Welcome!

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to attend the 2026 Georgetown Invitational, to be held on January 3^rd-5^th (Sat.-Mon.).

This year’s intercollegiate policy debate tournament will feature eight (8) preliminary rounds and break to a full Double-Octafinals in the Open division. Junior Varsity and/or Novice divisions will be held to the extent that attendance permits.

The tournament will be online only, with plans to welcome everyone back to the Hilltop in January 2027, our rationale for which is elaborated further in the invitation. Our rotational arrangement with CSU Fullerton also remains in place.

Sides in elimination rounds will not be equalized, nor will we break brackets. The Doubles will be held according to a normal bracket format. However, a “challenge” format will be adopted beginning with the Octafinals (for Open only): full details, including rationale and procedures, are provided in the invite.

The tournament will be tabulated by Gary Larson. The Tournament Director is Brandon Kelley, and the Assistant Tournament Director is Sherry Hall.

By attending you agree to respect and abide by all rules and regulations outlined in the tournament invitation, and to ensure that all others affiliated with your program (including but not limited to competitors, provided judges, and coaching staff) do the same.

Zoom Link

https://umn.zoom.us/j/96642335825?pwd=rYZJdkfdGZ7S9rkVH0IObwUIao7u30.1

Finalized Schedule

Tournament Schedule

Helpline

gudebatetournament26@gmail.com

Fees

In order to cover platform costs, trophy shipping, tabulation staff, hired judging, and so on, we must set fees at $100 per team. If this imposes a budgetary burden, please e-mail and CC on the email to request that your fees be waived.

Judge Obligation

All judges are obligated through the Octafinals (second elimination round) or one round past elimination of the final team from their school, whichever comes later. In the event that the JV and/or Novice divisions are held, judges may be placed in the elimination rounds of either division on Sunday even if they have already fulfilled their preliminary round commitment. If this occurs, that judge will be exempted from judging the Double-Octafinals on Monday morning.