Is there debate beyondcompetition? The World Debate Forum believes there is. There is debate in education, advocacy, nation building; on the internet, TV, Radio; in a hundred languages among a million people. On the 5th and 6th of January in Berlin, we are creating a space for those of you who agree or want to find out, to share your perspectives and ideas. We hope it'll be the TED talks of the debate world, but that will only happen if there are interesting people with interesting topics. Is there a better way to allocate judges to debates? Does debate increase tolerance? Has ...

Debattierclub Münster seeks the strongest debaters: Be part of the first German language Ironman tournament. The tournament will take place the day before the traditional Santa Claus tournament in Münster. The tournament will be held in German on Friday, 30 November, in British Parliamentary Style (BPS). You may register via e-mail to mcarcasona+nt12@gmail.com. Get more information in the German version of this article.

You went to Manila but didn’t see enough of the South Asian region? You can now catch up and fly to Malaysia to the 5th Malaysian Debate Open in the City of Malakka, the capital of the south-east province of Malaysia. The Debating Society of the Multimedia University of Malakka hosts the tournament from the 8th to the 12th of March 2013 and has a team cap of 124 teams. The Promo-Video promises a tournament in a city that is rich of history. The Malaccan 15th century empire had its rise in in this place which was characterized by Chinese ...

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On October 5 and 6, many presidents of the local debating societies from under the umbrella of VDCH (the Association of Debating Societies at Universities, or Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen) are going to assemble at the publishing house of DIE ZEIT in Hamburg. The main sponsor of the tournament series ZEIT DEBATTEN is going to give insight into the work of the editorial team of one of the largest weekly newspapers in Germany. The debaters are going to talk to the editor-at-large, the chief editors of theprint as well as the online issue and many others.

Save the date: Debattierclub Johannes Gutenberg Mainz (DCJG) is looking for the “Jokes Champion”. The annual Gutenberg-Cup in Mainz is a tournament with exclusively funny motions. This year it is held on October 20 and 21, debating style is Offene Parlamentarische Debatte (OPD; teams consist of tree speakers and one adjudicator), language is German. If you want to be part of the tournament, please check the German version.

Christmas cookies and debating: The Debattierclub Münster offers both with their Santa Claus tournament. The tournament will be held in German on Saturday, 1 December, in British Parliamentary Style (BPS) and comprises three pre-rounds and break into final. Registration is not yet posible but please save the date! Facts: Münsteraner Nikolausturnier 1. December BPS, German Pro-Am CAs: Manuel Adams and Marietta Gädeke Reg not yet posible

Have you ever been to Salzburg? Well, you should visit the beautiful austrian city. A good oportunity to do so could be the Austrian Debating Championship, in German Österreichische Debattiermeisterschaft or ÖDM. The Tournament is to be held on february 8 to 10. Language of the tournament is German, the format will be OPD. At least 15 teams can participate. The tournament is an open. Chief adjudicators are Salzburgs very own KayMichael Dankl and Nicolas Eberle from Mainz. Registration will be able from october on. Facts: Österreichische Debattiermeisterschaft (ÖDM), Salzburg february 8. to 10., 2013 OPD, German CAs: Nicolas Eberle and Kay-Michael Dankl Registration starts in october

The German public broadcaster ZDF and its daughter 3sat are starting a new debate show - after the model of Cambridge and Oxford debate. For more details, please read the German version of ths article.

Save the date: March 8 to 10! On these three days, the Vienna IV 2013 is going to take place. Vienna calling: Following that call are debaters from all over the international debating circuit. Debattierklub Wien (DKW) is awaiting 60 teams from all over the world in Austria's capital. This will be the third time in a row a Vienna IV is held, so we could start writing about a new tradition. Vienna waits its visitors regulary (!) with culinary specialties: You should definitely enjoy a glass of wine in a “beisl”, a locale plenty with Viennese characters (the author of ...

The next big event of the ZEIT DEBATTEN is already announced: Streitkultur Tübingen will convene the first ZEIT DEBATTE in the 2012/2013 season. The German speaking debating circuit will meet in Tübingen from November 23 to 25. Language of the tournament, as in the whole series, is German, the ZEIT DEBATTE Tübingen will be held in OPD (open parliamentary debate). Chief adjudicators are 2010 German champion Philipp Stiel (Tübingen/Berlin), Wiebke Nadler (Leipzig/Heidelberg) and Leo Vogel (Karlsruhe) The tournament series ZEIT DEBATTEN is organised by VDCH, the Association of Debating Societies at Universities, in cooperation with the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT and ...

Save the date and prepare for Worlds in Cologne: The Tilbury House Debating Society is going to host the Tilbury House IV 2012. The competition will be staged on December 7 to 9. Language of debate is English, the format is BPS. Team cap is 36. World's DCA Isabelle Fischer (née Loewe) is going to be chief adjudicator together with Danique van Koppenhagen and Dessislava Kirova. To get more information visit the societies homepage where it shall be postet asap. You may also join the facebook event or contact the convenor Lea Pyhel viamail to lea.pyhel@tilburyhouse.de. Facts: Tilbury House IV 2012 December 7 to ...

Have you ever been to Kyiv? The Kyiv Open is to be held the 5th time this year on september 28 to 30. It is hosted by the Ukrainian Youth non-governmental organization Debate Academy. Language of the tournament by the river Dnieper is English, the format will be BPS. Registration fees are 15 Euros for members of the Ukrainian Debate Academy, 30 Euros for all other debaters and 15 Euros for judges. Participants are offered accommodation, meals and transfer around Kyiv. The team cap is 40, the convenors insist on the n-1 rule. The Kyiv Open offers five prelims, semis ...

Have you ever been to Utrecht? Well, you should! Here's your opportunity: The UCU Open 2012! The Tournament will be hosted  for the third time by the Dutch University College Utrecht (UCU) Debating Union on November 2 and 3. Registration opens on september 1st. More information is available on the UC U Debating Society's homepage , on Facebook and via ucuopen@gmail.com. Facts and figures: UCU Open 2012, Utrecht November2. and 3. English, BPS CAs: Danique van Koppenhagen and Harish Natarajan, DCAs Manos Moschopoulos and Michael Shapira fee: 50 Euros per team, adjudicators free

The Oxford Union invites to this year’s Oxford IV – one of the most prestigious competitions in the debating world – from November 9 to 10. Fine judging and motions will be provided by chief adjudicators Harish Natarajan, Tom Hosking and Georgie Barker. There are two registrations options: The IONA package for 90 British Pounds per team includes five rounds of seven minute speeches, open break to quarter finals and ESL break to semi-finals, crash for Friday and Saturday night, socials, free drinks and a hog roast. n-1 rule applies. The international package for 110 British Pounds per team includes guaranteed crash for Thursday ...

The Cambridge Union Society invites to this year’s Cambridge IV - one of the most prestigious competitions in the debating world - from November 16 to 17. Fine judging and motions will be provided by chief adjudicators Viktor Finkel (world champion 2011),  Jack Watson (twice euros final panalist) and deputy chief adjudicators  Rebecca Meredith and Germany's Isabelle Fischer (née Loewe). Reg fee ist 85 British Pounds per team and includes five rounds of seven minute speeches, open break to quarter finals and ESL break to semi-finals, a Black tie Social (Pack your tuxedoes!) on Saturday as well as free drinks and a ...

Let’s roll with the Masters’ Cup 2012 at Eisenach - registration opens now! On September 28 and 29, the Thuringian town where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German will be the stage for the annual debating tournament of the Deutsche Debattiergesellschaft (DDG), the German alumni association for debaters. All debaters are invited to register as judges - a good chance to witness old-timers of great reputations or infamous for their long history of debating. You really will get to judge them! As speakers, all DDG members are welcome, plus those awarded the DDG prize for the best junior ...

VDCH is calling the representatives of all debating societies under its roof. President Benedikt Nufer informed that the annual general assembly will take place in Bonn on the weekend of 25 and 26 August this year. Please read the German version of this to learn more about the details.

Dortmund and Greifswald are the last two German language debating tournaments of this year's FDL season. Please read the German version of this to learn more about the details. More info is available from the FDL Blog. pst / apf

Debating goes to the Croatian Adriatic: from May 18 to 20, the Split Debating Union invites to the Split Union Open. Chief adjudicators are Jeroen Heun (ESL EUDC finalist 2011), Rabejaona Setry Randriamananoro Rola and Luka Keller. The prelim speeches are going to be five minutes long, in the semis and the final you are going to have seven minutes. Registration has already opened for teams and adjucators separately, team cap is 32 teams while n-1 applies. Reg fee is €40 per person. To stay up-to-date, visit the Faceboook page of the Split Union Open. If you have any other questions, please ...

You may now register for ZEIT DEBATTE Münster. The tournament is to be held in German, so please read the German version of this article to learn more about how to register.

One weekend, two tournaments: The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is going to host not only the Game of Thrones IV on Sunday, June 10, but also the Football Open on June 9. Whilst the IV is all about the "Game of Thrones" fantasy saga, the Football Open offers motions on "the opium of the masses" and "the matter that's more important than life or death". Why? Because "it is time to recognise that there is only one area of interest that billions of people follow passionately around the world", as the org com puts it. CAs are Manos Moschopoulos, ...

Please read the German version to learn more about this tournament in Marburg, which is named after the famous collectors of folk tales Brothers Grimm.

If you are a Game of Thrones devotee, you will have plenty of reason for delight. For the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) invites to the Game of Thrones IV on Sunday, June 10. Convenor Alexander Cavell and his team announce on the tournament's Facebook page that "all motions will concern contemporary and timeless issues of Westeros, the Lands beyond the Sea and the Iron Islands". "Game of Thrones" is fantasy television series based on George Raymond Richard Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of novels. Although the CAs Manos Moschopoulos, Raj Zal Shukla and David Jones are ...

 

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Debating at the Dutch Open: From 30 to 31 March, the Erasmus Debating Union of Leiden is host to up to 52 teams. 50 Euros per team for five prelims, 7-minutes-speeches, break to semis, a novice final, meals on Friday and Saturday, two socials and crash - plus, judges go free! Apropos judges: As usual, the n-1 rule applies. The chief adjudication team is formed by Rogier Baart (WUDC ESL finalist), Becky West (EUDC semi-finalist), Steph Bell (WUDC finalist) and Marcus Ewald (EUDC ESL quarter-finalist). Register now via Google Spreadsheet - don't wait longer than 1 March! More details are available ...

Come to Warwick IV: On February 4, Susan Connolly, Yina Koh and Lindsay Bing are going to CA four prelims, semis and final with five-minute-speeches. Reg fee is £40, n-1 applies. Registration is already opened, more information please check the website of the Warwick Debating Society or the tournament's Facebook page. There is going to be a „fantastic club social on the Saturday night“ with lots of pizza and drinks. If you have any questions, please contact the org com at su315@sunion.warwick.ac.uk. xzy / tr

Oxford Women's Open from January 20 to 21 means debating without men – only female debaters and judges are admitted. The same is true of the chief adjudication team consisting of Catherine Murphy (Trinity College Dublin Historical Society) and Jen Coyne (Oxford Union). Catherine is a Euros finalist 2011 and also topped the tab there. Jen broke to quarters at the Euros 2010 in Amsterdam and at the Worlds 2011 in Gaborone, Botswana. Reg fee is 20 British Pound (about 24 Euros) per institution, no matter how many teams an institution sends. Mixed teams are welcome, too. Registration is already open, if ...