This February (17-19), the Prindle Institute will host 12 Regional Champion teams from across the Midwest for the 2025–2026 Central Divisional High School Ethics Bowl Playoffs, in partnership with the National High School Ethics Bowl (NHSEB). Top teams advancing from NHSEB Regional Competitions will compete in a series of head-to-head, single-elimination playoff matches, with six teams earning bids to the NHSEB National Championship, to be held April 10–12, 2026, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

NHSEB Divisional Playoff matches are single-elimination competitions conducted online via Zoom video conference, using cases from the 2025–2026 Regional Case Set. Each match features two teams, three judges, and a moderator, and follows the standard National High School Ethics Bowl format, including structured presentations, commentary, responses, and a judges’ question-and-answer period. Winners are determined by a majority of judges’ votes and advance to the National Championship. Teams may gather in the same physical location and may either join from individual devices or participate together using a single laptop or classroom streaming system. In all cases, teams must be clearly visible and audible to the moderator, judges, and opposing team, and able to see and hear all other participants. Coaches and observers may not communicate with students during matches, and all student conferral must occur only during designated periods. Aside from limited adaptations for online competition, Divisional Playoff matches follow the same rules and scoring standards as the NHSEB National Championship, as outlined in the NHSEB Rules Manual.

Learn More / Full Match Schedule →