National Speech and Debate Tournament

2021 — Online, US

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Pro Con Challenge

Event Description:

The Pro Con Challenge is a new supplemental speech event in which students will select the National Tournament topic for CX, LD, or PF or a piece of legislation in the Congressional Debate Docket and write a 3-5 minute affirmative speech and a 3-5 minute negative speech on that topic. They will read both of those speeches within a time limit of 10 minutes and 30 seconds. The affirmative and negative speeches must be on the same topic, and students may read from pre-written text during the speech; speeches should not be memorized. Students may take recorded “prep time” in between speeches to pull up files or take a short break, but their two speeches must be submitted as one recording that is no longer than 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Judges will evaluate the structure, arguments, evidence, and speaking abilities of each competitor and rank them against each other.

Supplemental speech events will be asynchronous with no live performances, judging, or student attendance. Students will submit one video that is judged throughout the tournament. There are no entry limits; students may be entered in as many supplemental speech events as they choose, and students may enter in both supplemental speech and Extemp Debate. View more info about supplemental speech procedures, including recording instructions, in the National Tournament Procedures and National Tournament Manual.