The Crazy IV offers on October 15 a tournament of a very special kind. The University of Strathclyde's convenor Sorana Goga promises on the Facebook page: "We are going to bring to you a set of original motions, each one set in a fantasy world/alternate reality based either on a film or book ranging from Harry Potter to Inception and going through everything in between". The relevant books and films are to be announced shortly. But why would one organise such an uncommon debating competition? Their inspiration was their last year's successful show debate on topic "This house would tell the ...

There is probably only one place where debaters should spend their holidays, and this is a place named Eilat, the southernmost city of Israel directly located at the Red Sea. The Red Sea Open 2011, from 4th to 8th of September offers a unique combination of parties, sun and debating with high-quality adjudicators such as CA Anat Shapira (Best ESL speaker WUDC 2006, best speaker ESL EUDC 2005), DCA Maja Cimerman (EUDC ESL Champion, WUDC ESL 2nd Speaker 2010 & 2011, ESL WUDC Finalist 2011) and DCA Gavin Illsley (EUDC Champion, WUDC semifinalist and multiple IV winner). As Israel has several ...

From 2nd to 5th August you will have the opportunity to once more prepare for the upcoming Euros in Galway.  Istanbul is known for its good tournament organisation, besides various tournaments they were also host of the World Debating Championships in 2010. Quality Adjudication is provided by CA Douglas Cochran (Cambridge), DCA Michael Shapira (WUDC winner 2011, ESL) and DCA Manos Moschopolous (WUDC Best ESL Speaker 2010, EUDC ESL Finalist 2010). Istanbul also announced to have world-class adjudicators besides that, and are glade to have Anat Shapira (Best ESL speaker WUDC 2006, best speaker ESL EUDC 2005) attending as judge. If ...

The VDCH general assembly is going to sit in Frankfurt on August 20 and 21. Please read more on the detail in the German version of this article.

For the second time the Vienna Debating Seminar is taking place at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Debattierklub Wien invites debaters between July 16 and 17 to a full day seminar and a debate tournament with four rounds and a final. Manos Moschopoulos (Athens, best ESL speaker at the world championships 2010), Milan Vignjevic (Belgrade, ESL Quarter Finalist at the European championships 2010 and prospective convenor of euros 2012) and Borna Sor (Zagreb, semi finalist worlds) will be joining Lio Kaufman and Sabine Rainalter from Debattierklub Wien as trainers and judges for this years workshop and tournament. The Kick-off will be ...

The Scotsmen are calling! Let's go and compete at this year's Edinburgh Cup on October 8 and 9. It's an open, so you may "bring whoever you like for 5 rounds of 7-minute speeches over two days, with a break to a semi-final," the convenors promise on their Facebook website. They assembled a great team for adjudication: Isabelle Loewe (EUDC champiom 2006), Ben Woolgar (finalist at Euros and Worlds alike) and Dearbhail O' Crowley (chief adjudicator at the upcoming SOAS Open). They make it a fine start into the new season in fall, being "a great opportunity to get back into ...

This article is not available in english. Please read the german version.

Erasmus of Rotterdam is the eponym for EU's student exchange programme - and for the Erasmus Debating Society (EDS) of Rotterdam's university. Study and debate go together fine, even more so with the Dutch Anglo-Saxon Parliamentary Debating Institute (DAPDI) in Rotterdam where debaters from all over Europe assemble from July 25 to 29 to do training and competition. Just before Galway Euros, it is going to be a perfect opportunity to exercise for the great European tournament, Luciën de Bruin from EDS promises: “It features three days of workshops by top-notch Oxford trainers we’re flying in, including a ...

The CEU Debating Society invites debaters from 2nd to 3rd of July to the capital city of Hungary, the first ever international debate event in Budapest. Good quality debates will be provided by the Adjudication Team around CA Filip Dobranić (WUDC ESL best speaker, EUDC ESL champion). There will be no reg fee, crash will be provided on a first come first serve basis. However, you need to care about yourself concerning the food – but Budapest is the best place to be if you are (1) hungry, (2) want tasty food and (3) have little money. (The editor recommends Hortobágyi húsos ...

It's because of the copyright: The former "The double Otto" tournament is going to take place as "Elbe Open" and is named after the River Elbe that flows through Magdeburg. Debattierclub Magdeburg shortly announced, the date remains 2 and 3 July. The convenors changend not only the name of the tournament, but also the style. Instead of the Open Parliamentary Debate (OPD) the style is now BPS with five prelims, semis and a final. Isabelle Loewe, Miriam Hauft and Torsten Rössing are certainly worthy of note. Isabelle is EUDC winner 2006 (ESL) and was one of the CAs at the Vienna IV ...

It's showtime: Debattierclub München invites passers-by to enjoy show debates at the open air culture festival "Corso Leopold" on June 5. From 4 to 6 p. m., current topics are going to be in the limelight in the Leopoldstraße in the city centre. xzy / tr

The first ever women-only tournament on German soil: It's going to take place in Jena from August 17 to 19. Please read more on the tournament in the German version of this article and join the fierce debate on positive and negative discrimination, the advantages/disadvantages of affirmative action and add to the ongoing discussion in the comment section below. xzy / apf

This article is not available in English. Please read the German version to learn about the 1st Philosophy-Slam in Halle, Germany. ...

First info on the EurOpen released: David Whitehead told Achte Minute details on the tournament held annually in and around Stuttgart. This year, it will be staged from November 6 to 11, with arrivals on 5th. Costs for the schools debating competition will be around 180 Euros for teams from outside the Stuttgart region, including a full weeks accommodation and all transportation for the week. “The price might drop when we find sponsors“, David promised. Fees for the local teams are not fixed yet. VDCH judges are more than welcome, so save the date for judging in Stuttgart in early ...

We're sorry, this article is not available in English. Please read the German version of this to learn about a schools tournament in Schloss Wesseling, in cooperation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

Beginners take note: The Wortgefechte Potsdam organises the Potsdam PULS Punk on 28 May. The tournament will be held in German and the OPD (open parliamentary debate) style that is widely spread in the German language debating circuit - but without the characteristic Free Speakers. "PULS" is the university course application system of the University of Potsdam. The university accepts the participation in debating where students can get credit points. After four prelims there is going to be a direct break into the final. Afterwards the participants may look forward to a relaxed and romantic evening at the Griebnitzsee, a lake in ...

The "Bodden" calling for the third time! 2009 was the first year when the Debattierclub Greifswald set up the tournament called "Boddencup" in the British Parliamentary Style, language of debate is German. This year's edition will be staged from July 22 to 24 and is going to offer five prelims, semifinals and a final with seven-minute speeches. More information on the tournament will be available soon. But what does "Bodden" actually mean? It refers to the "Greifswalder Bodden", or the Bay of Greifswald – a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea. If the weather cooperates, there will be a barbecue at beachfront ...

The Debattiergesellschaft Jena (DGJ) will have some new participants on 10 May. Four bank employees form the Geraer Bank eG are going to join their weekly debate next week. Within an internal training program, the four employees have gained rhetorical knowledge. Now they are going to practice with the debaters form Jena in the "Wartburg" style where no proposals are allowed. But that's not enough for Jena's debating society: preparations for the ZEIT DEBATTE Jena are already in full swing. xzy / sol

While debaters from near and far flocked to Bremen's Jacobs Open, the Dresden Debating Union (DDU) devotes itself to OPD, the open parliamentary debate widely spread in the German speaking debating circuit. On Saturday, 30 April, the debaters from the "Florence on the Elbe" hold their first tournament Saturday, including three rounds and a cozy common dinner afterwards. The costs will be borne by the DDU. xzy / tr

No, you need not know Bengali or Kiswahili to take part in the tournament at SOAS, the School of Oriental and African Studies, a college of the University of London. Maybe it comes in handy, though, on July 16 when the annual SOAS Open will be held at Russell Square in the format of BPS - and of course in English. Convenors Robert Austin and Sheraz Qureshi promise a good preparation for Galway Euros which will be held Galway, Ireland in early August this year. They offer four prelims with seven-minute speeches, break to semis and an ESL final for those ...

On 28 April, three speakers from the Debattiergesellschaft Jena (DJG) will step into the ring against the three professors Stephan Lessenich (Sociology), Michael Dreyer (Political Science) and Stefan Strohschneider (Intercultural Business Communication). Jacob Horn, Friederike Meyer zu Wendischhoff and Severin Weingarten will be arguing on the student side. The audience is to choose the topic and to nominate the winner of the debate. Suggested motions are "Vegetarianism for everyone – should meat consumption be banned?", "Should worse pupils be supported more than better pupils?" and "Should the portrait rights be abandoned?" The show debate starts at 20.15 pm in auditorium 3, located ...

Professors in competition with students - go to the Münster Schloss on April 28 to see them debate at 7:30 p.m. in room S8. On the professors' side, it will be Uwe Kanning (psychology), Bernhard Marschall (medical sciences) and Fabian Wittreck (law). From Debattierclub Münster, it is going to be Johanna Mai, Julian Schneider and Paul Zacheus. The audience will decide upon the motion between two suggestions: "Should the federal student support be granted due to grades?" or "Should English be introduced as language of instruction in German universities?" Teresa Widlok / apf / glx

The date is set: This year's Berlin IV will be staged from July 8 to 10. With this BPS tournament, the German capital will thus be a good place to exercis for the Galway Euros in August. IV is not the Roman number 4, but stands for "InterVarsity", hence a competition between universities. Students from insitutions from all over the world are welcome to compete over six prelims with seven-minute speeches and break to open semis and final or to the ESL final where ESL stands for English as a Second Language. The team cap is 52, the first 40 of ...

Debating on the Batics: The Debating Society of the Mykolas Romeris Universityis going to host this year's MRU IV. The competition, formerly known as the Vilnius Open, will be staged on May 14 and 15. On their homepage, the convenors promise: "Having 8 years of experience organizing fabulous debate competitions we will continue to offer the high quality British Parliamentary debates, well-managed organization and the best of all times in one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe – Vilnius." Language of debate is English, the format is BPS. The MRU IV offers five prelims with 5-minute ...

The Debating Union of Vienna established a new project with one of the most prestigious international law firms, Baker & McKenzie: they cooperate with the so-called "Baker & McKenzie Debate Club". The first Baker & Mc Kenzie Debate Club will be hold on 6th and 7th May 2011 and places the best and most eloquent students together to test their reasoning and public speaking skills. tr

At the confluence of the rivers Foss and Ouse lies Eboracum, or so was York called under the Roman conquerors. On May 7 this year, it will be stage to the York Open. The one-day competition is promised to be “great for Euros prep, or alternatively a good opportunity for those who would like the chance to speak with an old friend, or former speaking partner”, the convenors told Achte Minute. They offer four prelims with a direct break to final – and seven-minute speeches throughout the day. Chief adjudicator of the York Open is Tom Hosking from Oxford and Dearbhail ...

Wanna combine boat sailing, wine tasting and debating? Then you’re in for the International Debate Camp (IDC) in Porto, Portugal which will be held from July 17 to 24. The motto reads “learning, sharing, competing”. Ary Ferreira Da Cunha from the Sociedade de Debates Universidade do Porto (SdUdP) explains what this stands for: “Learning learning will be fostered not only by the trainings and the training debates, but also by lectures provided by faculty members, and will have emphasis on the theme "empowering citizenship"; sharing will be promoted in every aspect of the debate camp starting from registration where you ...

The debating society of the Bavarian capital, Munich, organizes on Saturday, April 2nd, a "mini-cup". The debates will be held in BPS. The tournament actually is "mini" because there are provided spots for eight teams in two rooms. After three preliminary rounds, a direct break is planned into the final, the winning team prize beckons as a surprise. tr

Judging the up-and-coming and be wowed by them and wow them with university debating? Well then, let’s go to the German Schools Debating Championships (GSDC or Germans) in Stuttgart. This is where schools debaters from all over Germany will be competing for the title of German champion from June 2 to 5. Judges from university debating are more than welcome, David Whitehead, president of the Debating Society Germany (DSG) told Achten Minute. He intends to build on the newly made up cooperation between VDCH and DSG. Language of debate is English while the format of the Germans will be that of ...