Tournaments

Competition in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) takes place at tournaments hosted by participating universities across the United States. Commonly, these events run from Friday to Sunday, with team division (TIPDA) debate taking place on Friday and all four individual divisions competing from Saturday to Sunday. The number of preliminary debate rounds ranges from four in the team division to six or seven in the individual divisions. These preliminary rounds are immediately followed by single-elimination rounds, where the top debaters compete against one another for the championship title. Awards are presented for speaking points accumulated and rounds won, both on an individual and overall program level.  

All members of the DBU Debate Program are required to attend six preliminary tournaments during the academic year as well as the IPDA National Championship Tournament in the Spring.

Nationwide Competition

• 8+ tournaments a year
• Travel through the Southeastern United States
• Weekend competitions

All Expenses Paid

• University-arranged transportation
• Hotels
• Meals
• Tournament fees

Rewards and Recognition

• Local & regional competitions
• National championship tournament
• Individual & overall awards
• Season-long rankings

Fall 2023 Schedule

• Lee College Mendoza Debates Tournament
  • Location: Baytown, TX
  • Date: September 21th-24th, 2023

• University of Arkansas at Monticello “Weevil Wars” Tournament
  • Location: Monticello, AR 
  • Date: October 5th-8th, 2023

• Abilene Christian University “Joseph J. Cardot Invitational” Tournament
  • Location:  Abilene, TX
  • Date: October 19th-22nd, 2023

• Louisiana State University at Shreveport “Red River Swing” Tournament
  • Location: Shreveport, LA 
  • Date:  November 2nd-5th, 2023

• Union University "Bulldog Debates" Tournament
  • Location: Virtual
  • Date: November 17th-19th, 2023 

Spring 2024 Schedule

• "Southern Forensics Championship" Tournament
  • Location: TBD
  • Date: January 25th-28th, 2024

• Dallas Baptist University "DBU Invitational" Tournament
  • Location: Dallas, TX
  • Date: February 9th-11th, 2024

• Bossier Parish Community College "Eddy Shell Invitational" Tournament
  • Location: Bossier City, LA
  • February 15th-18th, 2024

• University of Central Arkansas "End of Hi-Bear-Nation" Tournament
  • Conway, AR
  • March 7th-10th, 2024

• Mississippi State University "IPDA National Championship" Tournament
  • Starkville, MS
  • April 11th-16th, 2024