Novice Eligibility

All competitors who are in their first year of competition are eligible. 

Middle-school entries are allowed.

A second-year competitor can qualify as a novice if and only if:

1) They have attended four or fewer tournaments in their career

OR

2) During at least one of of their two years of competition, they were in middle school.

Competitors with more than two years of experience are not eligible.

Novice eligibility rules cover all speech and debate events. A varsity debater cannot compete in speech as a novice and vice versa.