American Dream Debate Central

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General information

This is a High School tournament in Florida.

View manager contact information

2026 AMERICAN DREAM DEBATE TOURNAMENT

This is a bilingual World Schools Debate tournament designed to challenge students’ global awareness, persuasive communication, and cross-cultural skills.

You are cordially invited to the 2026 American Dream Debate Tournament, to be held Friday, April 3rd & Saturday, April 4th.

Seminole State College
100 Weldon Boulevard, Sanford, FL 32773

Tournament hours:

Friday, April 3rd:  Extemp. Commentary                                 

Check in at 4:00pm EST                             

Opening Ceremony: 5:00pm EST.                  

 Tournament Overview

This tournament includes TWO separate events on different days:

·        Speech Event (Extemporaneous Commentary) — Friday evening

·       Debate Event (World Schools Debate) — Saturday morning

You may compete in one event or both events. While participation in both is not required, students who compete—and excel—in both will receive special recognition for their outstanding achievement.

Both events include initial rounds in your first language (L1) and a final round in your second language (L2). There will be three language divisions: (1) L1 Spanish, (2) L1 English, (3) Flex - fluently bilingual

REGISTRATION

Registration Deadline: Friday, March 27th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST

When registering on Speechwire, a valid coach contact email and phone number must be linked to your school account. All coaches, judges & students must be added to the American Dream Canvas Course for resources and further information.

To be invited to the course, email Kendrick Rattray KRattray@FloridaDebate.org

with:

Student/Judge/Coach Name

An email address not already associated with a Canvas account.

USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES & INTERNET

• Extemp Commentary competitors may use electronic devices during prep, but will be permitted only a notecard when speaking.
• WSD Teams may prepare with coaches and peers before the tournament, but may not receive outside help during a round.
• Electronic devices and Internet use are permitted during rounds for World Schools Debate.
• Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini) are prohibited. Teams found using AI will be disqualified.
• Printed materials (notes, dictionaries, world almanacs) are permitted.

ELIGIBILITY & TEAM COMPOSITION

• Each World Schools team must have 3–5 members, with three speakers debating per round.
• Teams of 4–5 may rotate speakers between rounds.
• Grades 6–12 are eligible to compete (no separate middle school division, but teams may include students in 6-12 grade).
• Schools may enter an unlimited number of teams.
• Each speech competitor and WSD team registers as L1 English, L1 Spanish, L1 Flex

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The Florida Debate Initiative is here to help you prepare your team. We welcome first-time coaches, students, and judges. Please contact us for preparation materials and guidance--especially new coaches/teachers. Our goal is to provide a fun and challenging experiential learning opportunity for you, your students, and their families. The event will include Hispanic from HISPA sharing their stories of success. 

JUDGES

Each school must provide one judge per World Schools team for the full tournament.

Each school must provide one judge per 6 Extemporaneous Commentary competitors or part thereof.

*It is important to know that a World Schools Debate judge and Extemporaneous Commentary Judge may be the same person. 

Judges may speak English, Spanish, or both. Indicate the language proficiency of each judge through registration in SpeechWire. 

Judges must view the resources and World Schools Guide in the American Dream Debate Canvas course. To be added to the Canvas course, email Kendrick Rattray at KRattray@FloridaDebate.org an email address not already associated with a Canvas account.

Please communicate with the Florida Debate Initiative if you have questions / concerns about providing judges. Missing judges may result in fines. 

Manager contact information

Jen Burg
Email address: jburg@floridadebate.org
Phone number: 4078487036

Mailing address

None provided