1/2/2018 Version 2: Updated to include information for hired judges, schedule, topic areas, required release forms, finalized fees and deadlines for accepting an autoqualification. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AS ENTRY FEE SUBMISSION RULES AND DEADLINES HAVE CHANGED.

Registration for the 2018 NPDL Tournament of Champions is now open. 

Please click here register as an auto-qualified team for the 2018 NPDL-TOC. The deadline to accept bids as an auto-qualified debater is 11:59 PM PST, March 7, 2018. 

Please click here to apply for an at-large bid for the 2018 NPDL-TOC. The At-Large Application will open on February 1, 2018. Case, recording, and waiver submissions should be emailed to npdltoc+ATLARGE@gmail.com.The deadline to submit at-large applications is 11:59 PM PST, March 1, 2018. 

The case for at-large entries should be written on the following topic: The USFG should ban the production of meat for human consumption in the United States.

TOPIC AREAS will be Nuclear Posture Review and Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy.

Dear Qualified Competitors and Coaches,

It is our distinct pleasure to invite you to the 2018 NPDL Tournament of Champions, which will feature seven spirited preliminary rounds of parliamentary debate, followed by a break to octofinals (or less as warranted by field size). All breaking students will receive an award from our parliament of owl trophies. The championship team will receive a perpetual trophy that rotates between winners in addition to a tournament break award. 

Required Forms

Each accepted student must INDIVIDUALLY submit a School Waiver and a Parent Waiver. These forms can be found in the sidebar. Digitally filled or signed forms are NOT accepted. Completed forms may be scanned and send npdltoc+FORMS@gmail.com. Both forms should be sent in a single email, the subject line of which should read "StudentFirstName StudentLastName SchoolName NPDLTOC Waivers". If you submit forms to the email address without the dummy extension, it will get lost in the tournament  inbox and will not count as submitted. Students who do not have both forms completed at the start of the tournament will not be allowed to compete. If you have specific questions about how to work with your particular school district to negotiate an independent entry, please contact us, and we will do our best to accommodate your circumstances.

Schedule

The tournament will occur on April 7-8, 2018, at Ashland High School. The tab director will push rounds earlier whenever feasible, so we recommend competitors and judges be prepared for earlier round start times.

Entry Fees

The cost for a single team will be $150. Full or partial fee waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the NPDL-TOC Director. Email all waiver requests to npdltoc+PAY@gmail.com. Schools making drops after March 31, 2018, will be responsible for all entry and judge fees already incurred.

Checks for entry fees, judge hires, and preordered food vouchers (see “Concessions” tab and Food section below) should be made out to the National Parliamentary Debate League and must be received by mail or via online methods no later than March 31, 2018 for teams who have autoqualified or are accepted in the first at-large round. At-larges accepted on or after March 18, 2018, may bring checks to the tournament site. Online payments will be assessed a service fee to cover online processing surcharges.

Judging

Each unique team must provide one judge. Judges must be high school graduates, and they should be coaches, former competitors, or parents with at least one year of experience. In other words, bring the kind of judges you would like to judge you!

All judges are required to provide paradigms by 11:59 PM PST on April 3, 2018. Teams will be assessed nuisance fines, described below, for their judges’ failure to provide paradigms.

Each school submitting entries will be assessed a judge bond by the tournament of $250. Each school should provide a separate check in this amount to the Tournament Director before the first round of the tournament, which will be shredded at the end of the tournament if a team’s judge is present for all rounds to which they are obligated. If a school has multiple delinquent judges, additional fees will be assessed as nuisance fines. If a school has more than two rounds worth of total judge delinquencies, all of the school’s entries will lose their strikes for the remainder of the tournament. If judge bonds are mailed with entry fees, please provide in the notes section of the check which is for the judge bond and which is for the general fees. Judge bonds must not be submitted via PayPal.

Hire requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in order of submission time and travel distance. Hired judges will cost $250 for each uncovered team. Email hire requests to npdltoc+HIRE@gmail.com. Do not submit payment until you receive a message saying you have been assigned a hired judge. Once a hired judge is assigned to you, you will be financially obligated for that hire even if you bring a judge.

If you wish to be considered for the hired judge pool, please contact the Tournament Director. Hired judges will receive $100 per day, free food, and housing and transport arrangements upon request.

Food

Water will be freely available at all times at the tournament site. We ask that participants bring reusable bottles to help minimize waste.

Schools may add food vouchers to their invoice under the “Concessions” tab for each person who wishes to eat site-provided food. Food vouchers purchased before March 31 will cost $15. After March 31, vouchers can be purchased at the tournament site for $25. Food vouchers will entitle holders to Saturday and Sunday lunch and Sunday dinner. Vegetarian options will be available. All judges hired by the tournament will be fed at the tournament’s expense. Individual schools may request food voucher waivers based on financial need from the Tournament Director.

Fines

All fines must be cleared before elimination rounds are announced. Nuisance fines will be assessed for the following:

$50

Team does not submit entry fees or hired judge fees prior to the posted deadline (if applicable)

Team has a judge add or change after the posted judge deadline

Team’s judge is more than ten minutes late to a round

Team’s judge requires tab staff intervention to set up or link a Tabroom.com account

Team’s judge is missing a paradigm at the time strikes open

$100

Team’s judge misses a single round

Team’s judge is missing a paradigm at the start of the tournament

$250 (judge bond)

Team’s judge is missing for more than one round (does not stack on previous fine; total fine will be $250)

Strikes

Strikes will open at TIME TBD on April 4, 2018 and close at 5:00 PM PST on April 6, 2018. The number of strikes per team will be determined by the number of teams in the pool. Judges without paradigms will be a free strike.

Personnel

All questions should be sent to the Tournament Director at npdltoc+HELP@gmail.com. If you send questions to the email address without the dummy extension, it will get lost in the Tournament's inbox and will probably not be answered in a timely manner.

NPDL-TOC Director: Julie Herman, Mountain View/Los Altos District, California-1

Tab Director: Sarah Sherwood, Servite High School, California-4

Site Director: Mat Marr, Ashland High School, Oregon

Ethics Officer: Meera Keskar

Protest Committee:

Julie Herman, Sarah Sherwood, Mat Marr, and Lilly Hackworth

At-Large Committee: Lilly Hackworth, California-1; Rodda John, New York; Iain Lampert, iLead, CA-4; Meera Keskar, New Roads, CA-3; Les Phillips, Nueva, California-1; 

Topic Committee: Sarah Botsch-McGuinn, American Heritage, FL; Spencer Dembner, California-1; Keith Eddins, Oakhill School, OR; Cindi Timmons, Greenhill School, TX

More Information

For information about at-large submissions, please refer to the tab entitled “At-Large Entries.”

Tournament Rules and specific tabulation practices that will be employed by the Tab Director will be published under the tab entitled “Rules and Tabulation Practices” by April 1, 2018. (Update: published 3/21)

Please check this page for updates as we determine information about accommodations, personnel, and more!

We look forward to hosting you in Ashland this spring!

Julie Herman, NPDL-TOC Director

Sarah Sherwood, 2018 Tab Director

Mat Marr, 2018 Site Director