COMPETITIONS
Every year we compete in a variety of external and internal competitions which cater for all levels of debater from beginner, to seasoned pro. Scroll down to learn more about how you can get involved!
'MAJORS'
Easters
Held during the Easter mid-semester break, this is the first major of the year and is designed to encourage new university debaters (novices) to gain more experience in the 3 v 3 format by being mentored by a more experienced debater from their university (pros). The competition is a wonderful chance to learn more about debating or adjudicating as you get to debate against and watch some of the best teams in the country.
QUTDS has broken to the finals twice at this competition and were in the top ranked room of the tournament at the end of the preliminary rounds in 2017, which was an amazing achievement for such a small, and relatively young society. Easters is a wonderful opportunity to have a go at university debating, to travel and to make lots of new friends!
Australs
The Australasian Championships are held during the holidays between Semesters 1 and 2. The competition brings together the best of the Asian, Australian and New Zealand circuits and is one of the highest calibre competitions in the world. Held in 3 v 3 format, this competition is appropriate for pro level debaters, and is a great experience for honing your skills as a debater and an adjudicator as many world champions frequent this circuit.
While we have not broken to the finals yet, we have on multiple occasions earned the team points (won enough debates) to qualify. Regardless, Australs is one of the most beneficial tournaments for our higher level debaters and is also a wonderful opportunity to travel with your debating friends!
Wom*n's
Wom*n's takes place in the September mid-semester break. It invites those who identify as non-cis-men from Australia, New Zealand and Asia to compete in the British Parliamentary Style with a focus on development, as each team must consist of no more than one pro. For many debaters, BP is a new and unfamiliar style and so Wom*n's is a wonderful opportunity to develop your skills, and gain insightful feedback from experienced women and non cis-men from all over this region.
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QUTDS has consistently achieved great results at this competition, breaking to finals in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and earning enough wins to break but unfortunately qualifying one team short in 2019. Wom*n's is another wonderful opportunity to travel all across the Asia-Pacific Region and is a great environment for making new friends!
Worlds
The World Championships are (as the name suggests) one of the most competitive events on the debating calendar each year. Held in the Christmas holiday, this competition is also in the British Parliamentary Style and is a wonderful opportunity for our most experienced debaters to hone their debating skills by going up against the best in the world.
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QUTDS has also broken to the final rounds at Worlds. It is a wonderful opportunity to gain feedback from some of the best adjudicators in the world and to travel to some pretty exciting places!
'MINIS'
Each year, QUTDS hosts and participates in a number of smaller competitions designed to:
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help our more novice debaters develop in a more accessible and less high-pressure environment than at a major,
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develop our members' adjudication skills and;
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help our teams practise together before majors.
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QUT has achieved great results at minis, winning several in both 3 v 3 and BP style, but more importantly, these competitions have played a pivotal role in encouraging our members to seek feedback from a wide variety of adjudicators and to improve their confidence and debating skills! Minis are also a great way to stay engaged with your friends in the society, or to make new friends, because there is usually little to no cost to attend, and we try to include socials such as picnics, drinks and dinners as often as possible.
