2026 UNT DeMougeot Debates Invitation

Dear Colleagues,

The University of North Texas Debate Team invites you to the UNT DeMougeot Debates, January 15-17, 2027, on the UNT campus in Denton, Texas. All rounds will be held in person. We will offer Team IPDA beginning Friday and individual IPDA in the Professional, Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Novice divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

The tournament will offer four preliminary rounds of TIPDA and six preliminary rounds in each individual IPDA division, followed by the appropriate number of elimination rounds. Competitors may enter both TIPDA and individual IPDA. A third TIPDA elimination round, if needed, is scheduled for Saturday morning.

Tournament headquarters will be in the General Academic Building (GAB). Breakfast and coffee will be provided Friday and Saturday, and lunch will be provided Saturday. Please submit entries through Tabroom.com by 5:00 p.m. CST on Monday, January 11, 2027. Changes may be made without penalty until noon CST on Tuesday, January 12. We ask schools to bring enough judges to cover their entries; limited hired judging will be available. We look forward to welcoming you to UNT. Please direct tournament questions to brian.lain@unt.edu.

Brian Lain

Director of Debate

University of North Texas

Entry Deadlines

Enter through Tabroom.com. Entries are due Monday, January 11, 2027, at 5:00 p.m. CST. Changes will be accepted without penalty until Tuesday, January 12, 2027, at noon CST.

After the penalty-free deadline, a $5 fee will apply to each alteration. Changes made on the day of registration for the relevant event will be subject to a $20 fee per drop, alteration, or correction. Please email Brian Lain with changes after the deadline.

Entry Fees

Individual IPDA $35 per covered competitor $50 per uncovered competitor

TIPDA $50 per covered team $75 per uncovered team

Uncovered rates are total entry fees. Uncovered entries are subject to the availability of hired judging. Competitors entering both events pay the applicable fee for each event.

Payment by Check

Make checks payable to UNT Debate. Checks may be mailed to:

UNT Debate 1155 Union Circle, Box 305268 Denton, Texas 76201

Please contact the tournament director with payment questions or to discuss alternate arrangements. Programs facing financial hardship, new programs, and first-time attendees may also contact the director to discuss fee accommodations.

Judging Requirements

One judge covers = 4Individual IPDA competitors

One judge covers = 2 TIPDA teams

A judge may cover both individual IPDA and TIPDA. Please register judges for the rounds they are available to judge. Schools should provide enough judges to cover their entries; a limited amount of hired judging will be available. Contact the tournament director before relying on hired coverage.

Judges must remain available through the first elimination round of the event they are covering and through one round beyond their school’s elimination from that event, whichever is later. Eliminated individual IPDA competitors may be used to judge elimination rounds. We reserve the right to limit entries when necessary to maintain adequate judging coverage.

Competition and Awards

Events and Eligibility

All IPDA and TIPDA rounds will follow the current IPDA Constitution and Bylaws. Coaches are responsible for entering competitors in the appropriate divisions. Consult the IPDA rules and eligibility requirements or contact the tournament director with eligibility questions before the entry deadline.

Individual IPDA will offer Novice, Junior Varsity, Varsity, and Professional divisions, with six preliminary rounds and the appropriate number of elimination rounds. The speech-time sequence is 5-2-6-2-3-5-3, with 30 minutes of preparation time.

TIPDA will offer four preliminary rounds and the appropriate number of elimination rounds. The speech-time sequence is 4-2-5-2-5-2-4-2-3-4-4-3, with 30 minutes of preparation time.

Awards and Sweepstakes

Awards will be presented to entries advancing to elimination rounds, with speaker awards in each individual IPDA division and in TIPDA. School sweepstakes will recognize individual IPDA, TIPDA, and combined IPDA-TIPDA performance. The top community college will also be recognized in each category.

The top three debaters in each individual IPDA division and the top three TIPDA teams from each school will count toward the applicable sweepstakes totals. There is no minimum number of entries required for a school to be eligible for debate sweepstakes.

Achievement Sweepstakes points

Each preliminary-round win 3

Advancing to elimination rounds 3

First speaker 5

Second speaker 4

Third speaker 3

Fourth speaker 2

Fifth speaker 1

Advancement and Tiebreakers

Individual IPDA advancement will be determined first by wins, then by high-low adjusted speaker points, and then by total speaker points. Individual speaker awards will be determined first by high-low adjusted speaker points and then by total speaker points.

TIPDA advancement will be determined first by wins, then by total speaker points, and then by speaker ranks. TIPDA speaker awards will be determined by total speaker points, with high-low adjusted points used to break ties.

Tournament Information and Policies

Campus Headquarters and Hospitality

The General Academic Building (GAB) will serve as tournament headquarters. All competition will take place in person on the UNT campus. Breakfast and coffee will be provided Friday and Saturday, and lunch will be provided Saturday. Friday lunch is on your own.

Please contact the tournament director with questions about campus access, parking, or lodging. Programs needing accessibility accommodations should indicate those needs when registering and contact the tournament director in advance.

Tournament Administration

The tab room will operate on a closed basis. Please direct tournament questions and concerns to Brian Lain at brian.lain@unt.edu. Coaches checks will be held at the times listed in the schedule.

Preparation time begins when the draw begins, not after the topic-strike process ends. Competitors should start their timers at the beginning of draw. A competitor who arrives more than five minutes late to a debate round will receive an automatic loss.

Electronic Devices

Internet-capable electronic devices may not be used by debaters during rounds. Judges using electronic ballots must limit device use to the ballot and may not access other tabs or applications during the round. All participants must follow the applicable IPDA rules on electronic devices.

Conduct and Concerns

All participants, coaches, judges, and guests are expected to conduct themselves respectfully and in accordance with the National Communication Association’s Convention Anti-Harassment Code of Conduct. Programs should review those expectations before entering.

Competitors with concerns about conduct or sportsmanship should speak with their coaching staff or the tournament director. Coaches, judges, and guests should bring tournament concerns to the director. Tournament decisions issued by the director are final. The tournament director and host university reserve the right to remove participants for misconduct or concerns affecting the safety and well-being of those on campus.

Recording of Rounds

We plan to record the final rounds of individual IPDA and TIPDA for educational use and publication on YouTube. A competitor or program may opt out by contacting the tournament director by the entry deadline.

No round involving a minor may be recorded without signed permission from that individual’s parent or guardian. Please contact the tournament director in advance to arrange the required permission. Any competitor wishing to record a round must obtain the explicit permission of everyone in the room.