Open for Registration:
- KMAT Great Debate (email TheGreatDebate@kmat.org.uk to register)
- ESU Schools’ Mace Debate Competition (open until 16 Sep)
- Dulwich Schools
Scroll down for more information on each competition (listed chronologically). Past competitions have been archived:
Dulwich Schools 2026
This is a full-day, in-person event organised by Dulwich College.
The competition runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm and consists of four rounds of debating, breaking to Gold, Silver, and Bronze finals.
For more information, contact tisseras@dulwich.org.uk.
Event Details
- Date: 4 October 2026
- Location: Dulwich College, Dulwich
- Format: British Parliamentary
- Team cap: 100 teams; up to 5 teams per school
- Fees: £30 (non-fee-paying schools), £80/team (fee-paying schools)
- Bursaries: Limited, upon request
Find out more:
The KMAT Great Debate 2026
This is a free competition open to Year 7 to 9 pupils from any secondary school in Coventry and Warwickshire. It consists of two stages: i) qualifying rounds and ii) a Finals Day for top-performing teams. Click for more information.
Debate Boxing format: Topics are provided to competitors in advance, but sides are only announced 5 minutes before the debate. Competitors can research the topic in advance, but are only allowed to bring the notes from their 5 minutes of preparation into the debate.
There are 5 qualifying rounds. Schools can enter up to 4 pupils; their qualifying scores are added together and the top 10 schools qualify to Finals Day. On Finals Day, individual students compete in 5 rounds, with the top two in each group going through to the next round. There is an award for both the winner and the top school (based on cumulative scores).
Event Details
- Location: Kenilworth School, Warwickshire
- Format: ‘Debate Boxing’ – see description for more information
- Age range: Years 7-9
- Fees: Free
- Team cap: up to four pupils per school
- Qualifying rounds: 20 and 29 September and 1 October
- Finals day: 14 October 2026
Find out more:
ESU Mace Debating Competition
The ESU Mace is one of the oldest and largest school-level debating competitions in the UK. It consists of first and second round heats in November 2026 and January 2027, a Regional Final in March 2027, and a Finals Day for regional champions in May 2027. All rounds take place in a 3-v-3 prepared format, with motions and positions shared in advance. Click for more information.
Heats: Schools are grouped into heats
within their regions, usually with around six schools in each event. At the end of each heat, a pre-selected number of schools progress to the next round, depending on the number of entries in the region. Each region has six places available in the regional finals.
Regionals and Finals Day: Each of the 12 regions will host a regional round, with the top team of each region being named the Regional Champion and proceeding to Finals Day.
Sign up on the ESU website to be notified when registration opens, and reach out to competition@esu.org with any questions.
Event Details
- Format: 3-v-3 speeches, with 7 minutes for the first four speakers and 5 minutes for the summary speech
- Age range: Years 7 – 13
- Fees: £65 – £75
- Bursaries: Available for schools with high levels of FSM and EAL students
- Team cap: One team per school
- Heats: November 2026 and January 2027
- Regional round: March 2027
- Finals Day: May 2027