Harvard Speech and Debate Tournament

Key facts

Eligible grades

Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.

Harvard does not publish a grade range; this is a high school tournament entered through a school's debate programme. Many schools additionally restrict who may attend: one published team policy allows only students with previous competitive history to apply.

Eligible ages

Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.

No age limits are published.

Individual or team

Individual or team · Not confirmed

Where it runs

Online and in person · United States, International

Entry cost

Per-entry tournament fees plus travel and accommodationEntry fees are set per division and were not published for 2027 at the time of checking. Hospitality, including breakfast for all participants, is included in the fees. The larger cost is travel: this is a national circuit tournament requiring flights and multiple hotel nights. Harvard offers flight discounts through Delta and United and a limited hotel block. As an illustration of real cost, one school's published policy covers $250 per student and bills the remainder to families.

Registration deadline

Set locally, not published as a single national date 2027 deadlines not yet posted. For the shape of it, round robin applications in the 2026 cycle ran 1 to 21 December as waitlisted entries, and fees had to be received in Cambridge before the tournament. Your own school's internal application deadline will be much earlier, often mid-December.

Competition dates

The 2027 Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament is 13 to 15 February 2027, Presidents' Day Weekend.

Difficulty

Highly competitiveNational-level field. Expect months of structured work, and usually a coach or a strong team.

Prizes

Trophies, speaker awards and TOC bidsTrophies and recognition, plus Tournament of Champions bids. No cash prizes are described.