2026 JAS Grand Finals

2026 — Tampa, FL/US

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Policy Debate

Event Description:

2 v 2 Policy-based debate. Debaters should be prepared to debate both sides of the resolution and indeed will be required to do so twice in preliminary rounds. Each team is afforded 8 total minutes of preparation time that they are free to utilize at anytime in between speeches during the round. Disclosure of evidence and/or case materials is never required, but specific pieces of evidence may be requested by the opposition and/or the judge. If a team is asked to produce a piece of evidence and takes overly-long to provide it, judges may toll that debater's prep time, at the judge's discretion. Debaters are permitted to time themselves utilizing a cell phone which has been placed on silent and in "airplane mode." Debaters utilizing cell phone timers MUST showcase to the judge that their cell phone is on silent and in airplane mode before such a device is utilized. If debaters choose to time their opponent's speeches, they MUST NOT interrupt their competitor when they perceive the time of the opponent to has elapsed. The use of laptops, tablets, and the internet is permitted. Brief, off the clock roadmaps may be provided to judges before a debater's speech, if the judge agrees to such verbally or in their paradigm.

Absolutely NO communication with parties/persons outside of the round is permitted. External communications during a round will result in a disqualification for that round.

Absolutely NO communication about the substance, procedures, rules or conventions of the debate may be made with the judge after the round concludes. The round formally concludes at the end of the second affirmative rebuttal. Any substantive post-round communication with judges after the round ends will result in a disqualification for that round.