2026 New York - New Jersey Interstate Championship

February 21, 2026

 

Virtual Synchronous Zoom Tournament

 

Colleagues and friends,

Queens College, CUNY, and the alums and students of the Queens College Speech and Debate Society are pleased to invite you to the 2026 New York/New Jersey Interstate Championship Tournament on Saturday, February 21^st, 2026. This one-day tournament will crown a NY/NJ state champion in each event and determine each state’s two Interstate Oratorical Association representatives. The tournament will be a virtual synchronous tournament held via Zoom.

The Interstate Championship Tournament will feature all 11 AFA-NST events alongside IPDA Debate. All points and tabulations will be conducted according to AFA-NST procedures. Finals of the top six contestants will follow two preliminary rounds of individual events. We will offer an Individual Speaker Award to the top three individuals who enter at least four events in two genres of forensics. Sweepstakes awards will be given to the top three schools.

Below, you will find all the information you need to enter the tournament. Should you have any questions, please contact Randy Perez at qcspeechteam@gmail.com or 516-858-3156.

Best,

Randy Perez, Tournament Director

 

 

Entry Rules:

 

1. Schools may enter an unlimited amount of students in each event.

 

2. Students in IPDA debate may not cross-enter in Individual speech events. 

 

3.  Fees

Invoices will be sent out via PayPal unless instructed otherwise.

 

Entry fees will be assessed as follows:

 

• Team entry fee: $20 (Every participating team will be charged the standard school entry fee)

• Individual Entry slot fees: $10 for I.E., $25 for IPDA Debate

• Uncovered IE slot fee: $12 each (one judge covers 6 IE slots)

• Uncovered IPDA slot fee: $35 per debater (one judge covers two debate slots)

 

• NOTE: All teams must cover a minimum of 50% of their entry. 

• No exceptions unless negotiated well in advance and at the director's discretion.

 

4.  Students may enter up to 3 events per pattern. Two duos count as two events.

 

5. Please provide a qualified judge for every 6 slots or two debaters.

 

6. The deadline for entry (via Speechwire) is Wednesday, February 18^th at 1 pm..

 

7. Invoices will be assessed on Wednesday, February 18^th at 3 pm. Add/drop fees will be assessed as follows:

 

• Add/drops on Thursday, February 19th: $20 per change plus entry fee

• Drops on Friday, February 20th: $30 per drop plus entry fee – no adds permitted

• Drops on Saturday, February 21st: $50 per drop plus entry fee – no adds permitted.

• Judge drops through Friday, February 20th: $80 per drop

• Judge drops on Saturday, February 21st: $125 per drop

 

 

Judging

Each judge can cover six slots or two debaters. Judges will be used in both IE and IPDA pools unless otherwise noted. All judges are obligated for one round past their students’ elimination. Failure of a judge to pick up their ballots will result in their students being ineligible for elimination rounds.

 

 

Competition Rules

 

1.  We will use the current standing event definitions and time limits as published by the American Forensics Association. We will offer a semi-final round for any event with 40 or more entries competing in both preliminary rounds of competition. 

 

2. We will offer one division of Individual IPDA debate.Students in IPDA debate may not cross enter in Individual Speech events.

 

3. In IPDA debate, students will be presented with five resolutions (2 policy/2 fact or value/1 metaphorical). TOPIC DRAW FOR EACH ROUND WILL BE IN THE IPDA DRAW BREAKOUT ROOM!!!! The 30-minute preparation time will commence with the first negative topic strike. Both affirmative and negative debaters will alternatively strike topics until one resolution is left for the round. Students can also use their phones as a timekeeping device, provided it is in “silent” or “airplane” mode. However, IPDA rules prohibit access to electronic materials during the debate round.  

 

4.  Awards will be presented to all elimination round participants, the top 3 IPDA debate schools, the top 3 overall teams, the top 3 debaters, and the top 3 individual speakers.

 

5. The final round of Persuasive Speaking will determine the two student representatives for the Interstate Oratorical Association contest. The top two students from New York and the top two students from New Jersey will represent their respective states at IOA. The following two students from each state will serve as the alternative representatives for that state. If there are not enough representatives in the final round from New York or New Jersey, we will turn to ranks in prelims to determine the representatives.

 

6.  Students must enter at least three individual events to be eligible for speaker awards..

 

7. Results & Sweepstakes Points:

Final placements will be announced to all elimination round competitors in all events. IPDA will feature one or two elimination rounds - depending on the number of entries entered at the tournament.

Individual events sweepstakes points will be awarded as follows: 12 points for first place, 10 points for second, 8 points for third, 7 points for fourth, 5 points for fifth, and 3 points for sixth.

In debate, sweepstakes points will be awarded as follows: 5 points for each preliminary win, 10 points for reaching the Semis, and 15 points for reaching the Finals.

Top speakers and schools will be recognized. Students must be entered in four events to be eligible for individual sweeps.

8. For IPDA school sweeps, each school’s top 3 debaters will be counted: 5 points per win in prelims, 10 points for reaching semifinals, and 15 points for reaching finals.

9. Schools must be entered in IPDA and IE to be in overall sweeps.

10. Unless otherwise noted, Judges will be placed in the IPDA and IE pool.

 

Pattern A – Extemp, POI, Duo, Persuasive, Informative, Prose, IPDA

Pattern B – Impromptu, Drama, ADS, CA, Poetry, IPDA

 

 

SCHEDULE for Saturday, February 21st, 2026

 

 

  8:00am         Registration – Main Zoom

 

(vr24)