COMPETE AT A LOCAL, REGIONAL & NATIONAL LEVEL TO ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS!

Speech Debate India is a proud partner of the AI Public Speaking & Debate Championship 2025, where thousands of students from ages 8 to 22 competing in age level divisions will be evaluated. Students will be recognized with awards at a Local, Regional & National level in India and neighboring countries, for a chance to advance to compete live online in the Championship Tournament Rounds in Spring 2025!

Why should you participate?

• Free entry - online competition in two parts - initial entries, followed by live online rounds for top qualifiers

• Compete in Speech (video), Debate (essay), or both competitions

• Debate AI's future with a thought-provoking topic

• Work individually or as a team/group of up to 4 students

• Gain familiarity with important AI applications

• Free Training Videos (scroll below)

• Students recognized at a Local, Regional & National level in Spring 2025

• All valid entries will receive Certificates

• Opportunity to advance with Speech Debate India to compete in the Championship Tournament Rounds, April 2025

• Students advancing to the Finals will be evaluated by judges from Stanford University, AI experts!

• Individual entries - Register FREE!

• Group entries - Register FREE!
   

Debate Topics:

Below are the topics for each age group. For the essay and/or video, pick a side for or against the debate resolution and explain the selected position. All videos can be upto 4 minutes. Essay maximum word count varies by age. ​
 

• Ages 8-9: Children should be allowed to have robot pets (upto 500 word essay)

• Ages 10-11: Students should be able to use generative AI in school (upto 600 word essay)

• Ages 12-13: Students should be able to use generative AI in school (upto 750 word essay)

• Ages 14-15: AI developments will reduce global poverty (upto 1,000 word essay)

• Ages 16-18: (a) AI will enhance human flourishing [or students can pick] (b) Frontier AI models should be open source (upto 1,000 word essay)

• Ages 19-22: (a) AI will enhance human flourishing [or students can pick] (b) Frontier AI models should be open source (upto 1,250 word essay)

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Free Resources for Teachers and Student Ambassadors for Debate:

• Empowering teachers and debate club leaders to support their students and peers

• Understanding the competition rubric and evaluation criteria

• Strategies for age-appropriate mentoring for students.

• Access to exclusive resources and recordings for ongoing learning.

• Click below to watch the free Training Rubric Videos!
  
   

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What to expect?

• Format: Self-study, working with a friend or classmate for the essay competition and individually for the video contest. Assistance / guidance from teachers / parents / student ambassadors is allowed but the final work product should be solely that of the students.

• Ages 8-22: Tournament features 6 different age-based divisions.

• Debate Essay Entries: Maximum word count varies by age (see details below). Work individually or with a partner/group to develop a well-researched essay on the designated AI-related debate topic (below) for your age.

• ​​Public Speaking Video Entries: Duration of upto 4 minutes, shot as a single-take, unedited video recording. Submit a well-researched speech on the designated AI-related debate topic below for your age. It does not need to be memorized.

• Can I enter both: Yes, you can participate in both the essay and video competitions!​

• Geographies: Students based in India, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, East Africa can join for a chance to be awarded at a regional and national level!​

• Use of AI: Yes, students are permitted to use as much or as little AI as they wish to help prepare their essays and video content. It's important that students learn to understand both the benefits and limitations of AI, and are welcome to experiment.

• Deadline: Early deadline - Sunday March 30th, 2025. Regular deadline - Sunday, April 20th, 2025.

• How to submit: Complete the form and upload their Essay to Google Drive. Students submitting a Video should upload it to Google Drive (note that videos should be compressed to under 100MB). Submit the Google Drive links - Click here to submit your link(s) on the Submission Form! 

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Submit your entry to the largest AI Public Speaking and Debating Championship today!

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TOP 10 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
 

1. How can I access guidelines and training resources?
   Please scroll above to the section with YouTube videos. We have three rubric video guides posted to help with content, analysis, and essay/script writing style.

2. Is AI permitted to generate the essay/video script?
   Yes, you may use as much or as little AI as you would like. Make sure to check if your sources/web links are valid and we suggest personalizing the essay/video in your own style.

3. Is the competition online or offline?
   The entire competition is 100% online, enabling students from across India and abroad to participate from home.

4. What are the topics and what is the competition about?
   The theme is “Artificial Intelligence: Navigating the Future” - there are 6 different age-based divisions each with a topic - you can find all five topics on speechdebateindia.com/ai 

5. Which events can I participate in?
   Students may submit an English essay, or English video, or both an English essay and video. Students submitting the top essays and videos in each division will then be announced in late April to participate in the final championship rounds. Final rounds will be evaluated by esteemed Judges from Stanford University and AI experts. 

6. How do I register and submit my work?
   First register and then upload your essay or video file and include it in the submission form. Both registration and submission links are at speechdebateindia.com/ai

7. When is the competition and what are the deadlines?
   The early deadline is March 30, 2025 and if you need more time, the regular deadline is April 20, 2025. Top participants will then be selected for final rounds live online at the end of April.

8. What is the judging criteria?
   Entries will be judged based on:

   • Critical Thinking & Analysis

   • Content & Argumentation

   • Writing Quality and Style

   • Delivery and Engagement (for speeches)

9. Does participating help with college applications?
   This competition builds skills in critical thinking, communication, research, and creativity — all valued by top colleges and global universities. The unique format of the competition also encourages students to engage with Artificial Intelligence and better understand both limits and capabilities. All participants submitting valid entries will receive certificates, and top performers will also receive awards and recognition at a regional and national level.

10. Do I need to submit individually or as a team?
    You can either submit individually or you may submit as part of a team (maximum 5 students to a team).