Indian Schools Debating Championship 2023
Note: This is separate and independent to the ISDS National Selections for the Indian Debating Squad 2023-24. If you are interested in the selection process, please visit Team India Selections.
Competition Format and Logistical Information
- Format: Modified WSDC format (5 min speeches; 3 min replies). Access our Tournament Guide here
- Team Composition: You can only register as a school team of 3 from a school in India, comprising of 9-12th grade students
- Prelims Venue and Dates: 5 preliminary rounds, held over Zoom on 19th and 20th August (Saturday – Sunday)
- Schedule: TBA
- Outrounds Venue and Dates: In-person Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Grand Final to take place in Chennai in September, 2023. Date and Venue TBA.
- Registration Fee: Rs. 6000/- per team [1]
- Registration Deadline: Thursday, 10th August, 2023, 11:59 PM IST
Note: Teams comprising of first-time debaters and/or only year 9 debaters are eligible to win a ‘Novice Champion’ award, depending on the number of Novice teams participating.
[1] Waived for government schools and APS
Why should you participate?
Winners get the opportunity to be crowned National Debate Champions |
The winning team receives Economist subscriptions, Amazon Kindle e-readers, access to 10 ISDS Masterclasses and exciting merchandise |
The top speaker at ISDC 2023 will be accepted into the exclusive Lumiere Individual Research Program (worth Rs. 2,00,000+) with a full scholarship |
The top 6 eligible speakers at ISDC can directly enter the last stage of selections (National Selection Camp in Chennai) for the Indian Squad for 2023 |
3x Live, exclusive, ISDS Masterclasses with the ISDC 2023 CA and DCA team • Information packs on prelims debate topics |
Gain thoughtful feedback on improving in debate from the best Indian and international debaters, and Indian Debate squad alumni |
The ability to compete with top debate schools pan-India |
ISDC FAQs
No. The Indian Schools Debating Championships is separate to the ISDS National Selections for the Indian Debating Squad 2024. While top eligible speakers are automatically considered for selections, the goal of this event is to crown the Indian Champions. Moreover, grade 12 students can participate here, but are ineligible for National Selections.
ISDC is primarily an interschool debate competition. You will therefore need to register with a team from your school. Individual participants and cross teams are not allowed.
We are currently accepting only one registration per school as we want a diverse set of participating schools. However, after our round 1 registration deadline, we may open up registrations for existing participating schools.
You can register your team by filling out our registration form. We need one adult representative’s information in order to participate, as they will be our primary contact. We would prefer that this be your teacher (for any school related clarifications). As an alternative, you can provide parent contact details.
The registration cost per team of 3 is Rs. 6000/-. This is waived for public schools and APS schools. For specific subsidy requests, reach us on ragini@indianschoolsdebatingsociety.com.
ISDC 2023 will follow a modified WSDC Format. Constructive speeches will be 5 minutes long, and Reply speeches 3 minutes long. A team can only comprise 3 members, and not more or less. You can access the tournament format guide here.
- Registration Deadline: Thursday, 10th August
- Preliminary Rounds: Saturday and Sunday, 19th and 20th August, 2023
- Quarterfinal, Semifinal, Grand Final Rounds: September, 2023 (Dates TBA)
- Award Ceremony: September, 2023 (Dates TBA)
Preliminary rounds will happen online over Zoom, and our final rounds will be held in-person in Chennai (Venue TBA).