Competition
Our Competition Formats
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Penn Debate Society competes in two parliamentary debate formats: British Parliamentary (BP) and the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA) circuit. Together, they take our members to tournaments across the country and around the world, from Ivy League campuses to international championships. No prior experience is required to join. We train new members in both formats from the ground up, and most of our debaters compete in each. The two styles are complementary, and developing in both produces sharper thinkers and stronger speakers.
British Parliamentary (BP)
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British Parliamentary is the format of the World Universities Debating Championship and the standard for collegiate debate in most of the world outside the United States. Rounds feature four teams of two debaters: Opening Government and Closing Government argue for the motion, while Opening Opposition and Closing Opposition argue against it. All four teams compete simultaneously, and judges rank them first through fourth.
Motions are announced 15 minutes before the round, with no internet access during prep. Each debater delivers a seven-minute speech, and opponents may offer brief "points of information" mid-speech. Closing teams are expected to extend the debate with arguments distinct from those of their opening teammates.
The format demands intellectual range, strategic awareness, and the ability to carve out a distinctive position in a crowded round. Topics span politics, economics, philosophy, science, international relations, and culture, so broad curiosity matters more than specialized knowledge. Penn competes at major BP tournaments throughout the year, including Worlds, United States University Debating Championships (USUDC), and the North American Universities Debating Championship (NAUDC), regularly traveling internationally to face teams from Oxford, Cambridge, Sydney, Toronto, and beyond.
The Penn Debate Society is consistently one of the best BP teams in the world. We have broken teams at the last three WUDCs, hold the current USUDC title, achieved top finishes at NAUDC, Yale IV, Hart House IV, Oxford IV, Cambridge IV, and beyond.
American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA)
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American Parliamentary Debate Association is the largest collegiate parliamentary debate circuit in the United States, with tournaments hosted nearly every weekend of the academic year at schools including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, MIT, and Stanford. Rounds are two-on-two, with the Government team proposing a case and the Opposition arguing against it. Judges, typically current or former debaters, decide a single winner.
The most distinctive part of APDA is that the Government team selects the topic. Cases can be debated on anything and can range from policy proposals to moral dilemmas to philosophical claims, and the Opposition responds without advance notice of the subject. Speeches run between five and eight minutes depending on position, and opponents may interject with points of information.
The format rewards broad knowledge, rhetorical precision, and the ability to argue persuasively about unfamiliar ideas on short notice. With only two teams in the room, APDA debates often engage more deeply with the substance of a question than larger formats allow. Beyond the rounds, APDA is defined by its community. The weekend circuit becomes a second home for many of our members.
The Penn Debate Society is consistently in the top ten teams of the circuit. Our members often win or finish deep at the tournament we attend. We have produced many top ranking SOTY (Speaker of The Year) and TOTY (Team of The Year) throughout our years of participating in APDA.
Getting Started
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Penn Debate Society welcomes members of all experience levels. Whether your goal is to compete at Worlds, travel the APDA circuit, or develop your skills as a thinker and speaker, there is a place for you on the team