The Formats

Every Major Style of Competitive Debate

There is no single 'debate' — there is a family of formats, each with its own speech order, judging style, and culture. Policy rewards research depth; Lincoln-Douglas rewards philosophy; Public Forum rewards persuasion before ordinary people; Parliamentary and British Parliamentary reward thinking on your feet; Congress simulates a legislature; Mock Trial puts you in a courtroom. This epoch is a guided tour of all of them, so you can read any round, speak in any chamber, and choose the format that fits you.