State Speech Tournament

Sunday, March 8 (5:00 pm EST)

•  Check your entry and confirm it is correct. Email with any errors.  

Wednesday, March 11 (8:00 pm EST)

•  Enter judge names, email addresses, and judging experience.

• When entering judges, coaches should enter restrictions (availability; event blocks; etc.) in the notes section.

Friday, March 13 

Noon EST

• Check your confirmation email to ensure your entry and judges are all accurate.

• Complete this form to officially register (NO in-person registration on Friday)

3:00 pm EST

• Preliminary round Schematics are released.

Saturday, March 14

7:00 am EST

• Coach Check-In with Entry Fees (Checks made payable to ISSDA).

8:00 am EST

• Extemp Contestants report to Prep Room

• Broadcasting Contestants report to Holding Room

• Judging assignments and rounds are blasted out

8:30 am EST

• Round 1 begins

Broadcasting - Music and Commercial Info  Broadcasting News Copy

Discussion  - Discussion Artifacts (updated 3-10)

Extemp Topic Areas   - 

US Extemp:

Round 1- Education

Round 2- Social Concerns

Round 3- Trump Administration

Quarterfinals- Business and Industry

Semifinals- US Foreign Policy

Finals- Judicial Issues

International Extemp:

Round 1- North America

Round 2- Central and Eastern Asia

Round 3- Western Asia and the Middle East

Quarterfinals- Africa

Semifinals- US Foreign Policy

Finals- International Relations

Extempers will use Speechwire to conduct extemp draw - all extempers must bring a device to access their questions

• Rounds

  • 3 preliminary rounds

  • Top 24 break to Quarter Finals

  • Top 12 break to Semi-Finals

  • Top 6 break the Final Round

• This is an e-ballot tournament

  • All students and judges will need to create an account with Speechwire.com.  Coaches must enter a valid email address for each judge. 

• The top 6 entries in each event from each Sectional Tournament will advance to the State Tournament

• Coaches will need to enter titles, publishers and copyright dates of any pieces used in Duo, Prose, Poetry (for each poem), POI, Drama, and Humorous.  This information must be entered into Speechwire for the entry to be considered complete.  

• $8 per single event

• $16 per duo event

• Fee statements will be available via Speechwire following the close of registration. Please bring your check with you to the State Speech Tournament

• This is a e-ballot tournament - all judges must bring a device to use for ballot entry

• Judges are required to watch the Judging video that will be sent to all coaches by Tuesday, March 10

• The ISSDA requires that the Head Speech Coach be present and listed as a judge for the entire day.

  • If a coach cannot attend the tournament due to an emergency, the school’s principal will certify in a letter who is responsible for the team. In the case of a coach’s absence, the team is still responsible for providing an “A” level judge or a replacement approved by the Executive Director.

  • Penalty for failure to do so is immediate disqualification of the offending coach’s students who are entered in the tournament.

• Please NOTE! If a registered judge does not appear for an assignment, the judge/team will be fined $25 per incident.

• Clean judges must have NO connection with your team (no parents, previous competitors, teachers at your school etc)

• Judge Ratio

  • 1-3 entries = 2 Judge

  • 4-6 entries = 3 Judges

  • 7-9 entries = 4 Judges

  • 10-12 entries = 5 Judges

  • 13-15 entries = 6 Judges

  • 16-18 entries = 7 Judges

  • 19-21 entries = 8 Judges

  • 22-24 entries = 9 Judges

  • 25-27 entries = 10 Judges

  • 28-30 entries = 11 Judges

  • 31-33 entries = 12 Judges

  • 34-36 entries = 13 Judges

  • 37-40 entries = 14 Judges

Each year the ISSDA presents three scholarship awards to recognize outstanding student participants in our organization. These awards, presented at the state debate and speech tournaments, honor three legendary Indiana coaches of speech and debate: Jim Hawker, Bob Brittain, and Bill Hicks. Recipients demonstrate speech and debate acumen, but they also exhibit positive mental attitude and fine character. According to the ISSDA Tournament Manual, each school entered into the state speech and debate tournaments may nominate a senior member who participates in the state tournament to be considered for the award. 

Hawker Award Nominations