Why Join IMT?

  • IMT is an unparalleled mock trial tournament that goes beyond national boundaries. Having personally experienced the competition as a participant, coach, and judge, I can confidently recommend it to anyone seeking to delve into innovative case theories and connect with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. What sets IMT apart is its extraordinary feature of being held quarterly and online. In the past, I used to yearn for national tournaments during the long months of inactivity, but now with IMT, you can experience the thrill of competing internationally right from the comfort of your own bedroom, every single season.

    William Zhao, University of Chicago 2026

  • IMT is worth your time. First, IMT provides an arena for both new and experienced teams to level up while facilitating the best that Mock Trial has to offer: exciting case problems, challenging competitions, and rewarding camaraderie. The 4v4 format makes it easy to form a team, and you won’t just compete against people from across your county, across your state, or across your country- you’ll compete with teams around the world. Second, IMT solves many of the problems that face other Mock Trial tournaments. When I was in high school, we competed in a tournament where you had to sweep both of your first two rounds to advance. That meant that if you had one bad round, you were out. For us, and so many other teams, to have our season cut short so quickly was devastating after months of preparation and hundreds of dollars in registration and travel fees. Not only do IMT competitors have four guaranteed rounds to prove themselves, it’s all free. Competitions run throughout the year so you have more than one shot to make a splash. Most importantly, IMT is fun! Whenever I judge a round I’m captivated by the creativity and passion displayed by the competitors. At the end of the day, the ability of this tournament to educate students while also being entertaining at zero cost is what brings competitors and judges like me back for more.

    Sulaymaan Ali, UCLA 2024

  • IMT is a must for both new and seasoned competitors. As someone who has been judging from the very first competition to the most recent one, I am constantly amazed by the level of talent, dedication, and fun the students always have. The opportunity to compete against great schools from around the globe guarantees that every round will teach you something new—exciting case theories and a wide array of Mock Trial styles. 

Currently, IMT is the only group that offers tournaments year-round, accessibly from Zoom, without ever asking you to pay a dime. If you are looking for a way to grow your Mock Trial skills and have fun in the process, then I can’t recommend IMT enough.

    Micah Cerynik, Univeristy of Virginia 2025

  • As a former competitor and now casewriter/judge for IMT, I can't express how much the IMT experience means to me. This community is by far one of the most inclusive, diverse, and passionate groups I've encountered, with hundreds of students coming together for one simple goal: to have fun in mock trial. As a college student, IMT is truly the only thing that can motivate me to wake up at 5:15 a.m. fully suited up-that's how much it inspires me. I feel fortunate to have been a part of IMT since its inaugural tournament, and I look forward to continuing my role as a judge. It brings me back to when I was a beginner in mock trial; if only I had IMT back then. Whether you're a seasoned competitor or a complete novice, there's a place for you in IMT. You won't regret it.

    Joshua Zhang, UCSB 2027

Accessibility

IMT is easy to access (you just need a laptop and a good internet connect), afford (we will never charge any student for admission), and understand (our cases are meant to be tried in two hours by a minimum of four students per team; they don’t require a dozen-plus competitors to dissect).

Expertise

Our judges primarily consist of volunteers from the American Mock Trial Association’s most celebrated programs, including UCLA, University of Virginia, MIT, Northwestern, University of Washington, Brandeis University, Macalester College, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UC Santa Barbara, University of Toronto, Duke University, University of Chicago, University of Arkansas, Stanford University, Dickinson College, Pennsylvania State University, Wellesley College, University of Arizona, Ohio State University, USC, UC Berkeley, University of Alabama, the University of Illinois, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, Binghamton University, and Swarthmore College.

Unlike many other mock trial contests, every judge must submit an in-depth paradigm (a list of their mock trial preferences) prior to the tournament. The students receive these preferences and use them to grow as competitors before the round even begins.

Inclusivity

Our tournament is open to every team on planet earth that meets our age (eighth to twelve grade), professionalism (completing all paperwork in an accurate and timely manner, respecting your opponents), and judge (providing a judge for all four rounds with familiarity with AMTA-style competitions) requirements. We’ve set up our schedule so it’s manageable from America or East Asia.

Excellence

IMT students have excelled at other prestigious mock trial competitions. Our mentees have become finalists at the Empire and Gladiator competitions, the Mock On! Tournament of Champions, and several American county/state-level contests (on both the East and West Coasts).

We’re not here to compete with other established and respected mock trial organizations. We’re here as a supplement, not a substitute. Mock trial is good. More mock trial is better. And doing more mock trial with IMT makes both our competitors and our judges better.

“For most teams, the mock trial season is too damn short. Only the best teams get a chance to advance to the next level and squeeze in a few more rounds of competition. The system provides extra rounds to those who probably need them the least. The teams that most need the extra practice are sent home.

IMT is a way for those who don’t advance out of a qualifying tournament to extend their season by trying a new case against high-quality competition. And it costs nothing.

Each time you try a case, you learn something new. You learn something more about how to present your position, you learn something new about the nuances of the Rules of Evidence, and you likely learn quite a bit about teamwork and cooperation.”

— Richard Lesicko, Director of Forensics, Macalester College (Retired)