Tournaments
and Competition

What to Expect at a Tournament

Most speech and debate tournaments are held on Saturdays, usually at the host school’s facility. Generally, tournaments begin about 9 a.m. and end following the awards ceremony around 6 p.m. Contestants often arrive around 8 a.m., and judges around 8:30 a.m. These are general guidelines, however. Additionally, some tournaments run two or more days.

Tournaments can end earlier or much later depending on the size of the tournament, the number of available judges, the number of events offered and other factors. If you are attending as a contestant or judge, it is imperative that you always check with your school or coach to find out specifics.

For the 2024–25 season, almost all tournaments are in person. However, paper ballots are a thing of the past. Today, judges use iPads/tablets or Windows/Mac laptops to enter rankings, points and comments directly into the judging software. Please avoid phones, and understand that Chromebooks (and locked-down office computers) can often be problematic.

To find out more about the technical aspects of judging, visit our Judging and Events page.

Tournament Schedule

The following schedule reflects tournaments scheduled in South Carolina, as well as key out-of-state tournaments. This schedule will be updated as needed. Registration can be found on Tabroom (or, in some cases, SpeechWire) for most tournaments. Unless otherwise noted, tournaments will be held in person. Always confirm dates and locations!

 

2024–25 Tournaments, updated Aug. 3, 2024

 

✦ Sept. 21

Green Charter School Novice Tournament at Green Upstate High School

  • Simpsonville, South Carolina

    • 356 Bridgeway Boulevard, Simpsonville, SC 29681 — map link

  • Registration: Tabroom.com (direct tournament link)

✦ Oct. 5

Viking Invitational at North Mecklenburg High School

  • Huntersville, North Carolina

  • Varsity and novice. Registration: Tabroom.com

✦ Oct. 19

Bob Jones Academy 38th Invitational

  • Greenville, South Carolina

  • NIETOC bid tournament

  • Registration open: Tabroom.com (direct tournament link)

✦ Oct. 26

Grady Invitational at Chase High School

✦ Nov. 2

Warrior Invitational at Riverside High School

✦ November 6–9

Youth in Government

  • Columbia, South Carolina

✦ Nov. 9

Corona Rostrensis At Charlotte Latin School

✦ Nov. 15–16

Laird Lewis Invitational at Myers Park High School

✦ Nov. 23

Cougar Classic at Asheville High School

✦ Dec. 6–8

Patriot Games at George Mason University

  • Fairfax, Virginia (Washington, D.C. suburb)

  • NIETOC bid tournament

  • Registration: SpeechWire

✦ December — Date TBA

The Palmetto Invitational at West Ashley High School

✦ Jan. 11

Patriots Invitational at J.L. Mann High School Tournament

✦ Jan. 18

OPEN

✦ Jan. 24–26

Barkley Forum for High Schools at Emory University

  • Atlanta, Georgia

  • Registration: Tabroom.com (direct tournament link)

✦ Feb. 1

Eagle Invitational at Eastside High School
and District Congress Qualifier

✦ Feb. 8

TENTATIVE — Blue Ridge Classic at T.C. Roberson High School

✦ Feb. 15

SCFCA State Tournament at Greenville High School

✦ Feb. 22

Mock Trial Regionals

✦ March 1

South Carolina NSDA District Tournament

  • SPEECH ONLY: Asheville High School, Asheville, North Carolina; three rounds and a final guaranteed minimum.

  • DEBATE LD/PF: Rounds will be held online the week prior. February topics.

  • Registration: Tabroom.com

  • Details subject to change; check back for updates.

✦ March 8

Mock Trial States

✦ May

NIETOC

✦ June 13–21, 2025

NSDA Nationals

  • Des Moines, Iowa.

  • In person. Students qualify for this tournament at the South Carolina NSDA District Tournament. Find out more about Nationals on the NSDA website.

Your school can host a tournament!

Tournaments give South Carolina competitors opportunities close to home. Host schools for tournaments are always needed, and hosting isn’t as hard as you might think. The actual computerized tabbing can be set up and run for your school, and other schools and coaches are happy to assist as needed. Plus, your school can use the tournament as a fundraiser for your team. Contact the SCFCA to find out how your team can host a tournament.