News from the debate world & highlights of great debaters and tournaments! By staying up to date with what is happening in the debate world, you can support great teams and talents while improving your own debate skills. 
WUDC 2026 took place in Sofia, Bulgaria (Dec 27, 2025–Jan 4, 2026). University of Sydney Union A (Jack Story & Udai Kamath) won the Open title, with Stanford A, Sofia A, and Cambridge A finishing as finalists. Belgrade captured both ESL and EFL championships.
In mid-January 2026, the 16th Eurasian Schools Debating Championship (ESDC) convened at Robert College in Istanbul, Türkiye (Jan. 17–19).
In late 2025, two of the season’s most important debate tournaments delivered standout performances, major upsets, and new trends. This recap covers the Glenbrooks Speech & Debate Tournament and the Franklin R. Shirley Classic, highlighting top teams, championship rounds, rising stars, and the key storylines shaping both high school and college debate.
The 33rd annual Yale Invitational High School Tournament delivered a weekend of intense debate showdowns across multiple formats. As one of the season’s first major events, Yale drew hundreds of talented competitors from around the U.S. and abroad in divisions ranging from Lincoln-Douglas (LD) and Public Forum (PF) to Policy and Congressional Debate.
Hart House IV attracted an elite international field. from Canadian circuit regulars to visiting American and overseas teams, all eager to flex their rhetoric in the BP format.
A pair of students from Dartmouth College has achieved a historic victory on the world stage of competitive debate. On January 3, 2025, the team of Ryan Lafferty ’26 and Madeleine Wu ’26 claimed first place at the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) held in Panama City, Panama.
The Spelman College Speech and Debate Team achieved a historic victory at the 2025 HBCU National Speech and Debate Championship in Washington, D.C., earning *12 separate awards across multiple events.
