Motion Bank · Curated lists
Debate topics that were actually debated
This page lists 61 debate topics for students, organized by level: fun topics for beginners, topics for middle school and high school, controversial motions for advanced rounds, and impromptu topics for one-hour prep. Every entry is quoted verbatim from a real tournament round; nothing is invented or AI-generated. In competitive debate a topic is phrased as a motion, a full sentence beginning “This House…”, and each list below keeps that phrasing. The lists are drawn from our free bank of 12,400+ real motions (1994–2026), which you can search by subject, motion type, and year, including the complete Worlds championship archive. If you need this season's set American resolutions instead, see the NSDA topics for 2026–27.
Reading the shorthand
Tournaments abbreviate the opening words of a motion: THW = This House would; THBT = This House believes that; THR / TH regrets = This House regrets; THS / THO = This House supports / opposes; THP = This House prefers.
What are some fun debate topics for beginners?
A first topic should be arguable at the dinner table with no research. Superheroes, Santa Claus, and participation trophies sound silly, but each of these hides a real clash about honesty, safety, or fairness, and every one was set at a real tournament.
THW not become a superhero
2013 · Royal Holloway Open
THW not lie to its children about Santa Claus
2011 · John Smith Memorial Irish Mace Round 1
THW never, ever ban books.
2013 · McGill Novice
THW drink more milk.
2012 · Schwarzwald Cup
In a world with superheroes, THW institute a superhero register
2014 · Royal Holloway Open
THBT Batman should abolish his no kill rule
2020 · ASDO 2020
THBT books are obsolete
2013 · French Debating Association Tournament
THW not read fairy tales to children
2013 · Decemberac (beginners tournament)
TH opposes the ownership of pets
2018 · Birmingham IV 2018
Should grades be abolished?
2014 · Frishlingscup
THO participation awards
2020 · CP Nationals 2020
THW give parents full access to their children's social media accounts
2016 · SSE Riga Debate Academy
What are good debate topics for middle school?
Middle schoolers argue best about worlds they live in: school, sports, family rules. These motions stay concrete (a thing is banned, funded, or required) so the debate is about consequences rather than definitions.
THW allow gifted students to skip years in primary and secondary school
2011 · ESU England Mace
THW ban homeschooling
2012 · The English Cup
This house would designate one city to permanently host the Olympics
2007 · UBC WUDC 2007
THW introduce a salary cap for European footballers
2011 · John Smith Memorial Irish Mace Round 1
THW allow all doping in professional sports
2012 · ESCP Debating Open
THBT Parents Should Choose Not To Send their Children to Private Schools
2012 · Belgrade EUDC 2012
THW Abolish National School Curriculums
2012 · John Smith Memorial Mace England Leg
THW introduce quotas of poor and rich in all schools
2010 · SSE Riga IV
THBT the State should pay for university education
2012 · Edinburgh Cup
THBT all children should have location chips
2012 · Open de Debates da Sociedade de Debates da Universidade de Coimbra (SDUC)
THBT Wikipedia should be put on the UNESCO World Heritage list
2012 · Open de Debates da Sociedade de Debates da Universidade de Coimbra (SDUC)
THW prosecute violent fouls in sports as criminal assault
2011 · Red Sea Open
What are strong debate topics for high school students?
High school rounds can carry real policy machinery: taxes, elections, technology regulation. Each of these motions has enough moving parts for an eight-minute case and enough clash for a full round of rebuttal.
This House would privatize NASA
2018 · Novi Sad Open 2018
This house would abolish income tax in favour of consumption taxes.
2018 · NZ Easters 2018
THBT music streaming services (e.g. Spotify, Apple etc.) do more harm than good
2018 · Roosevelt Open 2018
THW mandate retirement from Congress at age 65.
2018 · Rocky Mountain IV 2018
THW pay politicians the median wage in their country
2018 · Brandeis IV
THW significantly tax vacant homes
2018 · Brandeis IV
This house would publicly fund all elections.
2018 · Seattle IV 2018
This house would place a tax on meat
2018 · Western Regionals 2018
THW geoengineer the climate
2019 · Seattle IV 2019
THW break up big tech
2019 · UFMG IV
This House prefers technocracy to democracy.
2019 · Cambridge IV 2019
THBT science is the key to human flourishing.
2018 · Penguin Invitational 2018
This house regrets the rise of the gig economy.
2018 · Seattle IV 2018
What are controversial debate topics for advanced rounds?
Controversial does not mean edgy for its own sake. These motions force a side you might personally reject, which is the skill: steelmanning a position, arguing it well, and weighing harms honestly. Best for experienced teams with a coach in the room.
THW ban the colonization of space
2019 · America's Cup 2019
THW pay known gang members to not commit violent crimes
2019 · USUDC 2019
THBT military conscription (aka involuntary draft) should be considered a war crime
2019 · Seattle IV 2019
THBT all nations should take active steps to eliminate all borders.
2019 · Hart House IV 2019
THW ban the research, production and use of lethal autonomous weapons
2019 · Estonia Debate Open 2019
This House welcomes complete video surveillance systems of public spaces in cities.
2019 · Cracow Open 2019
THBT all military strategies are justified if they save more lives than they cost.
2019 · Poznan Open 2019
In areas with high crime, this house would impose a curfew on men.
2019 · The Lyceum Debating Championship 2019
TH rejects the idea of ethical consumption.
2019 · Rocky Mountain Championships
THBT it is unethical to have children.
2019 · UBC IV 2019
THW publicly televise the execution of death row inmates
2019 · GWU IV / US Universities Debate Eastern Championship 2019
THBT political assassination is a legitimate tool in foreign policy
2020 · Downpour Open '20
What are good impromptu debate topics?
Impromptu motions reward structure over research: values, narratives, and "this house regrets" framings you can build a case on in one hour with no internet. Rotate these into practice so a regret motion at a tournament is never a first.
THP a world with radical honesty
2020 · Doxbridge Online Open 2020
THR the narrative that immortality is desirable
2020 · Northams 2020
THR the dominant narrative that individuals should "do what they love".
2020 · Imitation Cup
THR the social preference for positivity and optimism
2020 · Helsinki Open
THR the glorification of youth
2020 · St Petersburg Online Open
THR the glorification of the concept of genius
2020 · Doxbridge 2: Euros Bungaloo
THR the narrative that family love should be unconditional
2020 · CP Nationals 2020
THS the destruction of monuments of controversial historical figures.
2020 · India Debate Open AP 2020
THS the rise of escapist media and art
2020 · Circuit Breaker Debate Open
THO the rise of billionaire philanthropy
2020 · Lockdown.Exe Debate League
THR violent protests
2020 · The Grand Spar June
TH regrets virtue signalling on social media
2020 · ASDO 2020
How do you run a debate once you have the topic?
A topic only becomes a debate with a format around it. In World Schools Debate, two teams of three argue the motion through timed speeches, and judges score content, style, and strategy on the 40/40/20 criteria. For classroom or club practice: give both sides the motion, allow a fixed prep window (one hour matches tournament impromptu rules), and use our free printable cheat sheets and prep planner to structure the speeches. Rotate topic types week to week: a ban one week, a values motion the next, a regret motion after that.
Common questions
What is the difference between a debate topic and a motion?
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They are the same thing at different levels of polish. A topic is the subject ("school uniforms"); a motion is the exact sentence a tournament debates ("This House would ban school uniforms"). Competitive formats debate motions, which is why every entry on this page is phrased as one.
How do I choose a debate topic for my class or club?
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Match the topic to what the group already knows. Beginners argue best about school, family, and everyday life, with no research required to find the clash. Save motions that need policy knowledge or current-affairs context for experienced students. When in doubt, pick the motion a 12-year-old could argue both sides of at dinner.
Where do these debate topics come from?
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Every topic on this page is a real motion set at a real tournament, quoted verbatim from public records: tournament tab sites, the official World Schools Debating Championships archive, and the openly licensed hello-motions dataset. Nothing here is AI-generated or invented.
What are the NSDA debate topics this year?
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For the 2026-27 season, NSDA formats debate set resolutions: Policy debates national health insurance all year, while Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas topics rotate through the season. Our NSDA topics guide lists the current resolutions and the release calendar.
Want a coach in the room?
Our debate coaching programs turn topics like these into judged practice rounds with written feedback after every session, live online for ages 9 to 18.
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