Founding documents, living debate
The Tournament
One day, debate and speech events, three levels of school — commemorating the 250th anniversaries of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S. Constitution (1787). Students compete; parents, educators, and civic leaders are invited to observe and judge.
Saturday, October 10, 2026 · 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. · Ballantine Hall, Indiana University Bloomington. Entry fees are waived through the generous support of The Walter Center for Career Achievement; complimentary food and beverages are provided through the same support. No prior debate experience is needed for the novice divisions.
Divisions & events
| Division | Events | Rules & resources |
|---|---|---|
| Middle School — Novice | Congressional Debate; Middle School LD Debate; World Schools; Speech: Declamation, Dramatic Interpretation, Scripted Duo, Memorized Duo, Original Oratory, Humorous Interpretation, Poetry, Prose, Program Oral Interpretation | Congressional Debate uses a novice-friendly format; full free resources at the Congressional Debate site. Speech events follow ISSDA middle school rules; see Events & Rules for the doubling rule. |
| High School — Novice | Congressional Debate; Public Forum; World Schools; Lincoln-Douglas; Policy | Novice Congress uses the novice-friendly format (resources); all other events follow ISSDA rules |
| High School — Varsity | Congressional Debate; Public Forum; World Schools; Lincoln-Douglas; Policy | All Varsity events follow standard ISSDA rules and procedures |
| College — Novice | Constitutional Convention Debate; Policy Debate | Constitutional Convention is a new, novice-built event (resources); Policy follows NDT/CEDA college rules |
The shape of the day
Registration and check-in run 8:00–8:30 a.m. (every adult entering the building must bring a government-issued photo ID), followed by a welcome and orientation for students, families, and judges. Most two-team events debate four rounds; Congressional Debate and Constitutional Convention meet in extended sessions. A Founding Documents Forum in the late afternoon offers remarks and Q&A with Honorary Chief Judge Dawn Johnsen, Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law Emerita at the IU Maurer School of Law, and invited guests while final rounds conclude. Awards run 5:00–6:00 p.m.: trophies for places 1–5 in each debate event; medallions for top speakers in each non-Congress debate event and best presiding officer in each Congress/ConCon division; ribbons for places 6–10 in all debate events; certificates for the top ten in each speech event; sweepstakes trophies for up to three schools in each division; and a commemorative keepsake for every participant. The full grid is on the Schedule page.Judges make it possible
Every event needs judges, and no debate background is required for the novice divisions — parents, teachers, and college-age or older siblings are all welcome, and chaperones may double as judges. Each school must register judges on SpeechWire according to its entries, counting each entry, or fraction thereof, in each event separately:- Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Middle School LD (flighted): 1 judge for every 4 entries
- Policy and World Schools (not flighted): 1 judge for every 2 entries
- Congress and Constitutional Convention: 1 judge for every 4 entries
- Middle school speech events: 1 judge for every 6 entries
An entry is one competitor, team, duo, or squad; for example, a Public Forum team or a World Schools squad counts as one entry. A school with 3 Policy teams and 5 Public Forum teams needs 2 + 2 = 4 judges. SpeechWire shows each school’s judge obligation during registration. The $1 missing-judge fees on SpeechWire invoices are nominal placeholders that show how many judges a school still owes; they cannot be paid to buy out of a judging obligation. Please contact Candy Brown if you cannot meet your obligation.
Parents, teachers, coaches, and invited civic leaders may judge any event. High school students who compete in varsity debate may judge middle school debate, and high school students who compete in varsity speech may judge middle school speech. College students may judge any high school or middle school event.
Judges check in at 8:00 a.m. with a government-issued photo ID and attend the 8:30 judges’ meeting; balloting is electronic through SpeechWire, with a paper option. Event-specific judge guidance is on the Events & Rules page, and the Novice Congress Judge Guide is a friendly first read for any new judge.Registration & key dates
- August 10 — Registration opens via SpeechWire.com.
- Registration deadline extended. Please enter students on SpeechWire as soon as possible so we can plan rooms, judges, and food; adds and drops are accepted until October 5, 5 p.m. Events or divisions with fewer than six entries may be combined or cancelled.
- October 5, 5 p.m. — Add/drop deadline via SpeechWire.com.
- October 10, 6 a.m. — Final drop deadline (via SpeechWire until October 9 at 10 p.m.; after that, text 812-269-2710 and/or email [email protected]).
- Photography and recording. By attending this event, you may be recorded and featured in IU marketing/communications materials.
Updates & free resources
Posted: topics, motions, and dockets for every event are on the Events & Rules page; the full Congress docket and Constitutional Convention docket are on their sites. Free, novice-friendly training resources are posted for Congressional Debate and Constitutional Convention Debate. Final schedules, room assignments, and parking directions will be posted by early October.