UNAIR NEWS – Students of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), demonstrated their excellence by winning 3rd place at the prestigious Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition 2026. The team consisted of Putri Ayu Musthikaweni Adhijoso, Anak Agung Gede Fabianara Danurwenda, Alfi Mirzan, Tiffany Eleonora Juanda, Tiffenie Yantono Widarto, Nabila Fatihatul Haq, Keiza Charla Artania, Eugenea Maura Esterina, and Jovan Indra Nathaniel. The competition was held on February 5–8, 2026, at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
This event is the oldest and most prestigious international moot court competition in the field of international law. The scale of the competition is very large, with participation from around 700 law faculties from 100 countries every year. Organized by the International Law Students Association (ILSA), the competition simulates fictional disputes between countries submitted to the International Court of Justice. The competition consists of two main stages: the written phase (memorial drafting) and the oral pleading (oral presentation). Each team prepares two memorials for the Applicant and the Respondent, then presents legal arguments before the judges with a duration of 45 minutes for each position.
Team motivation for participating
One of the team representatives shared the motivation behind their participation in the prestigious competition. According to the team, they learned about the competition through ILSA Chapter UNAIR, a semi-autonomous student organization at Universitas Airlangga that holds annual selections for law students to represent the university. “Our motivation is not only to make ourselves and our alma mater proud, but also to improve skills that will be very useful in the future,” said one of the representatives.
Regarding their journey during the competition, the team also shared several challenges they faced. One of the biggest difficulties was conducting research on issues that did not always have definite answers. “We had difficulty formulating arguments for those issues, but thanks to strong teamwork, we finally found the best arguments that we presented in the memorial and oral pleading,” said one team member.
They also experienced challenges in organizing an effective style of argumentation. “We also had difficulty arranging our defense style. However, with the help of our coaches, we eventually found the best style suited to each oralist’s ability,” another member added.
Pride and expectations
The team expressed great pride in their achievement. They realized that all the effort they put in, along with the support from their coaches, finally paid off. “All the effort we put in, along with the support from our coaches, finally paid off. This achievement is the result of months of hard work. We are committed to continuing to work hard, especially to prepare for the international round in Washington, D.C., and to achieve the best result. We hope this achievement will not stop this year, and we want future generations to achieve similar accomplishments or even become champions in this competition,” said one of the team members.
Author: Saffana Raisa
Editor: Ragil Kukuh Imanto
