We are excited to share an update about the National Tournament!

We plan to hold the 2022 National Tournament in person June 12-17 in Louisville, Kentucky. 

In-person competition opportunities are vitally important to the sustainability of your programs and our activity. We are confident that with the help of medical experts, we will host an event that prioritizes safety and delivers students an unparalleled platform to share their stories and speak about important topics, whether they compete online or in person. 

Today we’re sharing some key details about health and safety guidelines for the in-person tournament and an outline for the online competition option with you, the leaders in our community. We will announce these details to all coaches on March 1. Additional details about National Tournament policies and procedures will be released by March 15. 

We appreciate your full cooperation with our policies to ensure we maximize protection for all during our stay in Louisville. 

District Leader Q&A Session March 8

All district leaders are invited to a Q&A session on Tuesday, March 8, at 5:00 p.m. CT. National Tournament leadership will answer questions related to the 2022 National Tournament. We will begin the session by answering questions that were submitted in advance. Mark your calendars and submit your questions using this form.

Key Dates

• March 15: Tournament details and the tournament manual are released online. Tournament registration and the housing portal open.

  May 15: Tournament registration closes. Registration materials are due, including proof of vaccination or exemption application.

• June 1: Alternates registration is due. After June 1, alternates are no longer brought up if a qualifier denies their spot.

Health and Safety Guidelines for In-Person Nationals

We appreciate you helping us navigate a safer return to an in-person event. We know there are differing school policies, state policies, and individual perspectives and circumstances that may impact your ability to join us in Louisville. Therefore, we will offer an online competition opportunity for anyone unable to attend the in-person event. If a student declines their qualification, they may choose to enter the online competition, and an alternate will be invited to compete at the in-person event. We are consulting with medical and professional experts including, but not limited to, the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Global Center for Health Security, to finalize health and safety guidelines by March 15. Current guidelines include:

1. All individuals attending any portion of the National Tournament are required to be fully vaccinated and up-to-date on their vaccinations against COVID-19 per the CDC definitions. This includes, but is not limited to, students, judges, coaches, tournament staff, and chaperones. Attendees must provide proof of up-to-date vaccination by May 15. This means:
   1. Individuals who received the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine prior to December 1, 2021, must also be boosted. Attendees whose second dose of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech occurred on or after December 1, 2021, are not required to be boosted.
   2. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine prior to March 1, 2022, must also be boosted. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine on March 1, 2022, or later are not required to be boosted. 
2. We will partner with a third-party platform for attendees to upload required documentation. Additional details about the process for submitting proof of vaccination will be released on March 15.
3. Attendees seeking an exemption to the vaccination policy for medical or religious reasons must complete an exemption application by May 15. Exemption applications will be made available on March 15. Exemption forms will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 
   1. If granted a vaccination exemption, attendees must upload proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test administered between June 9-12 by June 12. Testing is only an option for attendees who have been granted an exemption.
   2. If an exemption request is denied, individuals must be fully vaccinated and up-to-date in their vaccinations to attend. 
4. Masks are required when indoors. Masks may be removed when outdoors or while actively consuming food or beverages. Performers may choose to remove their masks while actively speaking or performing to the judges during their round. Students can choose to wear a mask while performing, and they will not be penalized for wearing a mask. It should be noted that increased mask restrictions may be put in place based on CDC and local recommendations closer to the event. 
5. Students in speech events will not be required to observe other student performances. They will have the option of arriving at their competition room just prior to and departing immediately following their individual performance with no penalty. In some venues, due to small room capacity, performers will be required to enter the room and perform one at a time. No other observers will be permitted in rounds until late in the tournament. Final rounds and awards will be held on stage, but attendance in the venue may be limited in capacity. Awards and final rounds will continue to be live streamed. We will work to implement other health and safety precautions to create appropriate social distancing and reduce large group gatherings.
6. If an attendee tests positive for COVID-19, they must notify NSDA event staff immediately. To limit the spread of COVID-19, those who test positive will be removed from the competition and asked to isolate until they are no longer in danger of infecting others. Schools are highly encouraged to work with their administration to develop a plan of action in case of symptoms, exposure, and contraction of COVID-19. All schools are required to commit to their school’s COVID-19 policies.

Online and In-Person Supplemental Event Opportunities

We will offer two separate divisions for supplemental events. On June 2-4, students who are not traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, will have the opportunity to participate in online National Tournament supplemental events. Separate supplemental event divisions will be offered in person for competitors who travel to Louisville. 

Supplemental event eligibility

• Students who qualified in a main event but declined their spot are eligible to enter online supplemental events. 

• Each school will have the opportunity to enter up to two students who competed at districts but did not qualify into in-person supplemental events. Each school will also have the opportunity to enter up to two different students who competed at districts but did not qualify into online supplemental events. Individual students cannot be entered in both online and in-person supplemental events. Students traveling to Louisville are ineligible to enter online supplementals. 

Supplemental event offerings

• Congressional Debate and Extemporaneous Debate will be offered as live, online supplemental events. (Congressional Debate will also be offered as an in-person main event as usual.) 

• Prose, Poetry, Storytelling, Prepared Prompt, Expository, Prepared Commentary, Pro Con Challenge, and Original Spoken Word Poetry will be offered as asynchronous, online supplemental events. Winners of the aforementioned events will be named online supplemental event national champions! 

• Live, in-person supplemental events Extemporaneous Debate, Prose, Poetry, Storytelling, Impromptu, Expository, Extemp Commentary, and Original Spoken Word Poetry will also be offered.