TMF Guides · Model UN
MUN Awards: What Chairs Are Actually Scoring
Awards are not given to the loudest delegate or the one who spoke most. Chairs score across four axes — research, diplomacy, documentation and consistency — and the delegate who is merely good at speaking usually finishes fourth.
The award hierarchy
Most Indian conferences use a standard ladder, with the exact names varying slightly between conferences.
- Best Delegate — the single strongest performer across all criteria.
- High Commendation — outstanding, marginally behind the best.
- Special Mention — strong and consistently visible.
- Verbal Mention — notable contribution, often awarded to first-timers.
- Best Position Paper — documentation-specific award.
What is actually being scored
Research shows in specificity: named resolutions, real figures, accurate treaty status. Diplomacy shows in whether other delegates work with you or around you.
Documentation is the most under-weighted by delegates and the most weighted by chairs — who sponsored, who drafted, whose clauses survived amendment.
How to position yourself
Be visible in every phase, not just speeches: motions, caucus leadership, drafting, and voting-procedure discipline.
Never break character. A delegate who argues their country's inconvenient position credibly outranks one who abandons it to sound reasonable.
Frequently asked questions
How are MUN awards decided?
Chairs score delegates on research accuracy, diplomacy, contribution to documentation, and consistency with their country's actual position.
Does speaking the most win Best Delegate?
No. Frequency without substance is a common way to finish outside the awards. Chairs weigh quality and drafting contribution heavily.
What is a verbal mention in MUN?
A verbal acknowledgement of strong contribution, ranked below Special Mention and often given to standout first-time delegates.
Keep reading
Unmoderated Caucus: Where MUN Committees Are Really Decided
How unmoderated caucus works in a MUN committee, how blocs form, how working papers get drafted, and how to avoid wasting the most important twenty minutes of committee.
MUN Position Paper Format
The standard MUN position paper format — header, background, country stance, proposed solutions — with word counts, structure and the mistakes that get papers ignored.
MUN Tips for Beginners
Practical MUN tips for first-time delegates — what to do in the first hour, how to get on the speakers' list, note passing, bloc joining and avoiding beginner mistakes.
Put it into practice
The MUN Factory 3.0 — registrations open
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