West Chester University is proud to be hosting the fifteenth annual Delaware Valley Regional High School Ethics Bowl on Saturday, February 6, 2027
West Chester University will host the annual Delaware Valley Regional HS Ethics Bowl, as part of The National High School Ethics Bowl. As part of our recent collaboration with Villanova University, the Bowl is coming back to us this year. In 2025, we hosted for the first time and it was a great success, thanks to the growing community that supports the Delaware Valley Regional and local WCU participants! We are looking forward to this exciting event! To learn more, or to get involved, explore below, or contact Dr. Matthew Pierlott (mpierlott@wcupa.edu).
What is an Ethics Bowl?
There are organized Ethics Bowls at both the High School and Collegiate levels. An Ethics Bowl is a collaborative yet competitive event in which teams analyze a series of wide-ranging ethical dilemmas. Responses are judged according to
- the quality of a team's reasoning
- how well they organize and present their case
- how well they attend to and analyze the morally relevant features of the case
- how well they anticipate and preemptively respond to commentary and questions
An exciting tournament, an Ethics Bowl is a great way for students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of interesting ethical and philosophical issues. The goal of Ethics Bowl is not to have the “right” answer. Rather, the object is to demonstrate that one understands the issues at stake, relies on a framework to analyze the issues and to direct one's actions, and answers the question posed by the moderator.
Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl
The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl®, is a unique, collaborative experience for undergraduate students that provides valuable educational experience in practical and professional ethics.
WCU has its own team that competes annually. If you are a WCU undergrad who wants to learn more about the team, contact Dr. Larry Udell (Philosophy).
Visit APPE's website for more information.
The National High School Ethics Bowl
"The National High School Ethics Bowl was co-founded in 2012 by the University of North Carolina's Parr Center for Ethics and the Squire Family Foundation, with generous support from GlaxoSmithKline. A decade later, NHSEB is the largest public philosophy program in the United States."
Visit the National High School Ethics Bowl website for a wealth of information and guidance for starting and coaching a team.
Want to get involved?
We are looking for volunteers to work as moderators and as judges for the competition.
Undergraduate students may serve as moderators, whose role is to facilitate the rounds of competition, keeping time, and recording/reporting scores.
Judges are drawn from the community. They don't need to be philosophy professors or ethicists; they only need to be interested in ethical issues. Ideally, judges will represent a wide variety of professions. Judges will be provided with brief training so that they are comfortable with the process and its underlying values.
If you are interested, contact the organizer, Dr. Matthew Pierlott (Philosophy).
Registration for the 2027 DVRHSEB
Are you a Coach registering your team for the Delaware Valley Regional High School Ethics Bowl?
We have an online process for registering below, but please review this summary of requirements (a fuller explanation can be requested from the organizer, and that larger document is the governing document for the competition). Remember to also register with the national organization.
Registration Requirements
- Each school is limited to 1 team for initial registration by Sunday, November 1, 2026.
(Please make sure to register with NHSEB as well.)
- You may indicate your preference to bring a second team if space allows.
- If interested, but not able to meet this deadline, please connect with Dr. Pierlott. This deadline is the same as the early deadline for NHSEB, which increases its rate after Nov 1.
- Each school is required to submit $35 to register a team.
- Each school must return completed parental/guardian releases for each student coming to the competition no later than Friday, January 29, 2027.
Registration
If your school requires a different process for payment, please directly e-mail Dr. Matt Pierlott to register.
