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You’re invited! The Stennis Center for Public Service will host its annual Novice Speech & Debate Tournament on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville on September 11-12, 2026.

Please read over the invitation linked below and contact Mr. Micah Everson at eversondebate@gmail.com with any questions.

Registration is now open! Click the "Register" tab above.

Important for all: We are using the Sep-Oct 2026 LD Topic this year, not the Novice National Service topic. All LD debaters will debate Resolved: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative. This will be true for all Mississippi tournaments this year in September and October.

See more details in the full invitation here.

New to Stennis? Here are some key things to know:

1. Student eligibility. Only high-school novices may compete. We define a novice competitor as a high-school student who has never competed in any high-school level Speech & Debate competition before this academic year. Thus, any student in grades 9-12 who has not competed in interscholastic high-school Speech & Debate before the 2026-2027 school year is eligible.

1. Middle-school students are not eligible to compete at Stennis. (We have sometimes offered middle-school divisions in the past, but we will not in 2026.) Unlike at many MHSAA invitational tournaments, middle-school students are not eligible to enter the high-school division at this tournament.

2. A student who competed in middle-school but is now in 9th-12th grades is eligible to compete as a novice, as long as they only competed in middle-school divisions in the past. Any student who has ever competed in a high-school division before this year is not considered a novice.

3. There is no distinction between “debate novices” and “speech novices.” The definition is all encompassing. (E.g. a student who competed in only speech events as a 9th grader is not considered “novice” for debate events.)

4. Any specific questions about student eligibility should be directed to Mr. Everson at the email above. If you’re not sure, ask!

2. No entry fees. The Stennis Center is committed to covering the cost of the tournament. There are no entry fees to pay.

3. No judge fees. You may not “buy out” any judges. You must bring enough judges to cover your entry. Uncovered entries will be dropped from the tournament.

4. Varsity judging. Varsity students are allowed to serve as judges. They must have a minimum of 150 NSDA points. Ideally, they are Juniors or Seniors with at least 250 NSDA points, but at coaches’ discretion, underclassmen may also judge, as long as they have 150 NSDA points. Varsity judges still are team members and should be reminded to follow all the sportsmanship guidelines that apply to competitors and must uphold the NSDA Honor Code. Schools should help provide a positive experience for the novice competitors by encouraging only serious, committed, trained students to accept this offer to judge. Parents, alums, and other adult volunteers are also encouraged to judge. Coaches who are not helping with tabulation or other are expected to judge.

See more details in the full invitation here.