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Indian Schools Debating Championship 2025
Competition Format and Logistical Information
- Format:
Prelim Round – Modified WSDC format (6:00 minutes speeches; 3:00 minutes replies).
Knockout Round & Grand Final – WSDC format (8:00 minutes speeches; 4:00 minutes replies).
► Access our Tournament Guide here
. - Team Composition:
You can only register as a school team of 3-4 [1] from a school in India, comprising of 9-12th grade students.
Note:
[1] To encourage young debaters, ISDC permits teams to register an additional non-speaking member from 8th grade at no additional cost.- Non-speaking members may not deliver speeches during rounds but are allowed to participate with their team during preparation time
- Non-speaking members are not eligible for prizes
- Competition Venue and Dates:
Prelim Rounds – 6 preliminary rounds, held over Zoom on Saturday, November 29th, and Sunday, November 30th, 2025
Timings – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PMKnockout Rounds – Octofinal, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal rounds, held over Zoom on Sunday, December 7th, 2025
Grand Final – In-person Grand Final to take place in Chennai on Friday, 26th December, 2025 Venue: Arsha Vidya Mandir
. - Schedule:
► Schedule for ISDC 2025
. - Registration Fee:
Phase 1: Rs. 6,000/team[2]Phase II: Rs. 6,750/team[2]
. - Registration Deadline:
Phase I: Tuesday, 11th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST
Phase II: Thursday, 20th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST
Note:
- During Phase I, we will allocate up to 2 slots per school for diversity of participation. Schools may write to us to indicate interest for additional slots at – [email protected]. The allocation of additional slots will be made during Phase II of registration. However, schools that have indicated interest for additional slots during Phase I will be prioritised and charged Phase I fees.
- [2] The registration fees for government schools and APS are waived. Schools/students requiring bursaries are requested to write to: [email protected]
- 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.
Why should you participate?
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Winners get the opportunity to be crowned National Debate Champions |
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The finalists and top 3 speakers at ISDC will directly enter the last stage of selections (National Selection Camp in Chennai) for the Indian Squad for 2025. |
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Have the chance to be awarded – TBA |
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The winning team receives Economist Subscription, Amazon Kindle e-readers, access to 10 ISDS Masterclasses and exciting merchandise |
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4x Live, exclusive, ISDS Masterclasses with the ISDC 2025 CA and DCA team • Information packs on prelims debate topics |
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Gain thoughtful feedback on improving in debate from the best Indian and international debaters, and Indian Debate squad alumni |
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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 2025-26. 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 two registrations per school as we want a diverse set of participating schools. However, after our Phase I registration deadline, we may open up registrations for existing participating schools. Schools may write to us to indicate interest for more slots at [email protected]. Schools which let us know interest in additional slots before 31st October will be prioritised for the additional slots and charged Phase I fees.
You can register your team by filling out our registration form (for schools) and registration (for debate coaching institutions). 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 fees during Phase I is Rs. 6,000/- per team.
Deadline for Phase I is Tuesday, 11th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST
The Registration fees during Phase II is Rs. 6,750/- per team.
Deadline for Phase II is Thursday, 20th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST
Note:
* Schools/students requiring bursaries are requested to write to: [email protected]
ISDC 2025 will follow a modified WSDC Format. Constructive speeches will be 6:00 minutes long, and Reply speeches 3:00 minutes long. A team can only comprise of only 3 speaking members and one additional non speaking member. You can access the tournament format guide here.
- Registration Deadline:
Phase I: Tuesday, 11th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST
Phase II: Thursday, 20th November 2025, 11:59 PM IST - Preliminary Rounds:
Saturday, November 29th, and Sunday, November 30th, 2025 - Knockout Rounds:
Sunday, December 7th, 2025 - Grand Final
Friday, December 26th, 2025
Preliminary and Knockout rounds will happen online over Zoom, and our Grand final round will be held in-person in Chennai (Venue: Arsha Vidya Mandir).
Registrations Closed