World Schools · Online · Open
Yale Invitational 2026: World Schools
Organised by Yale Debate Association
Yale's World Schools division, online this year: five rounds under NSDA rules and a break to octafinals.
The 34th Yale Invitational runs its World Schools division online this year on Tabroom and NSDA Campus: five preliminary rounds under NSDA rules and a break to octafinals. Prepared motions are released on Tabroom about two weeks before the tournament; impromptu motions come out one hour before each round. Open to school teams, clubs and independent entries, so our composite teams qualify.
Rounds run on US Eastern time, starting Friday afternoon on 2 October and finishing on Sunday 4 October. Yale asks for one judge per two teams, which we supply, and a judge is obligated through the elimination rounds. Sign-ups through us close on Sunday 20 September so we can enter teams and judges before Yale's own deadline of 25 September; judge names and the fee freeze follow on the 28th.
What's included if you sign up through us
- 4 hours of coaching by experts
- Sorted registration and judge requirement
- Feedback about the tournament after the rounds
Which time zone are the rounds in?
US Eastern. The schedule on this page shows your own time zone; Dubai families should expect evening rounds.
What does the price cover?
The organiser fee, our judge for the full weekend, four hours of coached preparation, and written feedback afterwards.
Preparing for the tournament
Students entering their first judged rounds usually get the most out of a short run of coached practice first. The Foundation class covers the format from scratch, the Competition Team trains year-round, and the motion bank has thousands of real motions to practise on. How rounds are scored is explained in how World Schools judging works.