NATIONAL DEBATE QUALIFIERS – Hungary, World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) Hanoi 2023
Hungarian Multirole Debate Academy (HMDA), under the aegis of the Debating Society of Hungary, is proud to present the National Debate Qualifiers for the 2023 World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC). Last year, the Hungarian National Team achieved unparalleled success by advancing to elimination rounds and winning the Silver Medal in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) category.
In 2023, the Championship is being held in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 18-29. The official letter of invitation with details can be accessed here.
The National Qualifier for Hungary is taking place on February 11-12, 2023 in Budapest.
WSDC is the premier debating championship in the world, open only to the best of the best, the National Teams of participating countries. The members of the National Team of Hungary must undergo a rigorous selection process to qualify for the Team.
We urge interested students to register as a full world-schools team. Each team must be comprised of 3-5 students (with 3 students debating in each debate round) who are residents of Hungary and attending a high school in Hungary. Students on each team must be between 14-18 years of age. Please note that Hungarian citizenship is not a prerequisite to applying, you can represent Hungary without it as long as you meet the other requirements (detailed below). If you are interested in debate but you do not know how to get started or if you already have some debating experience but do not know other debaters to form a team with, register here as an individual and we will do our best to match you with others or to help you set up a debating society at your school.
Before applying, please read through the 2 stage selection criteria.
Stage 1:
Must be on one of the top breaking teams (top 4) at Hungary WSDC qualifiers to be held in February 2023, co hosted by HMDA and certified by the Debating Society of Hungary.
Must be willing to commit to rigorous training over the course of the spring and summer. This includes weekly coaching sessions, spars against other national and university teams, as well as judging competitions when not debating. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU ARE A GRADUATING SENIOR, THAT MIGHT MEAN MISSING A LOT OF ACTIVITIES OR PREP FOR MATURAS, ETC. ALSO, BY THE TIME WSDC ROLLS AROUND, YOU WILL HAVE BEEN ADMITTED TO UNIVERSITY.
Date of birth must be July 29, 2004 or after
Must have a valid passport and must be willing to obtain a visa to Vietnam (if required)
Must be a resident of Hungary and attending a high school in Hungary
Must be willing to undergo additional vaccinations if required to travel to Hanoi (at the moment these are not required, but we are keeping an eye on vaccination requirements)
Parents must provide consent for all of the above (so discuss with parents, please.
Stage 2:
Over the course of 2-3 coaching sessions or mini tournaments, the Head Coach of the National Team is going to narrow the team down to the final 5 individuals, with several reserves in case of some dropping out.
By the beginning of March, the roster is finalized by the Coaching Staff of the National Team.
Teams interested in trying out at the National Qualifiers can register here. Partial teams or individuals who wish to participate in the qualifier but lack a third or even second debater may register here and HMDA will attempt to put together-organize a team for you.
Individuals interested in debate and/or the Qualifiers, as well as parents or guardians or members of the press, can register here. Capacity for external observers is limited, so we urge you to register as early as possible. If you are a debater, we will do our best to put you on a team.
We welcome experienced or beginner adjudicators to practice or learn the craft of judging World Schools debates. Please register here to express your interest in judging the event.
Team cap (maximum number of teams): 10 team spots are available, so we urge you to register your team as soon as possible. The last odd numbered team is going to be cut (if 9 teams register, Team 9 is not going to be eligible to compete at the Qualifier)
Travel and accommodations at WSDC in July 2023: We are doing our best at securing sponsorship for the event to enable travel to Hanoi and to cover the cost of lodging at the event. We fully recognize that without securing external funding, travel costs are likely going to be considerable.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to get in touch with Andras Balazsy of HMDA at info@hmda.hu
Further details on the qualifiers or changes in WSDC arrangements will be communicated to registrants after the registration deadline.
Schedule
Saturday, February 11, 2023
9:30am – 10:00am – checkin and announcements, breakfast
10:00am – 10:30am – equity, judges and debater presentations, announcement of Motion 1
10:30am – 1:00pm – round 1
1:00pm – 2:00pm – lunch
2:00pm – 2:15pm – announcement of Motion 2
2:15pm – 4:45pm – round 2
Sunday, February 12, 2023
9:30am – 10:00am – checkin and announcements
10:00am – 10:15am – announcement of Motion 3
10:15am – 12:45pm – Motion 3 (closed round)
12:45pm – 1:45pm – lunch
1:45pm – 2:15pm – announcement of top 4 teams (breaking teams), of grand finalists and grand final motion
2:15pm – 5:00pm – Grand Final
5:00pm – 6:00pm – awards, finals result announcement
6:00pm end of day