Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition 2020

You can talk about any ethical problem you like, as long as responsibility is involved. But if you’re having trouble, here are some suggestions to get you started. 

-    How are we responsible as individuals for the environment? 
-    Is a bad upbringing an excuse for committing crimes?
-    Do workers have an obligation to be 'whistle-blowers', or is their main responsibility to their employer?
-    Are producers of video games responsible if they inspire violence?
-    Who is responsible for the global spread of infectious diseases?
-    If very ill patients want to die, should doctors be held responsible if they help them? 
-    Are people who eat meat responsible for the welfare of farmed animals? 
-    Should individual soldiers be held responsible for their behaviour during war? 
-    Should there be limits on how we can punish people who do wrong? 
-    Are we responsible for the lives of people who will not exist until after we have died?
-    Are scientists responsible for how other people use their discoveries?
-    Can we be responsible for our unconscious biases, such as unconscious racism? 

Competition launch date: 26th September 2019
Closing date for video entries: 13th December 2019 
Video winners are announced: January 2020 
Ethics and Responsibility day: More information coming soon! 24th March 2020

If you have a question please email Dr Ben Davies at benjamin.davies@philosophy.ox.ac.uk.

NB If you have trouble sending your video (e.g. because the file is too large) please get in touch with Ben. 

Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition: Terms & Conditions

By entering the Oxford Uehiro Centre’s Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition, you agree to accept the following T&Cs. 

Terms of Entry
1.    Entry to the Oxford Uehiro Centre’s Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition is free of charge. The Competition is funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant number 104848/Z/14/A).
2.    All video entries must be original and produced by the teams. Any videos that feature plagiarised material will be disqualified. Copyright must be obtained if videos feature pre-existing material.
3.    Videos must address the question of what role responsibility plays in practical ethics today.
4.    Videos should be between two and four minutes long. 
5.    The Competition closing date is noon on the 13th December 2019 and late entries will not be considered. 
6.    The Competition is open to UK entrants only.
7.    Entrants must be pursuing secondary education and be between the ages of 16 and 18 years old.

Video Selection
1.    Winning videos will be selected by the judging panel based on the following criteria:

a.    Argument: Does the argument make sense? Is it well supported?
b.    Clarity: Is it clear what conclusion is being argued for? Is it clear how the conclusion is supported by factual or ethical premises?
c.    Originality: Does the argument offer something unusual or new to the debate?
d.    Involvement: Are all team members well represented in the video?

2.    The judging panel will be comprised of researchers from the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.
3.    The judges’ decision is final. 
4.    Selected teams (henceforth known as ‘debate participants’) will be contacted during the second half of January 2020.
5.    Selected videos will be featured on the Uehiro Centre’s web page, and images may be used in the Centre’s annual report. 

The Debate
1.    The event will take place in Oxford, UK, on the 24th March 2020 as part of the Oxford Uehiro Centre’s Ethics and Responsibility Day. 
2.    There will be an opportunity for teams which have not been selected to take part in the debate to attend the event.
3.    There is no alternative prize available if debate participants are unable to attend the debate. 
4.    Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed for UK-based debate participants.
5.    Accommodation costs may be reimbursed if accommodation is required on the preceding Monday night due to length of journey, at the discretion of the Oxford Uehiro Centre. Please discuss with the Centre in advance of any booking. 
6.    Debate winners will receive a cash prize of £300 as a team. The runners up will receive £150 as a team. Prizes will be paid directly to the winning schools.
7.    The judging panel will be comprised of researchers from the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.
8.    The judges’ decision is final. 
9.    Videos and photographs may be taken during the event, for marketing and communications purposes. Images may be used in the Centre’s annual report.