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As one of Singapore’s most distinguished debating tournaments, SISDC 2025 will adopt the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) format. More than just a celebration of public speaking, critical thinking, and structured argumentation, the tournament also aims to nurture future leaders, thinkers, and communicators.SISDC will bring together outstanding young debaters from across the globe, enabling them to sharpen their debating skills, broaden their academic horizons, and forge lasting international friendships.
Break Category and Eligibility
Senior School Break: (Over 16 / Junior College)
Junior School Break: (16 and Under / Secondary School)
National Team Break: National (WSDC national teams)
Rules:
1.Teams are to be made up of between 3 and 5 members; you can represent the same institution or composite teams.
2.All rounds will be conducted using the standard WSDC format of 3 substantive speeches and a reply. Substantive speeches will be 8 minutes long, and replies are 4 minutes long. For impromptu rounds, teams will be given 30 minutes to prepare their case after the motion is released.
3.Points of Information (POIs) can be offered between the first and last minute of every substantive speech. To deliver a POI, speakers should stand up and verbally say ‘Point of Information’ or ‘P.O.I. ’
4.Speakers are encouraged to acknowledge whether they are accepting or rejecting a POI, to ensure that judges know that the speaker has seen and heard the POI. When accepting POIs while multiple debaters are offering them, speakers are to specify which speaker they are accepting.
5.Teams will be randomly paired in the first prelim round, followed by power pairings in the subsequent rounds based on performance. For teams that advance to the elimination rounds, draws will be determined using a folding-table system.
Judge Rule:
1.There is a N1 Team Judge Fee. This means each Team must pay a Team Judge Fee of SGD125 for us to source and fund experienced local Singapore top judges and invite senior judges from Asia to provide the highest quality of adjudication for all teams.
2.There is no requirement to bring any Team Judges, but we would welcome Volunteer- Team Judges who have broken at WSDC/WUDC/Australs/UADC/ABP/SIDO/HKDO to offer their help. Please contact us individually about this matter.
3.Adjudicators must have reached their 17th birthday by the first day of the preliminary rounds.
4.Adjudicators who are provided by institutions must have relevant qualifications which the Chief Adjudicators’ Panel will ascertain. Those without the necessary qualifications will be rejected. It is the responsibility of institutions to ensure they provide qualified judges. Failure to do so will also result in the need to pay a Missing Judge Fee.
5.Adjudicators who are provided by institutions must be available for all the rounds in the competition. Adjudicators may or may not be activated for all the rounds.
Payment and Registration Details
The Registration fees collected from debaters/teams will be used to provide 1 dinner, 2 lunches, e-certificates for debaters, trophies/medals for winners, t-shirts/tote bags for all, and the Championship & Break Night Dinner for everyone. The collected fund will also cover the flights, local transport, hotel accommodation, meals, MRT cards, SIM cards, and a thank-you gift for the invited overseas judges and local adjudicators.
In order to maintain an equitable and diverse representation, each institution is initially permitted to register a maximum of 4 teams during the first registration phase. Should additional slots be available, a subsequent call for more participants will be made. All institutions must adhere to the following deadlines:
Phase I (3rd September 2025 – 15 October 2025):
4-team registration limit
（All teams should comprise a minimum of 3 members and a maximum of 5 debaters）
50% deposit due by 1 October 2025
Final payment due by 15 October 2025
Phase II (15th October 2025 – 31 October 2025):
Additional slots open, subject to availability
50% deposit due by 20th October 2025.
Final payment due by 31st October 2025.
Prizes
Prizes will be given to the top 3 teams in the following categories: Junior, Senior and National. There will be speaker recognition for the top 20 speakers in each category.
To be eligible for the Top Speaker prizes, a participant must have spoken for a minimum of 4 out of the 6 preliminary rounds in the tournament.
SISDC 2025 Schedule:
Event Details
*Dates: Friday, 14th November – Sunday, 16th November 2025
*Venue: UWCSEA Dover Campus, Singapore
*Address: 1207 Dover Road, Singapore, 139654
*Tournament Format: World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC)
Provisional Schedule (Singapore Time, UTC +8)
Day 1 – Friday, 14th November 2025
15:00 – 15:10 Buses leave Tournament Hotel for UWCSEA Dover Campus
15:30 – 15:55 Registration of Teams, Judges and Coaches
16:00 – 16:55 Debater/Judge Briefing, Equity Briefing and Technical Briefing
17:00 – 17:30 Release of Motion for Round 1
17:30 – 19:00 Round 1
19:00 – 19:30 Dinner
19:30 – 20:00 Release of Motion for Round 2
20:00 – 21:30 Round 2
21:45 – 22:00 Buses leave for Tournament Hotel for Participants residing there
Day 2 – Saturday, 15th November 2025
08:10 – 08:15 Buses leave Tournament Hotel for UWCSEA Dover Campus
08:15 – 08:45 Roll Call of Teams and Judges/Announcements
09:00 – 09:30 Release of Motion for Round 3
09:30 – 11:15 Round 3
11:15 – 11:45 Release of Motion for Round 4
11:45 – 13:30 Round 4
13:30 – 14:15 Lunch
14:30 – 15:00 Release of Motion for Round 5
15:00 – 16:45 Round 5
17:00 – 17:30 Release of Motion for Round 6
17:30 – 19:00 Round 6 (Silent)
19:00 – 20:30 Championship & Break Night Dinner
20:20 – 20:55 Break Announcements
21:00 – 21:15 Buses leave for Tournament Hotel for Participants staying there
Day 3 – Sunday, 16th November 2025
08:10 – 08:15 Buses leave Tournament Hotel for UWCSEA Dover Campus
08:15 – 08:45 Roll Call of Teams and Judges/Announcements
09:00 – 09:30 Release of Motion for Senior/Junior Quarter Finals
09:30 – 11:00 Senior/Junior Quarter Finals
11:00 – 11:30 Release of Motion for National/Senior/Junior Semi Finals
11:30 – 13:00 National/Senior/Junior Semi Finals
13:00 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 14:15 Release of Motion for Junior/Senior Finals
14:15 – 15:45 Junior Final/Senior Final
15:30 – 16:00 Release of Motion for National Final
16:00 – 17:15 National Final
17:30 – 18:00 Prize Presentation Ceremony
18:00 – 18:15 Buses for leave for Tournament Hotel for Participants staying there
🔗 Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaIhp5RrmsnWr_RDYycu2KIV5CnYZW4lCjksP4JZ-kEC5aCA/viewform?usp=header
🌲link tree:
https://linktr.ee/SISDC.2025
⏰Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1plVf5awMwZOU1f47m7X8-7V1gELE8SL_XzQzU4gL5M8/edit?usp=sharing
📄IA Form：https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMu7pfe_kcPkXqrKx_ZxgV2kZnzHM4Vvuz2FvaisZXb4Arfg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=113000693929253381685
For questions or clarifications, please contact us at: [email protected]
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
United World College ~ Dover campus, UWCSEA (Dover Campus), 1207 Dover Rd, Singapore 139654, Singapore
Tickets
