Motor City Invitational

Dear Debate Programs,

On behalf of the Wayne State University Debate Team, I’m happy to invite you to the 2026 NEDA Motor City Invitational debate tournament to be held at Wayne State University Friday and Saturday, October 9 – October 10!

We’re looking forward to exploring this year’s NEDA Resolution:

The International Criminal Court does more harm than good.

The tournament will also include a ‘Rapidfire’ / IPDA division debating a variety of resolutions.

In addition, we have reduced our entry fees (we know it’s tough out there)! We’re looking forward to seeing you in the Motor City in October!

Sincerely,

Ronald J. Stevenson, Ph.D.

Director of Forensics / Professor

Department of Communication

Wayne State University

TOURNAMENT RULES:

● Teams will be competing in Public Forum/Crossfire, and IPDA/Rapidfire divisions

o Depending on the number of teams, Varsity and Novice teams might face each other in rounds; teams will be separated by division for awards and final rounds.

o Individuals competing in IPDA will have their topic presented to them at the round start time on the schedule and then be given 30 minutes to strike topics with their opponents and prepare their speech.

o IPDA debaters can use computers/devices to research before the round but should not be researching once the debate has started.

o Coaches may assist debaters during the 30-minute prep time process.

● Awards

o Team awards will be given to the top 5 teams in each division

o Speaker awards will be given to the top 5 individual debaters in each division

o Sweepstakes Awards will be given to the top 3 teams.

REGISTRATION:

● All entries are due by 11pm Monday, October 5, 2026.

o Please enter team info on http://nedamotorcity.tabroom.com

o (If you don’t have exact final entries, please at least email a rough head count)

● When entering team information, please indicate whether each debater is a Novice

o NEDA novice status = fewer than 6 previous tournaments at any level (including high school)

● Any dropped entries after 11:59p on Wednesday, October 7, will be fined a $30 penalty

● Please limit your entry to one maverick per division in Public Forum.

● REGISTRATION FEES:

o Public forum/crossfire: $45 per entry

o Rapidfire: $25 per entry.

o There will be a $50.00 ‘judge fee’ for each uncovered team. (Each judge provided by a school ‘covers’ two team entries)

o We accept check, cash, or PayPal @ZiggyDebate

● If registration fees are a barrier to your team’s participation, please let us know and we can make arrangements to resolve that problem.

● ON SITE REGISTRATION:

o Check-in / Registration will be in the lobby Manoogian Hall beginning at 3:30 Friday.

LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS:

· Registration, Lunch, and Debates will all take place at:

Alex Manoogian Hall

906 W. Warren Ave

Detroit, MI 48201

· Directions from the South:

o Take I-75 North and exit at Warren. Go to the light and turn Left on Warren.

o Proceed on Warren for about 2 miles. Manoogian Hall is at the corner of Warren and Anthony Wayne.

· Directions from the West:

o Take I-94 East and exit at Woodward. Go straight, pass 2 lights, and then Turn Left on Woodward Ave.

o Turn Right on Warren Ave. Proceed on Warren for about 2 miles. Manoogian Hall is at the corner of Warren and Anthony Wayne.

PARKING:

· If you need receipts, we recommend downloading the ParkDetroit App, which allows you to park on the street or pay for parking passes in our lots. If you don't use the app, you may not be able to receive a receipt for parking.

· The ParkDetroit app has a list of available streets and lots available around State Hall. Street parking is one dollar/hour. S

· The closest Structure to Manoogian is Structure 2.

o If coming from Warren Ave and parking at Structure 2: Take Warren until you pass Anthony Wayne Drive. Turn right at the next light onto service drive (Manoogian Hall will be immediately to your right) and past the building and enter the parking structure on your right.

o If you have a big van, you may not be able to fit in Structure 2.

· The closest parking lot that accommodates big vans is Lot 51. This is right across Warren Ave. from Manoogian Hall.

· Street Parking is a dollar per Hour. Structures and Lots are about 10 dollars/day.

NEARBY HOTELS:

· There are a number of hotels downtown, however, those generally tend to be expensive. If you stay in Warren, Dearborn, Allen Park, or Southfield, those hotels will be about a 15–20-minute drive to the campus and are much more reasonably priced.

· Holiday Inn Express & Suites Allen Park

o 9000 Enterprise Dr, Allen Park, MI 48101

o Phone: (313) 383-9790

· Avid Hotel

o 11570 E ELEVEN MILE ROAD, Warren, MI, 4808

o Phone: (586) 300-4200

· WoodSpring Suites Detroit Madison Heights

o Address: 32400 Stephenson Highway, Madison Heights, MI, 48071

o Phone: (248) 607-6230

· Holiday Inn Express & Suites

o 30000 Van Dyke Ave, Warren, MI 48093

o Phone: (586) 573-7600

CAMPUS EMERGENCIES:

In cases of emergency, you can call the Wayne State University police directly:

313-577-2222

https://risk.wayne.edu/procedures

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR CONTACT INFO:

o Ron Stevenson

o Email address: Stevenson.ron@gmail.com

o Phone number: 313-333-6349

o Mailing address: 585 Manoogian Hall

Detroit, MI 48201

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

o Friday Oct 9

o Rd. 1 – 4pm

o Rd. 2 – 5pm

o Dinner (provided) – 6pm

o Rd. 3 – 7pm

o Saturday Oct 10

o Rd. 4 – 9am

o Rd. 5 – 10am

o Rd. 6 – 11am

o Lunch (provided) – Noon -1pm

o Semifinals – 1:30pm

o Finals – 3:00pm

o Awards – 4:30pm