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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.

Please read the German version of this.

The German language ZEIT DEBATTEN series is taking on again in the (not so) new year - this time with a stop in Hamburg. Please read the German version of this to read more on the convenors, the chief adjudication core and the socials. To get current news from ZEIT DEBATTE Hamburg please follow Achte Minute on Twitter and look out for the hashtag #ZDhh.

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

Where are ZEIT DEBATTEN going? How is hosting tournaments attractive? How can knowledge be transferred from society to society? How do whipped cream and a baking cakes competition fit into all of this? Please read the German version of Philipp Stiel's sum-up of the VDCH Presidents' Day in Hamburg.

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

An exclusive tournament in the Thuringian Forest with the final in the famous fortress Wartburg - read more in the German version of this sum-up of impressions of one of our up-and-coming among old stagers. ...

Today over 50 debaters arrive in Eisenach, where this years's Masters' Cup starts today. The Masters’ Cup is the annual tournament which is staged at Eisenach since 2005. The venue for the final is the ballroom at the world heritage site Wartburg. The Masters’ style was specifically developed for the Masters’ Cup where teams will be allocated by drawing lots. In teams of two, every speaker gets a time of seven minutes. The jurors judge content, strategy and method equally. As speakers, all members of DDG as well as those ...

Are planning freshers' nights? Then don't forget to ask for subsidies from DIE ZEIT! Read more on the details in the German version of this post. The ZEIT DEBATTEN series is convened by VDCH in cooperation with the weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT and Deutsche Telekom, supported through VDCH’s media partner ZDF, a German public broadcaster. It has been a decade now since the first ZEIT DEBATTEN series kicked off with at least five annual tournaments, among them the German debating championship. The series is nested under the honorary patronage of the ...

Representatives of VDCH went to the Berlin conference of VRdS. What's with all the Vs? Well, the first stands for the Association of Debating Societies at Universities (or Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen, VDCH), the latter for the Association of Speechwriters in German Language (or Verband der Redenschreiber deutscher Sprache, VRdS). ...

VDCH experts Benedikt Nufer and Sarah Kempf analysed the debate between candidates for the Berlin senate, Klaus Wowereit and Frank Henkel. Their analysis was published in the Germa newspaper DER TAGESSPIEGEL. Please read the German version for more details.

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 ...

Gudrun Lux, president of Deutsche Debattiergesellschaft (DDG), the German alumni association for debaters, announced the CA team of Masters' Cup 2011. Traditionally, one member each from VDCH and DDG executive boards are the chief adjudicators of Masters’ Cup. This year, this will be the recently elected president of VDCH Benedikt Nufer and Gudrun's deputy, DDG vice president Isabelle Loewe. The Masters’ Cup is the annual tournament which is staged at Eisenach since 2005. The venue for the final is the ballroom at the world heritage site Wartburg. The Masters’ style was specifically developed ...

The general assembly of VDCH (the Association of Debating Societies at Universities) elected a new president and his deputies: Benedikt Nufer, Tom-Michael Hesse, Simeon Reusch and Philipp Stiel constitute the new VDCH executive board. Benedikt has already been part of the executive bord last year. He is a member of the debating society at Hamburg University where he works on his Ph.D. thesis in history. Simeon Reusch will be in charge of the German debating tournament series ZEIT DEBATTEN for the forthcoming year. He is doing his Bachelor studies in Philosophy and Politics in Halle where ...

The German Debating Championship is getting more and more exciting. The motion reads "Soll die Wikipedia Weltkulturerbe werden?", or "Should Wikiepedia become World Heritage?". Read here who made it to quarters in Heidelberg: ...

This article is not available in English. Please read the German version to learn about which teams, free speakers and adjudicators made it to octos at the Deutsche Debattiermeisterschaft (DDM), or German Championship in Heidelberg. ...

The break to finals of the ZEIT DEBATTE Jena is online! Please read the German version of this article to learn who made it to final. vro / apf ...

The Break of the ZEIT DEBATTE Jena is online! Please read the German version of this article to learn who made it to semis. apf / vro ...

Wanted: Your ideas and your money! Contribute the first at the WUDC 2013 Forum in Jena during the ZEIT DEBATTE tournament, akquire the latter through helping the Org Comm find sponsors for the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC or Worlds). Read the German version of this article to learn more about how the umbrella association VDCH and the WUDC org comm of Patrick Ehmann cooperate to make Worlds an all-German event. More detailed info is also available from Benedikt Nufer, vice-president of the VDCH, via benedikt.nufer@vdch.de and from Patrick himself via p.ehmann@wudcberlin.com. For sponsoring, turn to Torsten Rössing via t.roessing@wudcberlin.com. Die ...

The ZEIT – the main sponsor of the debating tournament series ZEIT DEBATTEN announced their sponsorship for this upcoming semester. All debating societies that belong to the umbrella association VDCH can now apply for material support for introductory evenings for newbies, university fairs or other events. For bigger events they also provide up to 80 Euros of financial support for debating clubs. The aim is to assist clubs with material or financial help, so that various debating projects and events may be realized. msi / apf

We're very, very sorry this text is not available English. Please read the German version of this article to learn more about poetry among debaters and the final debate on two formats widely spread in Germany: BPS vs. OPD. apf / sol

Isabelle Loewe (DC Bonn), Benedikt Nufer (DC Hamburg) and Daniel Grotzky (DC München) as team Die Zwillinge vom Zillertal won the Rheingötter-Debattierwettstreit. This article is not yet available in English, please check back later or read the German version.

The Southern German championship (SDM) 2011 will be staged in Bayreuth. After DebattierClub St. Gallen had to cancel their plans to host the SDM – due to an international conference they have no rooms for prelims – Debattierclub Bayreuth (DCBT) will now fill in for the Swiss to save the competition for the southern part of German speaking debate societies. However, accommodating debaters appropriately makes it necessary to reschedule that tournament: Debaters from southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and northern Italy will have to come to Bayreuth on the weekend of 9 and 10 April. Usually being held simultaneously, the other regional ...

This article is not available in English. In case you want to learn more about gossips on Magnus Schmagold or Benedikt Nufer, it's a definite must you read the German version of this bit!

Please read the German version of this article to find out who broke to semi-finals at ZEIT DEBATTE Mainz!