Our competitions are designed, first and foremost, to be exciting, enjoyable evenings for everyone involved. There is always a wide spectrum of ability and all levels are welcome.

*Sign ups for 2025 are now closed- sorry!

  The format

• Teams of three speakers all do three debates.
• In each debate, every speaker gives one speech lasting no more than five minutes.
• There are two teams in every debate: one in support of the motion (topic) and one against.
• Students are given the motion 15 minutes before the debate and must prepare in their team, with no access to the internet.
• The competition is divided into two age brackets: Years 7 to 9 and Years 10+
• Rounds are power paired: teams compete against teams on the same number of wins as them.
• It is a content first format. We look for strong arguments, with good explanation and reasoning. Style matters, but is secondary to content.
• We hire judges who have a lot of debate and judging experience so the students receive high-quality, actionable feedback for every debate.
• The location is South Hampstead High School, 3 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SS

A briefing video for our termly competitions can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/912207334?share=copy