Berlin expects about 1.400 Debattierer from around 70 countries to the World Universities Debating Championships 2013 from December 27 2012 until January 4 2013 when about 400 teams will be competing for the title of world champion in the German capital. Since 1981, debaters from all over the world have been competing at the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds) at alternating locations across the planet. It was not before 1996 that the British Parliamentary Style became the mandatory format for this annual tournament. From 27 December 2011 to 4 January 2012, the international debating community assembled in Manila for ...

"BP comes to BP": That means an opportunity to participate in an extra tournament before Vienna IV 2012. The debating societies of Central European University and Corvinus University Budapest are going to host the first international tournament in Hungary from March 2 to 5. Registration is already opened until January 10. To registrate, you need firstly to express your will to participate in an e-mail at budapestopen2012@gmail.com. After sending this e-mail, you are going to receive a registration form that have to be filled out and sent back. After that, you are going to receive a confirmation letter. The reg fee ...

The Association of Debating Societies at Universities (VDCH) has announced the details on the first adjudication workshop in the current season 2011/2012. From February 4 to 5, judges with basic experience can deepen their analytical and feedback skill in the Rhineland-Palatinate capital Mainz. Trainers will be Andrea Gau (Mainz), Torsten Rössing (Halle), Pauline Leopold (Tübingen) and Lukas Haffert (Cologne). Both BPS and Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD)will be covered. Reg fee is 15 Euros and registration is opened until January 15. To registrate, please contact VDCH vice-president Simeon Reusch via simeon.reusch@vdch.de. The number of spots is limited to 25. xzy / tr ...

This article is not available in English, please read the German version.

Did you have fun at Euros this summer? Then Galway is the right address for you: Join the Galway Open on February 11 and 12! Eileen Coughlan,convener of the tournament, will be delighted to welcome debaters from all over the continent. Chief adjudicators are Sean Butler (sixth best speaker at Euros this year) and Muireann O'Dwyer (winner and best speaker of the  Cork Open 2011). Eileen is promising an excellent judging pool, including Worlds and Euros breaking judges, "super-effective tabbing from our tabmaster, David Hartery", "all the food and drink you can handle" and two great socials. To attract more international ...

The second ZEIT DEBATTE is on. Read more about the tournament in Hamburg in the German version.

"An amazing experience in culture and debate", the sixth annual tournament in Beijing from December 16 to 18 is being advertised by the International Debate Education Association (IDEA). IDEA and the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) are co-organizers of this tournament in the heart of China's capital city. The tournament will feature an English division, a Mandarin division, and a Moot Court division. That means there will be three competitions: one in English, one in Mandarin plus a Moot Court competion. Moot court stands for some practice at law schools where participants simulate court proceedings including oral argument.  IDEA promises ...

Please read the German version of this article to learn more about the Berlin Punk tourney.

Streitkultur Tübingen is becoming 20 - and celebrating this anniversary with a huge Streitkultur Cup on December 9 to 11. Be part of it and read the German version of this to learn more about it.

The Berlin invitational will be a tournament on January 20, 2012. It will be in German, so please switch to the German version of this article to learn more about the details.

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 November 12 and 13, debating style is Offene Parlamentarische Debatte (OPD; teams consist of tree speakers and one adjudicator), language is German. Registration is open now via e-mail to andrea_gau@yahoo.de. Fee is 15 Euros per person, crash is available.

This is going to be the first in a row of three tournaments to be staged in Austria: The Austrian Open, a first-time competition in Graz open to teams who can master a debate in German language. Read more on this in the German version of this piece. ...

A premiere in Stuttgart: On December 10 and 11, the convenor Andreas Lazar invites the debating circuit to the society's first international tournament. Top-class debaters like Michael Saliba (WUDC 2011 semi-finalist), Maja Cimerman (EUDC ESL champion 2010) and Daniël Springer (EUDC 2011 semi-finlast) will serve as CAs. Andreas believes that "it is time to give back to the international debating community we've enjoyed so much over the past years" and promises an "ideal Worlds prep two weeks before Manila". The tournament offers five rounds, semis and a final. Speech duration is seven minutes, team cap is 36. Reg fee is €35 Euros ...

Save the date: March 9 to 11! On these three days, the Vienna IV 2012 is going to take place as Debattierklub Wien announced. Further details will be promoted on Achte Minute as soon as possible. This year, Austin Schwartz and Travis Steele won the Vienna IV final as Colgate Extra White from the position of Opening Government on the motion "This house believes that parties’ electoral campaigns should only be funded by the state". Their counterparts were Galatasaray, Heidelberg and Belgrade. The final is also available online. About three months after the IV, Vienna is going to be the venue ...

The international debating community does not stand still. In April, Jacobs University Bremen (JUB) Debating Society is planning the Jacobs Open 2012 from 13 to 15. A mentionable fact: Alyona Asyamova from JUB Bremen won with her team partner Rob Honig (Leiden) the ESL final of Amsterdam Open 2009. And the victory at Jacobs Open 2011 fell to Becky West and Rogier Baart (Leiden Debating Union) in an all-Dutch final debate on the motion "This house would promote atheism". Manuel Adams (Berlin Debating Union) compiled a picture gallery and has put it online. xzy / apf

The International Debate Academy Slovenia (or IDAS) is a truly outstanding event. From November 19 to 27, IDAS brings together international participants and leading debating experts from all over the world. Bojana Skrt's org com is pleased to present the ESL EUDC champions (among others) 2010 Maja Cimerman and Filip Dobranic as well as the ESL WUDC champion 2008 Anne Valkering and Manos Moschopoulos (ESL EUDC finalist 2010, best ESL speaker WUDC 2010) as trainers. Until November 24, IDAS offers a wide range of workshops all around debating complemented by intense practice debates. This part of IDAS takes place in the ...

This article is only available in a german version. Please read this version. Thank you. ...

Keen on Ireland after Galway Euros? Well, then, off you go to the Cork IV in the south of the Emerald Isle. On December 2 and 3, debaters will compete in debates on motions by chief adjudicators (CA) Art Ward and Doug Cochran. Art is going to be CA at Belgrade Euros next year, Doug will be CA-ing the Worlds in Berlin. Both Art and Doug do have a reputation as both speakers and as judges. Registration is free for international teams while it is 75 Euros for IONA teams where IONA stands for Islands of the North Atlantic. Free as ...

The Cambridge Union Society invites to this year’s Cambridge IV – one of the most prestigious competitions in the debating world – from November 17 to 19. Fine judging and motions will be provided by chief adjudicators Harish Natarajan (semi-finalist Koc Worlds 2010, finalist at Amsterdam Euros 2010 as well as at Galway Euros 2011) and Fiona Prowse (current World Champion, twice top 5 speaker at WUCD’s, winner of Cambridge IV 2010). They will be accompanied by their deputy Natalie Smith (European Quarter finalist, WUDC Octo finalist, Winner of Manchester IV and Oxford Womens Open). The Cambridge IV also provides a ...

Debating in London – this year’s SOAS IV is being held from October 21 to 23 in the midst of London at the campus of the School of Oriental and African Studies. Registration fee is 40 pounds, including 6 preliminary rounds, quarter finals and ESL-semis as well as a debating workshop on Friday 21st. All registered debaters will be accommodated in a Hostel. Harish Natarajan (semi-finalist Koc Worlds 2010, finalist at Amsterdam Euros 2010 as well as at Galway Euros 2011) will serve as chief adjudicator, joined by Pam Cohn (Finalist Cambridge IV 2010), Filip Muki Dobranić (WUDC best speaker ...

Kyiv? What is that? That's the Ukrainian capital that is also called Kiev. The Kyiv Open will be held there on October 1 and 2 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 10 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. Chief adjudicator is Anne Valkering (The Netherlands) ...

The UCU Open fits into the series of tournaments in the coming debating season. Hosted already for the second time by the Dutch University College Utrecht (UCU) Debating Union on November 4 and 5, this Open will be "bigger and " according to the org com. Convenor Marlies Hombergen and her team offer five prelims, a semifinal and a final. Registration has already opened (n-1 applies). CA  the ESL world champion Anne Valkering (ASDV Bonaparte), reg fee is €25. Crash accommodation will be provided both from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday. More information is available ...

Would you like to spend a few days in the warm tropics, a cool sea breeze playing in your hair, the sun high in an immaculately blue sky, as a turquoise sea crashes onto a secluded beach? So would we. Nevertheless, you may also be interested in the 2011 Centrale Paris IV taking place on December 2 and 3. It will be staged at the “picturesque campus” of the École Centrale de Paris – only half an hour by public transport from the centre of Paris. Très centrale! Language of debate is English, the format will be British Parliamentary Style (BPS). ...

Facts: BPS workshop (advanced) Mainz September 16 to 18, 2011 BPS, German 15 Euros Coaches: Marcus Ewald, Lukas Haffert registration until September 7

Facts: September 17, 2011 Zurich BPS, German 20 Euros ProAm teams registration until 10. September