The external competitions that Debsoc attends can take you all over New Zealand or the World. Every year the World tournament is held in a different country, and the Australasian competition moves all around our beautiful side of the world. On top of these there are plenty of national tournaments to attend, not to mention Australian ones.

Click on an external competition for the latest updates on it.

Premier Grade – Run by the Wellington Speakers Union, the Wellington Prem Grade is for relatively experienced Vic debaters and adjudicators. The grade is open to any teams, not just those from Universities, and is a great way for the wider debating society of Wellington to get together and continue debating. It is run in the Australs style of debating, but sometimes with prepared debates. With a number of teams made up of the past greats and big names from the Wellington business sector, the Prem Grade will test anyone’s skills and provide some great debates to watch or be a part of.

Easters – Easters is held every year as part of the Uni Games. This means that it travels around the country and is, obviously, held at Easter time. The competition prize is the famed Officer’s Cup, which Vic has won for the last nine years in a row. Easters style debating is quick and ruthless. Preparation time is only 3 minutes and the teams consist of only 2 members each.

Thropy – Thropy is believed by many to be the single greatest tournament in the Debsoc calendar. It is a novice tournament, for teams of 3 novices debating in the Australs style, but with shorter speeches. Thropy is a North Island tournament and alternates between being held in Hamilton or Palmerston North. Thropy is famous not just for great debating, but also for loud road trips and nights full of fun. Typical then that the tournament got its name when the engraver mispelt the word “trophy” to create the McLeod Thropy. Whatever you do – don’t miss Thropy.

Australs - The Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championship is one of the two major international tournaments attended by Vic Debsoc. This tournament runs a 3 on 3 style of debating familiar to most New Zealand debaters. It takes place over a week during the break between trimesters, and is held at a different Australasian University every year. Vic took on the huge task of hosting Australs in 2006, and placed 2nd in 2007, making this a favourite with Vic debaters and a tournament everyone should plan to go to a number of times.

Joynt Scroll – The Joynt Scroll (or Winters competition) is New Zealand’s most prestigous debating award. It is a prepared debating tournament and is hosted by a different society every year as it rotates around New Zealand universities. Joynt Scroll is a great place to see some of the most informative and well prepared debates on show. It is also host to the New Zealand Bledisloe Medal competition for oratory – much like our own internal Plunket Medal.

Vic Shield – Vic Shield is a Wellington Speakers Union run Easters style grade. It is run over one or two nights during the week in the second trimester, and often attracts a huge variety of debaters. The tournament is a knockout style, so the team to win must remain unbeaten.

NZ BP – Every year Vic Debsoc hosts the New Zealand British Parliamentary Championships. This is an open BP style tournament, so anyone can enter it. It is always run just after the end of the university year and so is a great way to prepare for Worlds, or just to get some last debating in before the big summer break. It’s also a very different style to most New Zealand debating, and a good way to extend your debating ability.

Worlds – The World University Debating Championships is the grand event of the debating year. It is hosted by a different university from anywhere in the World over the Christmas break. Worlds brings together teams from the entire globe to compete in BP style debates. Worlds is famed not just for its magnitude (usually over 300 teams) and quality of debating, but also for its busy schedule of events, wonderful functions, and great food. Every year people from Worlds will go on to become world leaders and to take on great positions. This is a tournament everybody should strive to attend.