Interstate Oratory Contest

Registration	General information	Schematics	Files for download	Tournament schedule	Final results

Information for IOA at UF

Information for IOA 2026 hosted on the University of Florida Campus

Greetings!

We are thrilled to welcome you to Gainesville, Florida in just one week. This message contains important information for the weekend, so please be sure you share it with your students and coaches.

We have had the privilege of having a team of students in an Event Planning class who have been working to make IOA 2026 memorable and smooth. They will be around wearing blue IOA T-shirts throughout the weekend and can help if you have any questions.

Please be sure to follow our Instagram page and check out the website they made fohttps://www.visitgainesville.com/wp-content/uploads/whatsgood-header-horizontal.svgr more detailed information about the tournament and the Gainesville area.

Social Media: Follow us on Instagram at ioa.2026 if you haven’t already!

Tournament Website: https://sites.google.com/ufl.edu/ioa-2026-uf/home 

Friday night at the Lynx Bookstore: You won’t want to miss this!

4:30-6PM: Registration at Lynx Bookstore 

We will have registration set up outside beginning at 4:30pm. Mingle amongst your peers and colleagues and enjoy light refreshments. Small bites and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided; wine, beer, and coffee are for sale inside the bookstore.

 At 5:00pm we will host a panel discussion inside the bookstore with the Final Round Judges, all of whom serve as advocates for varied sectors of the Gainesville and North Central Florida community.

Parking is available on the property of South Main Station, where the Lynx is located, and there is also street parking available. There are two restaurants in South Main Station: Humblewood Fire Pizza and Bingo Deli & Pub and both are worth checking out while you’re in Gainesville.

Lunch tickets will also be provided at registration; you will need them for the Luncheons on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday Competition in the Reitz Union

All activities will take place in the Reitz Union on Saturday, April 25, 2026 and the building will be open by 8:00AM. Parking restrictions are lifted on weekends on campus, unless a sign indicates 24/7 permit required. The parking garage at the Reitz Union is free on weekends.

8:30-10:30 AM: Breakfast buffet, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be located on the 3rd floor of the Reitz Union; there is space to sit and eat in rooms 3305 and 3310.

Starbucks in the Reitz Union will be open from 9:00am-5:00pm in the Food Court.

Competition Rooms are all located on the Level 2 of the Reitz Union; the ballot table is located in front of room 2355.

The luncheon will take place in the Rion Ballroom on the Level 3of the Reitz Union.

Sunday Competition in the Reitz Union/ Final Round at the Baughman Center

Semi-Final Rounds will all take place in the Reitz Union in the Union Chamber, located on Ground Level of the Reitz Union.

8:30-10:30 AM: Breakfast buffet, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be located on Level 3 of the Reitz Union; there is space to sit and eat in rooms 3305 and 3310 on Level 3.

The luncheon will take place in the Rion Ballroom on the Level 3 of the Reitz Union.

The Final Round will take place in the Baughman Center, requiring a location change after the luncheon. We aim to begin leaving the Reitz Union at 1:30pm. Teams will need transportation for this change. If you do not plan to have a vehicle, please let me know as soon as possible so I can arrange transportation (acmart@ufl.edu).

The Baughman Center is open to the public on weekdays: Monday – Thursday: 8 am – 5 pm;
Friday: 8 am – 3 pm. If you are in town early and would like to check out the final round space, please feel free to do so unless a private event is taking place. Be mindful that this is a space that is reserved for quiet contemplation and others may be visiting for that purpose.

Lunch Tickets

Tickets for the luncheons taking place on Saturday and Sunday will be provided at registration on Friday evening. We will have them available if you are unable to make it to the Friday evening event.

Paper Ballots at IOA 2026

We will be using paper ballots for this tournament. Ballots will be available 30 minutes before each round begins; the ballot table is located in front of 2355 in the Reitz Union. 

Speechwire will be used for schematics and will be the most up to date place to find information for the tournament schedule.

Judge Pool for IOA 2026

The judge pool for this tournament is almost exclusively made up of the school judges attending and UF Speech and Debate Society alumni who are coming into town for an alumni reunion. The semi-final and final round judges are comprised of University of Florida administrators, UF Speech and Debate Society Alumni, and Gainesville community representatives. You can find more information about the semi-final and final round judges on our website and social media, and by attending the Friday evening panel.

WIFI Access

Though we are not using eballots, you may still wish to utilize wifi services while on campus. Guest WIFI on UF’s campus is available and easy to access. For more information see UFIT’s Website.