Please read the following document to be sure you are clear of the rules and schedule of the tournament.  For quick access, this document is divided into the following frequently asked questions:

• Why should I register?
• Who is eligible to compete?
• How do you compete in this format?
• How do I register for the tournament?
• What is the cost of entry?
• What is the schedule?
• What is the format of the debates?
• Who judges the debates / are debaters expected to provide judging?
• How are debaters evaluated?
• Are there awards?
• What equipment will I need to participate?

Why should I register?

The Trojan Web Debates are an excellent opportunity for students looking to test their argument skills to engage competitors from across the world, seek prizes and awards, and help support ending discrimination and violence all at the same time.

Students don’t need experience to debate. This unique event is an opportunity to showcase the possibilities of deliberation in new media environments.  College and University students from anywhere in the world are invited to join.  Plus, you can easily have your friends and family cheer you on via YouTube comments, Facebook, and Twitter! 

Who is eligible to compete?

All debaters must be over the age of 18 and currently enrolled in a degree program in a college or university.  All participants must participate in all preliminary debates.  Any participant that forfeits a debate will be removed from subsequent rounds of the tournament.  Any participant that fails to upload speeches before established deadlines will forfeit the round and be dropped from competition for remaining rounds.

How do you compete in this format?

The Trojan Web Debates will take place entirely online. Debaters will debate asynchronously in a one-on-one format by uploading a series of video speeches to YouTube, and the submitting the URL of their responses to the tournament director.  The tournament director will compile the video submissions into a running video playlist for each debate – thus to follow the debate, competitors watch the playlist to which they are assigned.  Every competitor will take part in two preliminary rounds of debate between October 17th and October 21st.  The ten debaters with the highest rankings and win loss records will after round two will qualify for an additional two rounds of competition between October 24th and October 28th. All debates will take place in English.  Debaters advancing to week 2 will be ranked at the end of competition based on their win/loss records and grades assigned by judges.  To see a sample judge ballot form, please click here

At the start of the tournament each debater will be randomly assigned to two debates - one in which they will argue for the resolution, and one in which they will argue against the resolution.  Judging will take place at the conclusion of all speeches. Assignments will be delivered to competitors and judges via e-mail and posted via our Facebook page.

How do I register?

Go to http://bit.ly/annenbergdebates and complete the registration form.  All entries must be received by Friday October 14th, 2011.  Entrants will also be required to make a $10.00 donation to the

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Entrants will be required to forward their e-mail receipt to the tournament as proof that they have made their donation.

What is the cost of entry?

USC Trojan Debate is not assessing an entry fee for this tournament.  However, each participating competitor is required to make a $10.00 to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Fees must be paid via credit card through IGLHRC's donation form. Prizes and awards will be provided by the University of Southern California's Trojan Debate Squad and will not be paid for with entry fees.

Note:  If you are unable to use university fees to make donations directly to charitable organizations but would like to participate in the tournament, please contact Jim Maritato at maritato@usc.edu to discuss options.

What is the schedule?

Preliminary debates: October 17th through October 21st
Mon. 10/17 - Post Your Affirmative Constructive in Your Affirmative Debate
Tues. 10/18 - Post Your Negative Constructive in Your Negative Debate 
Wed. 10/19 - Post Your Affirmative Rebuttal in Your Affirmative Debate
Thurs. 10/20 - Post Your Negative Rebuttal & Closing Remarks in your
Negative Debate 
Fri. 10/21 - Post Your Affirmative Closing Remarks in Your Affirmative Debate 

Judging for preliminary debates: October 22nd

Qualifier debates: October 24th through October 28th.
Mon. 10/24 - Post Your Affirmative Constructive in Your Affirmative Debate
Tues. 10/25 - Post Your Negative Constructive in Your Negative Debate 
Wed. 10/26 - Post Your Affirmative Rebuttal in Your Affirmative Debate
Thurs. 10/27 - Post Your Negative Rebuttal & Closing Remarks in your Negative Debate 
Fri. 10/28 - Post Your Affirmative Closing Remarks in Your Affirmative Debatep>

Judging for Qualifier Debates: October 29th.

What is the format of debates?

Students will be assigned to support the proposition in one debate (the role of affirmative speaker) and oppose it in another debate (the role of negative speaker). When each schedule is released students will have their sides selected for them. Debaters will be expected to adhere to the following time constraints and format:

Affirmative speaker’s opening speech: 4 minutes
Negative speaker’s opening speech : 5 minutes
Affirmative speaker’s rebuttal: 3 minutes
Negative speaker’s rebuttal and closing remarks: 4 minutes
Affirmative speaker’s rebuttal and closing remarks: 2 minutes

Please note: Debaters whose videos are more than 30 seconds longer than the maximum length for any given speech will forfeit their debates.

Who judges the debates / Are competitors required to provide judging?

We require that participants provide a judge who can judge two 20 minute debates debates on October 22nd. Judges should be professionals in any number of fields and have a bachelors degree or equivalent. Judges are asked to support an evaluation of each debate that fairly attempts to determine which debater was most effective in presenting their arguments and refuting those of their opponent. Judges will be provided with a rubric to evaluate the debate and to determine the single winner in each debate. The rubric will also allow judges to provide feedback as to how each debater may improve their performance. To see a sample ballot, please clickhere

Please note: If judges do not render a decision for a debate by the established deadline the school they represent will be disqualified from the tournament.

How are debaters evaluated?

Debaters both attempt to persuade their judges and improve the quality of public argument. They should strive to inform audiences even as they recognize that their judges are assumed to be a public audience, not a panel of experts in formal models of debate or nuclear energy. Debaters are encouraged to consult research on the topic and to support their arguments with relevant and credible evidence.  The goal of a successful debater should be to construct a well-reasoned and well supported argument that is responsive to their opponents.

In addition to competitive win/loss records, participants will also be evaluated on the effectiveness of their delivery, use of supporting evidence, reasoning, and refutation skills.  Participants will be ranked on a 1-5 scale  in each of these categories (5 is the maximum ranking for excellent performance and 1 is the lowest ranking).  Rankings will be considered along with competitive records to determine the eight debaters who will advance to elimination rounds.

Are there awards?

The top ten competitors will receive trophies recognizing their outstanding accomplishment. Additionally, debaters advancing to elimination rounds will receive Amazon.com gift cards, ranging from $25 to $100.

What equipment do I need to compete?

Participants will need to be able to access the World Wide Web, record and watch streaming Internet video footage and communicate via e-mail.  All judges and debaters will need the following technology to participate:

●A personal computer with a broadband Internet connection, capable of running a web browser with the Adobe Flash plug-in.  We recommend participants use Firefox 3.6 / Internet Explorer 8 or higher.

●A means of recording videos of at least 5 minutes in length. This can be achieved with a webcam and microphone on a laptop computer – but we strongly suggest that participants use a camera for maximum quality of recordings.

●An account on YouTube.com

●We strongly recommend that you ensure the functionality of your computer and Internet connection prior to the tournament.  We also recommend that you access YouTube.com and ensure that you can successfully upload and view videos before the start of the tournament.

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