The Levan Alexidze International Law Moot Court Competition – 2026

Edition VIII

The Academician Levan Alexidze Foundation, in close cooperation with the Georgian American University and the International Criminal Law Centre at Tbilisi State University (TSU) is pleased to announce the launch of “Edition VIII 2026” of the Levan Alexidze International Law Moot Court Competition (LA-IL-MCC).

Being launched on 5 July 2026, the “Edition VIII 2026” of the LA-IL-MCC will host the final International Round of the Competition in Tbilisi and online, in mid-December 2026.

The “Edition VIII 2026” of the LA-IL-MCC will focus for potential deliberation before the International Court of Justice on the following issues:

1. The legality of the use of force;
2. The law of naval warfare;
3. Fighting transnational crimes.

This English language International Competition was established in 2019 in honour of Professor Levan Alexidze, the Founder of the International Law School of Georgia. In 2026 it will host participants from Europe, South Caucasus, Central and South-East Asia and MENA region.

All institutions of higher education in the above-mentioned regions are invited to apply for participation. Each team shall be comprised of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 students (1^st or 2^nd Bologna level or equivalent). One coach or academic advisor may also be registered per team.

There is no registration and participation fee for the “LA-IL-MCC”.

Registration deadline: 10 October 2026.

How to apply: Send an e-mail to laf@laf.ge with the following information:

• Names and surnames of team members (including coach/academic advisor) and their contact details (e-mail, telephone numbers)
• Institution of higher education on behalf of which the team is applying

Please carefully examine the attached Rules of Procedure and do not hesitate to contact the organizers if you need any further clarifications or information

saba.pipia@gau.edu.ge; laf@laf.ge

5 July 2026 marks the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Professor Levan Alexidze, Full Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the founder of the International Law teaching and research in Georgia.

Throughout 2026, to commemorate this centenary, the Academician Levan Alexidze Foundation is organizing a series of academic events and publications celebrating Professor Alexidze’s outstanding scholarly work and enduring contribution to International Law. Internationally renowned for his pioneering work on jus cogens norms, Professor Alexidze’s widely acclaimed monograph, based on the lectures he delivered at The Hague Academy of International Law in early 1980s, remains a landmark contribution to the field. The lectures – formally titled “Legal Nature of Jus Cogens in Contemporary International Law” – were delivered during the 1981 Summer Courses and subsequently published in the Collected Courses of The Hague Academy of International Law (Volume 172).[1]

The Levan Alexidze International Law Moot Court Competition – Edition VIII 2026 – is being launched on 5 July, the day of birth of the great Professor and statesman Levan Alexidze, the foremost authority in the field of International law in Georgia, who was instrumental in the restoration of the independence of Georgia and in ensuring in its Constitutional framework that the legislation of Georgia shall comply with the universally recognised principles and norms of International Law, stressing that an international treaty ratified or acceded to by Georgia shall take precedence over domestic normative acts unless it comes into conflict with the Constitution or the Constitutional Agreement of Georgia. To celebrate Levan Alexidze’s life in continuous remembrance of his ground-breaking efforts to establish International Law as a firm pillar of Georgia’s legal framework, as of the 5th of July 2020, the Levan Alexidze Foundation established and annually celebrates the 5th of July as International Law Day in Georgia.

[1] https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/HACO/A9789024727780-02.xml?rskey=b3hnTg