Veritas Clash - British Parliamentary Debate

Veritas Clash: Tagline: The arena of reason and rhetoric Description: A British Parliamentary style debate competition where teams showcase critical thinking, communication skills, and logical reasoning through live arguments Teams will present structured arguments, rebuttals, and closing remarks on a given motion to convince judges and the audience Theme: Teams will debate on geopolitics, social issues, or fest-themed topics (motions announced 15 minutes before the debate) The medium of debate will be English only Each team’s bench (Opening Government, Closing Government, Opening Opposition, Closing Opposition) will be assigned by the organizing committee Team Composition: Teams: 2 participants per team (SS2) Adjudicators: Individual participation Roles: Each speaker has a designated role (PM, Deputy PM, Govt Member, Govt Whip, Opp Leader, Deputy Opp Leader, Opp Member, Opp Whip) Performance Duration: Research Phase: 15 minutes (after receiving motion/info slides) Setup Time: 1 minute before speech begins Speaking Time per Team: 7 minutes (protected time: 1st & 7th minute; 30-second buffer) Deliberation: 15 minutes Oral Adjudication: 10 minutes Total per Debate: ~2 hours Judging Criteria (100 Marks Total): Matter: 40 points Manner: 40 points Method: 20 points Refer to the WUDC Debating & Judging Manual for a detailed guide to the British Parliamentary format Submission Guidelines: Colleges sending n teams must also send n – 1 adjudicators Adjudicator registration must be done as a team of 1, named ADJUDICATOR_<Name> Strict Compliance: Failure to follow these registration and submission guidelines will result in disqualification Kindly ensure all instructions are carefully followed