OUR MISSION

Building effective communication skills affords us the ability to connect with each other, enact change, and work together in schools and workplaces. Debate plays an important role in helping students develop these crucial communication skills. The #SpeakfortheArts Invitational is a collaboration between Triumph Debate and Empower Expression that serves to both give students debate practice and be a fundraiser for Empower Expression.

Empower Expression is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free, personalized mentoring in the Arts of Communication. Empower Expression is dedicated to improving the communication skills and confidence of young students. We believe that communication exists in many different forms - music, video, photography, and of course, public speaking - and strive to improve access to resources in these different arts of communication.

By signing up to #SpeakfortheArts, you will raise money to help students access free mentoring in the Arts of Communication and expressive resources like debate tournaments, instruments, and film equipment.

visit empowerexpression.org  for more information

ONLINE PLATFORM

All rounds will be on NSDA campus (the platform used by the National Speech and Debate Association) 

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

10:00 EST - Preliminary Rounds

4 rounds for PF and LD

2 sessions for Congress 

TBD - Elimination Rounds

TBD based on number of entries

TOPICS

LD and PF: We will be using the 2022 NSDA Nationals topics (June topic)

LD- Resolved: Radicalism is preferable to incrementalism to achieve social justice.

PF- Resolved: The United States should establish a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan. 

Congress: NSDA Nationals Legislation in the docket (to be posted)

JUDGING

**Although the judge entry deadline is June 3rd at 5:00 pm EST, please enter your judges ASAP to ensure a smooth running tournament. If you do not have your judge(s) entered at this time or a judge hired, and our judge numbers are insufficient, your entry or entries will be dropped from the tournament. Otherwise, you will need to contribute a $40 judge fee.

1. IMPORTANT: Submit a paradigm on Tabroom (PF/LD/Congress)

2. Review the schedule and report any time constraints in your judge notes

3. Indicate whether you are a high school student or have graduated by 2021 in your judge notes

4. Remember- we are using standby judges during the tournament, so you could be assigned a round or  standby. You are not relieved of your judging obligation until a staff member releases you. You are off of standby once a tab staff member clears you.

5. Judge Eligibility Rules

   a. If you are currently in high school and belong to the class of 2022, you are eligible to be a student judge if you have at least three years of high school experience debating in the category you plan on judging

   b. All those who have graduated from high school by 2021 are permitted to judge. Although not required, it is strongly recommended that they have prior debate experience: judging/competing/administrating. 

Tournament Fees

Congress - $15.00 entry fee per student

LD - $15.00 entry fee per student

PF - $25.00 entry fee per team/maverick