National Qualifiers - Oxford Schools

Oxford Schools National Qualifiers

​Hungarian Multirole Debate Academy (HMDA) and American International School of Budapest (AISB) are proud to host the National Debate Qualifiers for the largest and most prestigious British Parliamentary format debate competition in the world, Oxford Schools, a forum where critical thinking, knowledge, logic and style are applied through debate by some of the smartest students in the world.

The top three teams of two debaters each (both from the same secondary school) at the qualifiers earn the mantle of Hungary’s representatives and the coveted option to debate at Oxford University’s hallowed halls against the best in the world. Finals Day will happen on the 11th of March, 2023 and will be hosted by Oxford Union in Oxford, United Kingdom.

OXFORD SCHOOLS 2023

Eligibility: The only requirement for registration is for your team of two to be comprised of two students aged 14-18 on the date of Finals Day on March 11, 2023, who must be enrolled in the same secondary school level educational institution in Hungary.

Oxford Schools Qualifiers (hosted by HMDA and AISB) – January 21-22 – the registration period is over. You may register your team in a reserve capacity; it is possible that a team drops out due to unforeseen circumstances, in that case, you may be able to fill in. If this reserve status arrangement suits you, register  your team here! Participation in the National Qualifiers for Oxford Schools is free.

National Qualifiers Oxford Schools venue: American International School of Budapest, Nagykovácsi, Nagykovácsi utca 12, 2094

Parking is available. Additionally, from Széll Kálmán tér, you can take Tram 61 or 56 to Hűvösvölgy and then 63 bus which stops outside the school.

We welcome experienced or beginner adjudicators to practice or learn the craft of judging British Parliamentary debates. Please register here to express your interest in judging the event.

Team cap (maximum number of teams): 24  team spots are available, so we urge you to register your team as soon as possible.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MY TEAM COMES IN AS ONE OF THE TOP 3 TEAMS?

Oxford Schools Finals Day (organised and hosted by Oxford Union, clashing the winners of regional qualifiers against one another) – 11th March 2023

Registration fee for Finals Day (charged by Oxford, the National Qualifiers are free): BP 50 (as of October of 2022, approximately HUF 25 thousand) per team.

Travel and accommodations at Finals Day in Oxford on March 11th: Teams attending the competition are responsible for their own travel and accommodations. Based on prior experience, at the latest, teams should arrive on the 10th of March (the day before the competition) in Oxford, spend the night (debate is all day on the 11th), then once again spend the night of the 11th in Oxford and return to Hungary on the 12th at the earliest.

Oxford has plenty of places of lodging available for teams, but rooms should be reserved well in advance to ensure availability.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to get in touch with Andras Balazsy of HMDA.

Further details on the qualifiers or changes in Finals Day arrangements in Oxford will be communicated to registrants after the registration deadline.

How you can prepare: We recognize that debate is an up and coming activity in schools, therefore HMDA offers two free workshops in preparation for the Qualifiers and free coaching to prepare for the tournament for the three teams that emerge victorious at these National Qualifiers. These workshops are going to be held in person and via Zoom on the first and second Monday of January, 2023, between 05:30pm and 08:00pm. No prior debating experience is needed to attend the prep workshops and the Qualifiers. You can apply to the Qualifiers without attending the prep sessions, but your chances of making it should be improved significantly if you do. The prep workshops are provided free of charge by HMD Academy. Register for the workshops here.



*: For instance, both team members could be from, say, Madách Gimnázium; a given Madách student cannot partner up with a student from another school. Milestone or Engame or any other such institution count as secondary educational institutions for purposes of eligibility, so if the two debaters on a given team attend the same institution, their team is eligible to attend the qualifiers and consequently (assuming they are in the top 3) Finals Day in Oxford.

Schedule


2023. January 21, Saturday

8:30 - 9:00 - registration and announcements, breakfast
9:00 - 9:30 - equity, judge and debater briefings, Motion 1 announcement
9:30 - 11:15 - Round 1
11:15 - 11:30 - break, announcement of Motion 2
11:30 - 13:15 - Round 2
13:15 - 14:15 - Lunch
14:15 - 14:30 - Announcement of Motion 3
14:30 - 16:15 - Round 3
16:15 - 17:00 - break, snacks
17:00 - 18:00 - break announcement
18:00 end of day

2023. January 22, Sunday
10:30 - 11:00 - registration and announcements
11:00 - 11:15 - Announcement of semifinals motion
11:15 - 13:00 - Semifinals (closed round)
13:00 - 14:00 - Lunch
14:00 - 14:15 - Announcement of finalists and of the Grand Final motion
14:15 - 16:00 - Grand Finals
16:00 - 17:00 - break, snacks
17:00 - 18:00 - Awards Ceremony, announcement of Grand Finals results
18:00 - end of day

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