How to run a debates competition

Tournament structure

There are three ways in which the tournament can be organised:

• A knock-out competition - each team debates once and the winners progress to the next round (the losers are out of the competition). This system works best with a multi-day tournament. The rounds continue like this until there are two teams left.
• A league competition - each team debates against each other several times and you gather all the results together to decide who wins.
• A mix - for a one-day competition a mix of the two systems makes sense. Start with a mini-league phase, where each team debates three times, and then choose the two top teams from the league stage go forward to a grand final. For more information, see How to run a debates league.