We are very pleased to invite you and your team to The Dr. David Waite Debate Tournament at Butler University in Indianapolis on Saturday, October 31, 2026.  The tournament will feature high school competition in Congress, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and World Schools.  We will have four rounds of competition beginning at 9:00AM (Eastern) - and a 5th round for LD.  We will offer a novice division where entries warrant.  

 

Please note the entry deadline of 5:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday, October 27, 2026.  Registration, balloting, and tabulation will take place utilizing Speechwire.  Faxed, mailed, or emailed entries will not be accepted.  To help us prepare, we would appreciate if each school planning to attend (or not attend) would mark their team as attending (or not attending) on Speechwire as soon as possible, even if you don’t yet know how many entries you will bring.  

 

Students may not enter multiple styles of debate.

 

For congress, each school must provide one judge for every four congress entries or any fraction thereof (e.g., five congress entries will require two judges). For the other debate styles, each school must provide one judge for every two entries or any fraction thereof (e.g., one LD entry and two policy teams will necessitate two judges).  Each judge should be prepared to judge all rounds and all styles of debate regardless of your school’s entries.  Judges are expected to provide meaningful and helpful written feedback.  As we will be utilizing electronic ballots, judges will need to have speechwire.com accounts created ahead of time and must bring an internet-capable device (i.e., laptop or tablet).  Please ensure your judges and students are familiar with Speechwire’s electronic balloting prior to the tournament.

 

Students may be dropped off in front of Jordan Hall, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN  46208.  Tournament HQ will be in the hallway outside of Jordan Hall.  Once inside the buildings, we ask that students remain inside if there is inclement weather.  There are skywalks between the buildings we will be using so there is no need to go outside.  

 

Congress and LD will incur a fee of $8 per entry.  Policy/Public Forum will incur a fee of $12 per entry.  World entries will incur a fee of $15 per entry. Beginning at 12:00PM (noon) on Thursday, October 29, 2026, drops will incur a fee of $25 per dropped entry and $100 per dropped judge in addition to the entry fee.  Name changes will be permitted without cost until 5:00PM on Friday, October 30, 2026.

 

Make checks out to “Butler University Speech and Debate Team” and address them to Janis Crawford, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN, 46208.

 

Students are expected to make it to every round for which they are scheduled.  Students will forfeit their round if they are ten or more minutes late.  No participant or observer may record anyone without prior approval of the student, the student’s coach, and the tournament director.

 

Please instruct your judges to submit their decisions immediately at the conclusion of the round.  They may then continue editing their critiques/comments if they desire.  Ballots will not be closed and released until 12:00PM (noon) on Monday, November 2, to ensure judges have ample opportunity to provide thorough and meaningful feedback.

 

All events will follow their respective current NSDA topics.  World Schools and Congress will use the topic/legislation announced on Speechwire on Friday, October 23.  

 

We will be awarding ribbons to individual students, 1st through 6th, in addition to team awards. 

 

We anticipate an educational, challenging, and very entertaining tournament and hope that you will join us.

 

Janis Crawford, Director of Forensics

Greg Moser, Assistant Director of Forensics & Tournament Director

Jazlyn Khan, Director of Debate

Gaby Seleps, Team President

Grace McLaughlin, Debate Team Captain

 

(vr24)