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Dear Forensics Director:

It is our pleasure to welcome the member schools of the Barkley Forum for High Schools to the 72nd Annual Barkley Forum for High Schools at Emory University in Atlanta, which will be held January 22, 23, and 24, 2027. It is an equal pleasure to invite applications from other schools to be with us in January. We are excited to welcome you back to the Emory University campus in person in Atlanta, GA (weather permitting!) this year.

All competitors will be required to submit one required release form.

Applications to attend (including the competitive records/qualifiers for each student applying) from non-member schools must be entered on tabroom no later than November 30, 2026, and admission will be granted based upon space available and competitive record. Indications of attendance from member schools must be entered on tabroom by the same date. Shortly thereafter, an email will be sent to all the schools that have been selected to attend.

Please note that there will NOT be in-person registration or an in-person Opening Awards Assembly. Schools should check in on tabroom no later than 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 22nd. We encourage all of you to view the pre-recorded Opening Awards Assembly for all students, coaches, and judges that will be released on Friday morning, January 22nd. We will recognize the new Key Coaches and hear from the 2026 Georgia Speaker of the Year, immigration attorney Charles Kuck.

With the exception of the Pelham Debates (which will start at 1:30 Friday with participants responsible for paying for parking), all events will begin on Emory’s campus after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, which is the earliest we are permitted to park on campus.

In The Pelham Debates (policy), Public Forum, and Lincoln-Douglas, we are accepting three entries from Member Schools and three applications from non-member schools. In Congressional Debate, we are accepting ten entries from Member Schools and ten applications from non-member schools. In Speech Events, Member Schools may enter four entries in any one event. We will accept applications for up to four entries per event from non-member schools. NEW (from 2026): Triple entries will be allowed provided they are not in the same pattern and provided one of the events is not Extemporaneous Speaking.

The Final Awards Ceremony will be held in the Emory Student Center on Sunday. You will not want to miss the Presentation of the Silver Keys and supportive awards, as it is nationally unique.

We hope to bring you the best possible forensics experience we can offer. May we hear from each of you soon.

Sincerely,

Mikaela Malsin, Tournament Director

Kara Grant, Tournament Administrator