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.

перемогли!That's Ukrainian and means "Won!" Uuuhmm... Since when does Achte Minute teach Ukrainian? Since Moritz Kirchner and Mathias Hamann from Wortgefechte Potsdam won the Kyiv Open. They defeated their opponents on the final motion "This house believes that even in an oppressive state citizens should not use violence as a force of opposition."

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 ...

The sparkling sun on wet skin, the smell of sun lotion and tasty food, motions challenging our debater-skills and interesting debates with people from Russia, Germany, Austria, Israel, Greece, England – this year’s Red Sea Open (RSO) was the perfect combination of all of that. ...

The second season of the Free Debating League begins with two new coordinators Daniil Pakhomenko and Manuel Adams who succeed Lukas Haffert, the former vice-president of the Association of Debating Societies at Universities, or VDCH. FDL isa series of opens and smaller tournaments in addition to the big tournaments of the ZEIT DEBATTEN series. The first season's winner was the WUDC 2013 host Berlin Debating Union. xzy / apf

Change in the adjudication panel: Bernd Hoefer will replace Isabelle Loewe, currently vice-presidentof Deutsche Debattiergesellschaft (DDG), the German alumni debating society. Bernd really is an old stager on the German language debating circuit: He was a runner-up at the German debating championship in 2002, vice-president of the then newly founded Association of Debating Societies at Universities (Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen, VDCH) and sat in numerous panels as final judge and was chief adjudicator at tournaments of the renowned series ZEIT DEBATTEN, among them the German debating championship in 2004. Benedikt Nufer, currently VDCH president, is going to support him ...

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

Just 15 months until the global debating community is going to assemble in Berlin from December 27, 2012 until January 4, 2013 to compete for the title of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds). Right now, chief adjudicators Sharmila Parmanand and Doug Cochran are looking for deputy chief adjudicators (DCA) to enhance their team. Please use the application form made available for you by Achte Minute. What's the task? Doug gave Achte Minute the answer: DCAs should "serve alongside us in training judges, setting motions, and generally managing the adjudication of the tournament." Sharmila and he are "looking ...

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 ...

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 ...

Eleven months until Belgrade Euros start - and here's some news about it in the media! Also found: More statements concerning the ESL final motion of the European Universities Debating Championsips (EUDC or Euros). And the Israeli press is delighted about team Tel Aviv winning that very final. ...

Die gute Nachricht gleich mal vorneweg: Reinhold Koch vom Debattierclub München hat das Turnier beim International Debate Camp in Porto, Portugal, gewonnen. Lest hier den Bericht von G. Rhydian Morgan, der als Debattiertrainer schon die ganze Welt bereiste - diesmal das westlichste Land Europas. It started as an idea, back in November 2010, when the first Portuguese participants attended the renowned IDAS training held annually in Slovenia. Impressed and encouraged by the quality of instruction and the intensity of the programme, a group of debaters from the University of Porto Debating Society (SdDUP) headed by their President, Ary ...

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 ...

A face lift every now and then... well, it’s always welcome with elderly homepages. That is the case with the website of the Debating Society Germany (DSG). After the total make-over, you may now find everything nicely and well-arranged. Most striking is the logo of the British Embassy Berlin – since early July a strong supporter of English language debating from under the roof of DSG. “Online resoures” leads you to a page full with useful debate-related links, directing you to the format of Worlds Schools Debating for instance. Or to an online debate database. Under “Regions” you will see ...

Sina Strupp was awarded for being the most promising debater new on the German language deating circuit at the German Language Debating Championship in Heidelberg in June this year. Deutsche Debattiergesellschaft, the alumni debating society of Germany, grants this award every year to one of the up-and-coming debaters. Read here the interview of a first year who will soon be debating with and against old stagers at the Masters' Cup in Eisenach. It's in German, though. “Wie eine Explosion“ war es für Sina Strupp, als sie im Sommer bei der Deutschen Debattiermeisterschaft (DDM) in Heidelberg mit dem Nachwuchspreis ausgezeichnet wurde. Den ...

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). ...

After the the rules for OPD (a format called Offene Parlamentarische Debatte which is widely spread in Germany) have been revised, so have the materials for introduction and training. Streitkultur Tübingen have made the documents available on their homepage.

Supporting debate events in any language is the main and common goal of IDEA and OSF. IDEA stands for International Debate Education Association, OSF for Open Society Foundations.Both aim at building democracies that are responsible to their citizens, both do that through supporting debate activities - this time on a very local basis with (limited) financial means. You're planing a debate event? Or have an innovative idea that needs to be subsidized? Apply now for support! More info is available from the website of OSF. General standards for assigning subsidies are the following: Only groups established for a not-for-profit purpose with ...