Welcome to the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament!

Full Tournament Invitation Link

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Click here for overall tournament schedules.

Tournament Specific Live Docs

(includes venue locations, schedules, judging instructions, and other policies):

General Tournament Information

Invitation Letter

Greetings,

We are delighted to invite you to attend the annual Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament, which will be held in person on Presidents' Day Weekend, Saturday, Sunday, & Monday, February 17-19, 2024. The full tournament invitation link is available by clicking the link at the top of this page or here: Full Tournament Invitation Link. The tentative tournament schedule is available at this link: Tentative Tournament Schedule.

We will again feature in-person competitions in 2024 for most events. We will not offer any hybrid divisions, but we will offer online divisions in: Middle School Congress, Beginner Public Forum, and Open Public Forum. We will continue to use Tabroom.com as the official registration and tournament management site for all events and divisions. Registration will open on December 1st.

Hotel Block information as well as a Delta flight discount code are available via links on the right side of this page.

We have several announcements concerning this year’s tournament.

First, contact. We now have an official tournament email address. Please direct all inquiries to hst@harvarddebate.org.

Second, fees. We will again maintain the entry fees for another year at 2020 levels. Some judge fees, however, have been increased based on last year’s needs.

Third, hospitality. We are making a few adjustments to tournament hospitality. In lieu of raising fees, we will be providing breakfast only (no lunch) to participants in Speech, Congress, PF, and LD. (Lunch will still be provided for CX divisions in Brighton). Coaches and judges will still be provided with breakfast and lunch at the lounges in CRLS and King/Putnam Schools. These hospitality costs are included in the entry fees.

Fourth, round robins. We are pleased to announce the return of the Policy Debate round robin, to be held prior to the tournament. We will also host an online, international public forum round robin. As has been the case for many years, the LD, PF, and Congress round robins will be hosted by the Debating Union, Harvard’s parliamentary debate team.

Lastly, registration. Once again we will not offer in-person registration on Friday before the tournament. All registration and final confirmation must be completed online. Participants will be required to confirm final entry details in lieu of traditional registration between 12pm ET and 9pm ET on Friday February 16, 2024. All fees must be received in Cambridge by noon ET on Thursday February 15, 2024.

We look forward to seeing you in Cambridge once again!

Sincerely yours,

Tripp Rebrovick, PhD
Coach of Debate, Harvard College
Director of the Harvard Debate Council, an independent student organization at Harvard College.

Official Tournament Email: hst@harvarddebate.org

Notes for students signing up from China: NFAC (The National Forensics Association of China) is the exclusive, authorized partner of the Harvard Debate Council in China. We have partnered with NFAC for offering tournament related services for Chinese students, including travel plans, tournament sign-ups and coaching assistance. Please contact NFAC for details. NFAC official wechat account: harvarddebatecouncil.

Equity Policies.The tournament strives to foster an environment promoting inclusivity and respect. Participants should uphold those values. The tournament subscribes to the NSDA's Conduct Policies. The tournament will abide by Harvard College’s policies and procedures for sexual and gender-based harassment and discrimination. They are available here: https://oge.harvard.edu/policies. Per its regulations, Harvard College will designate a representative of its Title IX office to be on call during the tournament to receive any complaints directly or indirectly by means of the tournament director. The tournament will also abide by policies governing codes of conduct within the Harvard community, including those prohibiting racial discrimination and harassment.

Tournament Ombuds Committee.The tournament will designate an ombuds committee of three individuals to receive complaints and concerns regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. You may contact the ombuds committee by emailing ombuds@harvarddebate.org. Please note that this is not the appropriate place to report sexual as detailed in the prior section; those reports should be made to the Tournament Director directly who will report to the appropriate Harvard offices. Additionally, concerns about tournament procedure and tabulation should be reported to your event’s tab room.