About WSDC

The World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) (www.schoolsdebate.com) is a truly global competition for high school debaters. The first World Schools Debating Championships were held in Australia in 1988. The event attracted participants from Australia, Canada, England, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United States. In 1990 the second championship was held in Canada, ever since then it has been an annual event, hosted each year in a different country, usually by a national debating body. Recent venues include Calgary, Cardiff, Seoul, Washington DC, and in 2009 Athens.

Participating teams are made up of the nation’s top five debaters, often selected after a long series of local, regional, and national debate events. The World Schools Debating Championships celebrates and exemplifies the achievements of youth in the global community who strive to make the world a better place through open articulate communication and shared experiences.

Aims of WSDC

• To achieve excellence in debating
• To encourage debating throughout the world
• To promote international understanding
• To promote free speech

In order to further these aims, all participating nations agree that:

• The team of any participating nation may be required to debate any issue
• The team of any participating nation may be required to debate against the team of any other participating nation
• The team of any participating nation is entitled to take part in the Championships on the same basis as any other participating nation's team

Rules and Guides

All debates take place in English. Each country can submit a squad of 3-5 students who are over 14 and under the age of 19 as of Feb 9th 2010 to debate social, moral and political issues. The debators must either be current secondary school-level students, or have graduated from a secondary school no more than 6 months before the championships begin. If they have already graduated, they must not be registered for a tertiary-level education course which begins on or before the opening day of the championships (which, in Qatar, will be 9th Frebruary 2010).

The Tournament Rules

The Charity Rules

WSDC Memorandum and articles

WSDC Notes for Adjudicators

WSDC Definition Guidelines