Colorado NSDA National Qualifying Congress
Highlands Ranch High School
January 30-31, 2026
General Information:
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WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONGRESS!
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This Congress competition determines who competes in Congress from our district at the NFL National Tournament June 13-20, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia.
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This is the best Congress of the year! The students are well prepared! We have great judges and ample opportunities to speak! And the docket is great because of your wonderful bills and resolutions!
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Congress is a great opportunity for students to meet other students, practice speaking skills, and have a real voice in determining national qualifiers. Plus, students can earn many NFL points!
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The more students and schools that participate, the more students that are able to gain from the experience and the more students that attend nationals.
More Specific Information:
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Submissions for Bills and Resolutions are due on Tuesday, January 13 by 3pm.
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Please use the NSDA templates to create proper bills and resolutions.
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All legislation must be in proper format and must be the original work of students from the submitting school. It is the affirmative duty of each school to ensure their materials are original.
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Legislation should be submitted via email to mbenham@cherrycreekschools.org, preferably as a word document or a google document.
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Each school should submit 2 bills or resolutions and 2 alternate bills and resolutions. The school should prioritize these for selection by the committee.
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In order to compete, students must be a paid member of NSDA by Monday, January 26 and meet the NSDA Student Eligibility and Requirements discussed on page 69-70 of the NSDA District Tournament Operations Manual.
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The number of students you may send to the congress is determined by the Chapter Strength (members and degrees) that your school has on record on January 26 at 4pm (CST). Please be sure to enter your NFL points to increase your number of degrees.
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Presiding Officer Nomination Applications are due on Friday, January 23. Nominations must be submitted by the coach.
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Students may compete 1 day or both days in the Congress.
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The entry is $15.00 per student.
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The docket will be set and sent no later than Friday, January 16th.
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Be sure to review the NSDA Congress Manual for all rules and procedures.
Apportionment:
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Affiliate Schools and Chapter Schools may seat members based on the table below and based on the members and degrees on record at 4pm (CST) on Monday, January 26, 4 days prior to the Congress.
|
NFL
Members and Degrees
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Senate
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House
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1-20
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2
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2
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21-35
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2
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3
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36-55
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2
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4
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56-75
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2
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5
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76-100
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2
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6
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101-150
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2
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7
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151-200
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2
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8
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201-250
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2
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9
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251-300
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2
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10
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301-350
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2
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11
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351-400
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2
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12
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401+
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2
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13
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Houses/Senate:
· https://www.speechanddebate.org/high-school-unified-manual/
· House- Participating Students and Qualifiers
· 16-29 students - 2 qualifiers
· 30-58 students - 4 qualifiers
· 59-87 students -6 qualifiers
· 88-116 students -7 qualifiers
· 117-145 students -8 qualifiers
· 146+ students -9 qualifiers
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We are able to qualify 2 senators for the district, if we have 6 or more schools and 10 or more students participating.
· Establishing Chamber Sizes.
· A district must have a minimum of 16 competitors to seat a House of Representatives. Districts may choose their chamber size within the approved range. For a district tournament held online, chambers must be between 8 and 15 students. For in-person district tournament events, chambers must be between 8 and 29 students. This applies to preliminary chambers and elimination round chambers.
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Your representatives will be evenly divided between the houses.
Fees:
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Entry fees are $15 per person.
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Checks should be made payable to the Colorado District of NFL and sent to Marti Benham, Cherry Creek High School, 9300 E. Union Avenue, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
NSDA Fees:
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All outstanding balances to the NSDA National Office must be paid before your students may compete in the Congress.
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This may be paid in cash, check or by purchase order.
Judging:
Coaches may be used to judge some sessions of congress. It is our intention to not use any coach in more than 2 sessions. We will hire judges to assist us with Congress. If you have suggestions for hired judges, please email me with the information.
Congress Rules:
Please take a moment to review the Congress manual before the Congress begins so that you are familiar with the rules and procedures.
https://www.speechanddebate.org/high-school-unified-manual/
The Docket:
The docket will be set and posted at www.speechwire.com on or before January 16th.
Awards:
Presiding Officers will receive a gavel. Finalists will receive a medal. Qualifiers will receive a qualifying trophy.
Miscellany:
Please remember there must be a coach available at all times and that the coach must be available to judge.
Colorado NSDA District Congress Schedule
Friday
Registration 3:30 - 4:00
Opening Meeting 4:15
Friday Congress Session 4:30-8:30pm.
Saturday
Saturday Congress Session 8:30-12:00pm
Coaches' Meeting/ Lunch Break 12:00pm-12:45pm
Saturday Finals- Super Session 1:00-4:30pm
Awards 5:15pm
9300 E. Union Avenue
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
