The 15^th Annual International Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament was hosted by Brenau University in Gainesville, Florida in November, with the host school taking the top position in the team category.

The Tournament was established by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution in 1999 as a way to promote mediation as both a career vector for university students and as a more prominent solution to disputes in preference to litigation.  It is hosted by a different university each year, and pits teams and individuals against each other in mock mediation scenarios in a wide range of specific categories.

The winner of the Advocate Client Team category was Principia College from Elash, Illinois, the winner of the individual mediator category was Alec Bunkley of Georgia Southern University.  Williams College (Williamston, Massachusetts) students Minwei Cao and Peter Lugthart won in the category individual advocate client team.

Second, third, and fourth place awards were also handed out.  More than 22 colleges and universities fielded teams at the event, which included more than 130 students.  The event is also routinely attended by mediation companies and other employers seeking the best and brightest interested in a career in alternative dispute resolution.

The tournament weekend also includes various training sessions held by professional mediators and members of the International Academy of Dispute Resolution, covering common issues in the mediation process and career aspects of mediation work and training.  This is the second time in three years that Brenau University has played host to the event.