NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier

The NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier, presented by The Julia Burke Foundation, will be held online. The tournament is only open to NSDA members; there is no entry fee for to participate. The NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier is an opportunity for students who did not qualify through their district tournament to have a chance to attend the 2025 National Tournament in Des Moines. 

The Julia Burke Foundation was established in memory of Julia Burke, a young woman of substance with a passion for debate. We are proud to partner with The Julia Burke Foundation to offer this opportunity in Julia’s memory.

• • Schools must have had at least one entry compete at their district tournament in any event, including Big Questions.
  • Students do not need to have attended the district tournament to enter the tournament, but their school does need to have attended districts.
  • Students may not be registered for the NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier if they are a qualifier in any event at their district tournament. 
  • Students who qualify at their district tournament may vacate their qualification slot and then register for the Last-Chance Qualifier, but they will not have their district event as a backup if they do not qualify at the Last-Chance Qualifier.
  • Students may register for the Last-Chance Qualifier if they have earned a spot on their district’s World Schools team as long as they are willing to vacate their WS spot in case of qualification.
  • Schools and students must be paid NSDA members to participate.
  • Students must be districts-eligible, meaning they have 25+ NSDA points and have an email address on the NSDA website.
  • Middle schools may not enter the Last-Chance Qualifier; only students in grades 9-12 may be registered.

Students must be registered under the school name at which they are currently enrolled. Students must be under supervision of a supervising adult who is the student’s parent, coach, or school administrator, approved by the school principal. Coaches must acquire a signed Entry Release Form for each competitor prior to the first round of competition and retain those forms through the National Tournament. If entries plan to compete from the same physical room, the school administration must be made aware and approve team protocols for maintaining compliance with school safety requirements. Any entries found to be ineligible per these standards may result in disqualification.

Our annual high school National Tournament will be held June 15-20, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.