You are invited to the First Annual IUB Walter Center Civic Education Debate Tournament: Celebrating the 250th anniversaries of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution

When: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Where: Ballantine Hall, Indiana University, 1020 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN

Who: Any middle school, high school, or college student in Indiana (including private or homeschooled) *No prior debate experience or school-team sponsorship required*

Website: https://religiousstudies.indiana.edu/news-events/debate-tournament.html

Events and Divisions

Middle School (novice):

• Congressional Debate
• Middle School LD Debate
• World Schools Debate

High School (novice and varsity):

• Congressional Debate
• Public Forum Debate
• World Schools Debate
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate
• Policy Debate

We will use NSDA/ISSDA September/October resolutions / dockets for all events.

College (novice):

• Constitutional Convention Debate
• Policy Debate

Included for participants:

• Free, novice-friendly online training for Congressional and Constitutional Convention debate
• Entrance fees waived and complimentary food and beverages through generous support from The Walter Center for Career Achievement
• Premium awards for top debaters and commemorative keepsakes for all participants

Deadlines:

Team entries due (via SpeechWire.com) by Thurs. Sept. 10 by 5 p.m.

Individual add/drop deadline (via SpeechWire.com): Mon. Oct. 5 by 5 p.m.

Final drop deadline (via text: 812-269-2710 or email: browncg@iu.edu): Sat. Oct. 10 by 6:00 a.m.

Register via SpeechWire.com

Team leaders (head coaches and teachers/parents/college students without a team) begin by creating a SpeechWire.com account: https://www.speechwire.com/c-account-create.php. Before you can enter your students and judges in the tournament, you must first collect email addresses from each of them, set up SpeechWire.com accounts for them, and remind each of them to activate their accounts; please also collect cell phone numbers to facilitate day-of-tournament communications. No two participants can share the same email address. If you intend to record NSDA points, sync your students' NSDA and SpeechWire accounts prior to the tournament; this allows for auto posting of points, which will save you time later.

PLEASE help us plan by submitting entries as early as possible—even if you expect to make changes. This will help ensure that we have enough food and awards for all participants!

Judges:

Please register (via SpeechWire.com) one judge for every four students. Parents, teachers, coaches, and invited civic leaders may opt to judge Congress and/or Debate; varsity high-school students may judge middle school; varsity college-students may judge high school or middle school. Judges should bring an electronic device for online balloting. All adults must present government-issued identification to enter Ballantine Hall.

Questions? Contact Professor Candy Brown, 812-269-2710, browncg@iu.edu.

Find out more about:

Tournament Information

Congressional Debate

• For Teachers
• Judge Guide

Constitutional Convention Debate

(vr24)