Auckland Schools’ Debating Junior Championships is a tournament that allows year 9 and 10 students to become more confident in their debating skills, and to improve their ability to develop detailed arguments in a short space of time. All debates are limited preparation and will be adjudicated by ASD adjudicators, allowing students to experience high quality feedback and adjudication.
This is an excellent tournament for any teams competing in Junior Open, Premier Junior or speakers who are brand new to debating.
Key Details
When: Saturday 27 July and Sunday 28 July (Term 3, Week 1)
Where: Saturday at St Cuthbert’s College. The break rounds on Sunday will be at the University of Auckland.
Who: The tournament is open to all Year 9 and 10 students.
Team Cap: Schools have guaranteed entry for 3 teams each (an additional 2 teams will be waitlisted and admitted dependent on tournament capacity).
Cost: $50 per team – this covers entry and lunch on Saturday. If the entry cost is a barrier to your school entering teams please let us know on the entry form.
Format: Three preliminary debates on Saturday, breaking to quarter finals on the Sunday.
Entry Deadline: Monday 1 July at 5pm
Debate Rules
Format: Limited preparation
Preparation Time: 60 minutes
Speech Length: 5 minutes, leader’s replies 2.5 minutes
Points of Information: Not permitted
Timetable
Saturday 27 July: St Cuthbert’s College
| Time | Activity |
| 8:40am | Teams Arrive |
| 9:00am | Tournament Briefing |
| 9:10am | How to Debate Workshop |
| 9:30am | Round 1 – Preparation |
| 10:30am | Round 1 – Debates |
| 11:40am | Lunch (Pizza lunch provided) |
| 12:20pm | Round 2 – Preparation |
| 1:20pm | Round 2 – Debates |
| 2:40pm | Round 3 – Preparation |
| 3:40pm | Round 3 – Debates |
| 5:00pm | Break Announcement |
| 5:15pm | Day Concludes |
Sunday 28 July: Arts 1 (Huamnities Building), University of Auckland (break rounds only)
| Time | Activity |
| 9:15am | Teams Arrive (Room 206-220) |
| 9:30am | Quarter Finals – Preparation |
| 10:30am | Quarter Finals – Debates |
| 11:45am | Lunch |
| 12:30pm | Semi Finals – Preparation |
| 1:30pm | Semi Finals – Debates |
| 2:45pm | Grand Final – Preparation |
| 3:45pm | Grand Final – Debates |
| 5:00pm | Prizegiving |
| 5:15pm | Day Concludes |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many members can I have in a team?
Only 3 members from each team can be in the preparation room and can debate. However you can have more than 3 speakers and rotate them throughout the day. We recommend you have no more than 4 speakers in a team, this means that 1 speaker speaks in all 3 debates, and the other 3 speakers speak in 2 debates.
What materials can students access while preparing?
The 3 students in the preparation room can not communicate with anyone during preparation time, including communicating with teachers, parents or other team mates. Teams may not use electronic devices during preparation, including mobile phones and laptops. Teams may bring in written preparation materials with them.
Does my team need to attend on Sunday?
Only the 8 breaking teams advancing to the quarter finals will need to attend on Sunday. If one of your teams can not make the Sunday please let us know in advance so we can exclude them from the break. All break rounds are open to the public so teams are welcome to attend to watch some high quality debates.
What ability level do my students need to be in to compete in the Junior Championships?
All year 9 and 10 students of any ability level can compete in the Junior Championships. At the start of the day we will be providing a how to debate presentation that we hope students will find useful. This tournament is entered by both year 9 and 10 students who participate in both Junior Open and Premier Junior. Top teams have come from both grades and year levels. The tournament is also excellent preparation for any team making it through to the break rounds.