Entry Requirements

IMPORTANT! All students must have a completed Entry Release Form uploaded under their name on the "Entries" tab by May 1. These must be scanned and uploaded, not emailed.

Alternates:

Online registration closes May 1, and alternates will be notified beginning Tuesday, May 8. Alternates have seven (7) days to commit to entry once notified, or they will forfeit their qualification. Deadline for registration of alternates is May 24.

Congress:

District chairs are encouraged to UPLOAD one or two items of legislation (preferably, one bill and one resolution) by April 1. It can be uploaded on the "Legislation" tab of your school's registration. Chambers and the docket will be released in May; you will be notified via email.

Original Oratory and Informative Speaking:

Entrants must UPLOAD a copy of their manuscript during online registration, signed by the contestant and the coach, certifying the speech is the student’s original work. Note: No more than 150 words may be quoted from other sources. Extensive paraphrasing from other sources is prohibited. The document MUST include a complete work cited page in MLA or APA format. This can be uploaded by clicking the student's name on the "Entries" page. Put the name and topic of their piece in the text box as well for our records. Remember that the student and coach must SIGN their manuscripts before uploading!

Interpretation (HI, DI, Duo, and POI):

During registration: Entrants must UPLOAD the highlighted manuscript of the original source during online registration. At a minimum, this must include the cutting the student will perform, including the introduction. All POI entries must include a works cited page with their upload. This can be uploaded by clicking the student's name on the "Entries" page. Put the publication info of their piece in the text box as well for our records. For POI, this can be the publication info of the anchor (primary) piece. Updated scripts may be uploaded until June 16, at which point they must be final.

At the National Tournament: The cutting performed in the first round must be used throughout the entirety of the competition. All quarterfinalists will be required to turn in the original source OR printed web manuscript to the ombudsperson by noon on the Wednesday. Photocopies are not acceptable. Any contestant failing to produce the original source to the ombudsperson by the aforementioned deadline will not qualify for the semifinal rounds of competition. 

World Schools Debate:

All NSDA districts are allowed to qualify up to two teams of three to five students. The deadline for the district chair to officially name a team is May 1, 2019. Each district must provide a full-time judge available for the entirety of the competition. Districts that do not provide a full-time judge per team will not be permitted to enter.

Big Questions Debate:

All NSDA districts are allowed to qualify one entry in BQ. Only entries composed of individual debaters may compete at Nationals. Each school with a qualifier must provide a full-time judge.

Supplemental Events:

Pre-registration: Students may be pre-registered for up to four supplemental speech events (Commentary, Expository, Poetry, Prose) AND Extemporaneous Debate. Note that at the tournament, students may only double enter in speech events OR compete in ED. There is a non-refundable pre-registration fee of $20 per event. All students entering supplemental events must be pre-registered by their coaches on Tabroom before June 1, 2019.

Re-registration: Re-registration for supplemental events will take place online through Tabroom on Tuesday night. Coaches will verify that their students are eligible and will participate in the event. Coaches of all students who have been eliminated from main event competition prior to round 9 or prior to the semifinals of Congressional Debate may re-register and officially enter up to two supplemental speech events OR Extemporaneous Debate (if pre-registered).

Consolation Events:

Pre-registration: Students may be pre-registered for both consolation events (Storytelling and Impromptu). There is a pre-registration fee of $10 per event. All students entering supplemental events must be pre-registered by their coaches on Tabroom before June 1, 2019.

Re-registration: Re-registration for consolation events will take place online on Tabroom. Coaches will verify that their students are eligible and will participate in the event. Coaches of all students eliminated from main event or supplemental competition by the end of consolation re-registration on Wednesday afternoon/evening, June 20, may re-register for either Storytelling or Impromptu (if pre-registered).