Ronald Reagan Civil Discourse Project
Ronald Reagan Debate Series
The Ronald Reagan Debate Series challenges high school students grades 9-12 to compete for their share of $50,000 in scholarship awards! Our debate emulates the style of presidential debates of old, emphasizing practical communication skills like civility, personality, humor and story telling.
2026 Debate Competitions
2026 regional competition topic will be released in January 2026.
REGIONAL COMPETITION DATES & LOCATIONS:
March 7 | Thousand Oaks, California
March 14 | Kahului, Hawaii
March 21 | Bismark, North Dakota
March 21 | Richmond, Virginia
March 28 | Dallas, Texas
March 28 | Madison, Wisconsin
April 11 | Redding, California
April 18 | Salt Lake City, Utah
April 18 | Columbia Falls, Montana
April 25 | Las Vegas, Nevada
May 1-2 | Kansas City, Missouri
May 2 | New York, New York
June 5-6 | Online Competition
Dates to be announced:
Alabama
Alaska
Georgia
Louisiana
Tennessee
Resources
Student Participant Guide
This has all of the information you need to know and be successful at our debate style.
Official Judge Handbook
This has all of the information you need to know and be a successful judge of our debate style.
Video on How To Judge Our Style
Watch the video on how you will be judged during the rounds.
Regional Competition Rules & Eligibility
Familiarize yourself with the Rules and Eligibility for the Regional Competitions.
Competition Expectations
Here is a general list of rules and expectations.
How to Set Up Your Tabroom Account
This guide will help walk you through the steps to setup your Tabroom.com account, which is where you will register for most competitions.
Debate Round Structure
Here is the breakdown for each round of debate.
Typical Debate Day Schedule
This is typically what the breakdown of the day is if your location is hosting a one day competition.
Ballot
Here is what judges will use to score each round of debate.
Score Card
This is the criteria that judges will use to score each round of debate.
Role of a Judge
This is an overview of what a judge does during a round.
Moderator Question Guide
This is a guide of starting questions to get judges started for the portion when they ask the students a question.
Webinar with Debate Program Alumni
Learn from National Finalists Tyler Ly and Joshua Hansen who answer questions about our debate style.
Questions?
Contact us at education@reaganfoundation.org
Email UsPast National Championship Rounds
Testimonials
“This series was one of the most incredible experiences that I am so glad to have participated in. Everyone, including the staff, competitors, judges, and guests were all wonderfully kind and supportive. I really do feel like I became part of the Reagan Family. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. The Reagan Great Communicator Debates demonstrates what I believe debate is truly about: communication, education, and growth.”
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