Big Questions Debate

Big Questions Debate is a debate format that allows students to debate with a partner or as an individual. Debates may be one-on-one, two-on-two, or two-on-one. Topics last all year and concern the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion. Students are assigned a side of the topic before each round and present cases, engage in rebuttal and refutation, and participate in a question period. Often, members of the public are recruited to judge and observe this event.

Grant Requirements

• Rounds must follow the Big Questions format described in the Big Questions Format Manual
• Each student must compete in a minimum of 3 rounds.
• A minimum of 10 students must compete. A partnership counts as two students.
• High school and middle school students are eligible.
• To be eligible, schools must be in the United States.
• No institution will receive more than $2,000 in the 2024-2025 school year. 
• Due to the demand for the Big Questions grant, only NSDA members will be eligible to receive funding. If you are currently a non-member school, you can apply part of your Big Questions grant to cover the cost of membership! Applicants affiliated with the school’s speech and debate program will be given preference.

Additional Opportunities

• Elimination rounds are encouraged, but not required.
• Your own school’s students qualify under the grant and may be counted toward your total number of student participants.
• You are encouraged to charge an entry fee to increase the likelihood that students have thoroughly prepared for the event and as an additional way of raising money.
• You may apply to host multiple events by filling out the application more than once.

Judge Training

• All judges should be provided access to the NSDA’s judge training and cultural competence training (available in our judge training materials under Level 1). A BQ specific training module (Judging Big Questions Debate) can be found there as well under Level 2.
• Judges can also check out this brief BQ judge manual for further training. It also makes for a handy reference guide during Big Questions debate events. Check out the judging resources here.

Print Ballots and Judge Primers

• The tournament will use Big Questions ballots designed by the NSDA.
• The tournament will print a copy of the judge primer for each judge to keep. The judge primer will be distributed before the start of round one.

Plaques

• Check out the NSDA’s Trophy Shop to purchase any awards needed for your Big Questions event, or other events you host throughout the year!

Topicality Requirements

• The tournament must have a staff member checking Big Questions ballots. They must check that all parts of the ballot are filled out properly, as well as receive verbal confirmation from each judge that the winning debater(s) did not run any non-topical positions.
• If a judge votes for a side that did not run a topical position, the following will occur:
• The winning debater(s) on the judge’s ballot will be forfeited by tab.
• The judge will be permanently removed from the pool, forfeit their payment (if hired by the tournament), or the school that provided the judge will be fined.

Survey Completion

• The tournament will request that student participants and judges in the Big Questions division fill out the survey after at least three rounds are completed. The tournament will also request that any audience members who watched at least one Big Questions round take the survey.
• The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
• Please have your participants fill out the online survey.

Materials

• All materials need to be submitted within one week after the final day of your Big Questions event. Missing this deadline will result in forfeiture of your grant award.

Survey Data

• Judges, students, and audience members must complete the online survey. Any paper copies must be manually submitted online by the event host.

Reporting Form

• The reporting form allows us to determine how much you have earned in your second grant installment. The final question on the reporting form will ask you to submit the results within this excel spreadsheet.

Provide Certificates to Students

• Download the certificate template.

Qualification

• The two top placing students at each district’s Big Questions division will be invited to participate at the National Tournament. Only entries composed of individual debaters may compete at Nationals. 
• Big Questions entries will not count toward a school’s district entry limits. District committees may choose to add a limit to the number of students that each school can bring in the division, but this will be separate from the district entry limits.
• All competitors must be NSDA members.
• The district Big Questions division may be held in conjunction with the district tournament or as a stand-alone event on a separate date.
• The district event will meet the following requirements.
• Minimum of 10 high school competitors.
• All students must compete as individuals.
• More than one school in attendance.
• The event must be organized through or with the permission of the District Chair.
• The event will follow the debate tabulation method chosen by the District Committee.