DeKalb Corn Classic 2026

Registration	General information	Files for download	Tournament schedule	Fees	Registration handbook

General information

This is a High School tournament in Illinois.

View manager contact information

September 17, 2026

Dear Coaches, Friends, and the Ghost of Mitch McConnell,

We are living in truly amazing times. Tired of all the winning our country is doing in Washington and around the globe, we now instead turn our collective focus to more immediate concerns: baseball (where perhaps both Chicago teams are playoff-bound), football (where the Bears just scored 59 points in a game, a mark they usually don’t reach under after the midterms), and of course, the DeKalb Corn Classic - now with even more AI!!!

DATE: Saturday, December 5th, 2026

STRUCTURE: Two flighted preliminary rounds (one being double-judged), and Varsity and Novice finals. Depending on the size of the tournament and the availability of judges, we will try to hold Next-In finals as well. Round 1A competition will begin at 8:00; Radio and Extemp are B events, so prep will begin at 8:30 and 8:45, respectively. Please plan to arrive no later than 7:30.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

• 8:00 - Round 1A (DDA, HI, IS, OC, OD, OO, Prose)

• 9:15 - Round 1B (DI, Extemp, HDA, INF, Poetry, Radio, SOS)

• 10:45 - Round 2A (DDA, HI, IS, OC, OD, OO, Prose)

• 12:00 - Round 2B (DI, Extemp, HDA, INF, Poetry, Radio, SOS)

• 1:45 - Final Rounds (all events)

• 3:15 - Awards

ENTRY: Feel free to enter as many speakers in each event as you like (your entry fee will be based on your total number of entries).  Team sweepstakes will be determined using your top two speakers in each event.  Teams will register online using SpeechWire. Students may triple-enter as long as their events are not all in the same flight (see A/B splits in the time schedule above).

JUDGES: Each team is expected to bring one qualified judge for every six entries.  If you wish to bring extra entries, you will need to bring extra judges as well.  Hired judges may be available at a cost of $100 per judge.

FEES: 1 – 14 entries: $125

15 – 28  entries: $175 

29 – 42 entries: $225

43 – 56 entries: $275

57+ entries: $325

EVENTS: All 14 IHSA events. 

AWARDS: Awards will be provided for all individual finalists (varsity and novice). Depending on numbers, we may also hold next-in finals. For the top three teams, a donation will be made in your team’s name to the charity of your choice.

REGISTRATION: Begins at 7:00am.  

ENTRY DEADLINE:  Friday, November 20th

FINAL POSTING ON SPEECHWIRE: Friday, December 4th by 12:00pm

RULES: Impromptu – IHSA rules will apply.  

Radio – Prep for EACH prelim, and prep again for finals.

Extemp – Prep for EACH prelim, and prep again for finals.  

IHSA rules regarding the use of computers during prep will apply (see the 2024-25 Speech Event Summaries).

Time – Only used formally in Radio as per IHSA rules.

We hope to see you on the 5th!

The DHS Forensics Coaching Staff

DeKalb High School 

501 W. Dresser Rd

DeKalb, Illinois 60115

(815) 754-2100

gsolomon@d428.org  – (815) 757-1401

tfontana@d428.org  – (815) 901-7692

james.zucker@d428.org - (815) 501-1889

abby.hanlon@d428.org - (815) 501-2440

If you have drops on the day of the tournament please text or call T. J. ASAP at (815) 901-7692.

Manager contact information

T. J. Fontana
Email address: tfontana@d428.org
Phone number: 815-901-7692

Mailing address

501 W. Dresser Rd.
DeKalb, IL 60115