camilla Andersen, University of Copenhagen Corinne Widmer, University of Basel Daniel Kalderimis, Victoria University of Wellington 5th1998 Biljana Dischlieva, Kiel University Julia Tilgen, University of Freiburg John Bona, University of Queensland6th1999 Carmen Klein, University of Cologne Martin Illmer, University of Mainz Peter James Black, University of Queensland Martina Peric, University of Zagreb 7th2000 Jan Stemplewitz, University of Münster Philipp Schulte, University of Münster Sarah Catherine Holland, University of Queensland8th2001 Trevor Stockinger, Loyola Law School Los Angeles Ivana Radic, University of Rijeka Michael Karschau, Kiel University9th2002 Marion Alice Jane Isobel, University of Queensland Robina Kaye, University of Montpellier Mitja Kocmut, University of Ljubljana10th2003 Andrew Molnar, Deakin University Simun Soljo, University of New South Wales Lim Wei Lee, National University of Singapore 11th2004 Alexey Konovalov, Mari State University Nawel Bailey, McGill University Dominic Müller, Heidelberg University Metka Potocnik, University of Ljubljana12th2005 Charmaine Roberts, University of New South Wales Anna-Maria Tamminen, University of Vienna Richard May, Victoria University of Wellington Philip James Furniss, University of Ottawa Sarah Santiago, Syracuse University13th2006 Sonu Dhanju, Osgoode Hall Law School Shonagh Margaret Brown, University of Aarhus Erik Eastaugh, University of Ottawa, Kristen Miller, Franklin Pierce Law Center Christopher Nahler, University of Vienna, Edward Russell, Monash University 14th2007 Steven Wayne Hopkins, Southern Methodist University Jason Stearns, Stetson University David Quayat, University of Ottawa 15th2008 Lennart Beckhaus, University of Münster Michael Lederer, University of Vienna Jerald Hess, American University Shen Narayanasamy, Monash University Tariq Rangwala, Osgoode Hall Law School16th2009 Oliver Jones, Lincoln's Inn Sarah Wright, University of California Alexander Fawke, Monash University17th2010 Antonia Füller, University of Freiburg Gregory Dixon, Duke University Aashni Dalal, London School of Economics18th2011 Robin von Olshausen, University of Freiburg Ethan Minshull, Tulane University Douglas Alexander Cordeiro, Panthéon-Assas University William Glaser, Pepperdine University 19th2012 Laura Liefländer, University of Hamburg Bastian Nill, University of Freiburg William Crowe, Fordham University Newton Mak, Chinese University of Hong Kong Malgorzata Pohl, University of Silesia Angelina Sgier, University of Zurich Genavieve Shingle, Pace University20th2013 Kristen Holman, University of Ottawa Lauren Watts, University of Washington Abby Hilaire, University of Washington Brie Coyle, University of Washington21st2014 Sam Song, University of San Diego Paulo Sergio De Albuquerque Coelho Filho, Universidade de São Paulo Andres Sandoval, University of Florida 22nd2015 Kelvin Chong Yue Hua, National University of Singapore Laura Fahrner, University of Freiburg Zain Jinnah, Harvard University 23rd2016 Karmijn Krooshof, University of Amsterdam Rebecca Lennard, University of Notre Dame Australia Dimitrios Peteves University of Florida24th2017 Emily Domingo, Monash University Natalie Kolos, University of Ottawa Ashlyn Robinson, University of Florida25th2018 Timothy Morgan, University of Sydney Evanthia Kasiora, London School of Economics Laura Korn, University of Freiburg Lilian Winter, University of Freiburg26th2019Terry Frederic, Brooklyn Law SchoolDavid Vucinic, University of BelgradeReto Tettamanti, University of St Gallen Yves Tjon-A-Meeuw, University of Zurich27th (online) 2020Afreen Taqvi, La Trobe University Eleanor Dennis, McGill UniversityGabriel Libório, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro28th (online) 2021Francis Lake, BPP Law SchoolMadeleine Bosler, University of Sydney Jonas Benedict Klein, Bucerius Law School Efat Elsherif, McGill University29th (online) 2022Frederik Kold Galsgaard, Aarhus UniversityChristian Grunau, University of MünsterOcéane Kessler, University of Basel30th2023 Killian Hayes Dockrell, University of Edinburgh Elisa Alexandra Henke, Humboldt University of Berlin Laurenz Faber, University of Vienna31st2024Yijun Cui, University of SydneyMathias Abildgaard Ohlsen, Aarhus UniversityThomas Martyn, University of Sydney Sophia Danzer, University of Vienna32nd2025Sonia Ram, University of New South WalesMadelize Breet, University of QueenslandAman Mohamed, University of New South Wales
Award for winner of the moot in Vienna Previously the Frédéric Eisemann Award, the Eric Bergsten Award is awarded to the prevailing team in the championship round. The award is named after the founder of the moot. As the Vis has grown in the number of participating teams, the Vis has expanded from having originally only four teams advance into the elimination or knockout rounds to its current state where the top 64 of over 300 teams advance. From 1994 to 1996, the top four teams advanced; from 1997 to 1999, the top eight teams advanced; from 2000 to 2002, the top 16 teams advanced; and from 2003 to 2007, the top 32 teams advanced. Each team that advances to the elimination rounds receives an award for Honorable Mention for Best Team Orals.