Author: adminhkdsc

Thank you again to all participants for your enthusiastic participation in a day of rigorous trials on 15th November 2025; speaking and judging at all four events from 8am to 4pm is no easy feat!

The top 12 speakers are as follows:

1. Joy Wan (DGS)

2. Adrien Li (DBS)

3. Lily Liang (CIS)

4. Lilly Larard （CIS）

5. Jean Hu （HKIS）

6. Clarisse Poon (SPCC)

7. Kaitlyn Liu (CIS)

8. Megan Wong （DGS）

9. Antonio Ting (DBS)

10. Athena Lam (HKIS)

11. Annette Chan (HIS)

12. Ann Ann Leung (ELCHKLA)

And the two reserve breaking speakers:

13. Shiloh Hui (SPCC)

14. Ava Yao (HKIS)

We once again thank all judges, coaches, and student helpers – from SPCC, DBS, and DGS – who have given up their time selflessly and tirelessly such that this competition could be run smoothly and to such a high standard, and Diocesan Boys’ School for lending us their grounds to run the Trials. We are grateful for your kind cooperation with us throughout the competition process and hope it was gratifying for all of you. These trials – and the continued success of public speaking in Hong Kong – could not be possible without you.

Looking forward, we cannot wait to begin training with the team in preparation for WIDPSC 2026 held in Bristol, United Kingdom. For selected and reserve members, please continue to check your emails for follow-up information and arrangements from the coaching team. Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you at our future events!

Dear members of the Hong Kong public speaking community,

A friendly reminder regarding the registration deadline for WIDPSC HK Team Trials. The registration deadline will be the 31st of October (Friday). Please sign up through the following link: 

https://forms.gle/NrifDLnj1VYkoJzUA

Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to reach out.

A brief reminder that applications for the Hong Kong Debate & Speech Community close by 23.59 HKT on 22 October.

In order to apply you must be no younger than 14 years old on 14th July 2026, and no older than 19. You must be attending a High School in Hong Kong or otherwise be a citizen of Hong Kong and show a commitment to the Hong Kong circuit.

The decision on who is selected to trial, the membership of both the squads and the final team will be made only by the coaches of the HK WSDC team and the coaches of the Hong Kong development team.

No one who is paid to coach any trialist will judge the trials. The coaches of HK WSDC will not consider the comments or recommendations from such sources either. 

To apply, please fill out the following form:

https://tinyurl.com/4py93zmz

(If the above link does not work, please try this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl4EK-021jJ-55w-q0IXSN8_H8wkXKIB6_p4xnU0p4a1caXw/viewform?usp=embed_facebook)

If you have any questions, please contact:

hkwsdc@proton.me or info@hkdsc.org

We are pleased to announce that Trials for the Hong Kong WIDPSC Team will be taking place on November 15, 2025, at Diocesan Boys’ School. With representation in every semifinals category, 4 out of 5 finals categories, and a 2nd Runner Up for Persuasive Speaking at WIDPSC 2025, we now look forward to writing a new exciting chapter of our public speaking legacy at Bristol in 2026!

For all information regarding the Trials, WIDPSC speaking categories, and more, please refer to the PDF leaflet attached. Please pay particular attention to speech times, which have been modified since 2023 to best facilitate the schedule and effectiveness of the Trials. 

The registration link is below. Please register by October 31 (Fri): 

https://forms.gle/NrifDLnj1VYkoJzUA

In order to facilitate the Trials, a registration fee of $200 will be collected from each competitor. Further details about payment will be forwarded after your registration is confirmed. Please keep an eye out for updates with further information about logistics on the competition day.

As with previous years, the top 10 speakers from the Trials will secure spots in the Hong Kong Team. Two additional reserve speakers will be offered a spot to train with the Hong Kong Team, with a potential chance of competing in WIDPSC 2026, subject to organisers’ discretion and competitor quotas.

We look forward to your registration and cannot wait to hear the young voices of our public speaking circuit. Building on the excellent results last year, we are ready to showcase the best of Hong Kong public speaking!

For any queries, please email us at info@hkdsc.org.

We are delighted to open applications for the 2026 Hong Kong’s World Schools Debating team. The team will participate at the World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) held in person.

Hong Kong WSDC

The Hong Kong Debate & Speech Community will select an initial 8-to-10-person team, with the final five that will compete at WSDC decided in 2026. The competition will be held in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 – 24 July 2026.

In addition, we will select a development squad of around 20 students. Those eligible for the development squad will have at least one additional year of high school after the current school year (graduating in 2027 or later).

Those selected to be part of either time will have approximately three to five hours of training a week in groups and individuals until July 2026 and would be expected to attend competitions as part of the Hong Kong team.

Selections

In order to apply you must be no younger than 14 years old on 14th July 2026, and no older than 19. You must be attending a High School in Hong Kong or otherwise be a citizen of Hong Kong and show a commitment to the Hong Kong circuit.

The decision on who is selected to trial, the membership of both the squads and the final team will be made only by the coaches of the HK WSDC team and the coaches of the Hong Kong development team.

No one who is paid to coach any trialist will judge the trials. The coaches of HK WSDC will not consider the comments or recommendations from such sources either. 

Trials

Trials will be held via Zoom in the evenings from 26 October to 10 November via Zoom. (From 7pm HKT onwards), with the schedule depending on the trialists’ availability.

Prospective trialists will be required to submit their details and debating achievements by 23.59 HKT on 22 October. Those selected to trial will be alerted by 24 October.

Those called to selections will be determined on the basis of their previous debating and speaking experience.

To apply, please fill out the following form:

https://tinyurl.com/4py93zmz

If you have any questions, please contact:

hkwsdc@proton.me or info@hkdsc.org

Dear Hong Kong Debating and Public Speaking Community,

As we enter the 2025-2026 academic year, we are elated to announce that the Senior Schools Debating Championships (SDC) is returning on 4-5th October, 2025. Senior SDC has traditionally been the training ground for our representative teams, in preparation for the Team Trials held in late October, and is a great opportunity for debaters to test their mettle in one of the biggest WSDC-style inter-school debate competitions in Hong Kong. Adding to the excitement, Senior SDC will be hosted in-person at Kellett School (Kowloon Bay Campus) for the first time.

Important information regarding the tournament and registration can be found below:

Team Registration Form: https://forms.gle/LAtc7awCfw5qdGMJ8 

Registration deadline: 12th September, 2025

Date: 4th October, 2025 08:30-19:00 (preliminary rounds); 5th October, 2025 08:00-18:30 (outrounds)

Venue: Kellett School (Kowloon Bay Campus); 7 Lam Hing Street, Kowloon Bay

Cost: HKD500 per team 

Eligibility: 3-5 members per team; Forms 4-6 / Years 10-13 / Grades 10-12

Adjudicators: Each registered team should be accompanied by an adjudicator — the judge must be available to judge for at least the entirety of Day 1.  Adjudicators must also be provided by the breaking teams for outrounds. Furthermore, due to Kellet’s security policies, any changes to adjudication must be made at least 1 week prior to the competition.

Team cap: 36 teams. Priority for second teams will go to previously underrepresented schools.

Format: WSDC – 8-minute main speech with points of information, 4-minute replies. Prepped motion for R1, semi-prepared motion for R2-3 with 15 minutes preparation time, impromptu motion for Round 4 with 45 minutes preparation time.

Draw: R1 random; R2-4 power-paired; PQF-GF folded knockout draw

Awards: Top fifteen speaker awards (debaters contesting 3 or more preliminary round debates are eligible); the top 4 teams on the tab will qualify directly to Quarter-finals, the remaining 8 teams will compete in the Pre-Quarterfinals.

Please note that lunch will be provided by the school cafeteria, at $50 per person. The amount should be payable on the day, by Octopus card ONLY. Since the schedule only allows 45 minutes for lunch, it is assumed that all participants (students and observers) will be eating lunch at the cafeteria – those with other dietary needs will need to email us specifically to opt out. A vegetarian menu is available, and further details will be provided at a later date.

Schedule:

4th October – Day 1

08:30 – 08:45               Registration and roll-call

08:45 – 09:30               Tournament briefing

09:30 – 11:00               Round 1 prepped debate + feedback

11:00 – 11:15               Break

11:15 – 11:30               Prep time for round 2 semi-prepped debate

11:30 – 13:00               Round 2 semi-prepped debate + feedback

13:00 – 13:45               Lunch break

13:45 – 14:00               Prep time for round 3 semi-prepped debate

14:00 – 15:40               Round 3 semi-prepped debate + feedback

15:40 – 16:00               Break

16:00 – 16:45               Prep time for round 4 impromptu debate

16:50 – 18:10               Round 4 impromptu debate (silent round)

18:10 – 18:30               Tabulation of results

18:30 – 19:00               Break announcement, prizes for top speakers

5th October – Day 2

08:00 – 08:15               Registration and roll-call

08:30 – 10:00               Pre-quarterfinals prepped debate

10:00 – 10:15               Announcement of Pre-quarterfinals results 

10:15 – 10:30               Prep time for Quarter-finals semi-prepped debate

10:30 – 12:00               Quarter-finals semi-prepped debate

12:00 – 12:15               Announcement of Quarter-finals results

12:15 – 13:00               Lunch break

13:00 – 13:45               Prep time for Semi-finals impromptu debate

13:45 – 15:15               Semi-finals impromptu debate

15:15 – 15:30               Announcement of Semi-finals results

15:30 – 16:15               Prep time for Grand Final impromptu debate

16:15 – 17:45               Grand Final impromptu debate

17:45 – 18:30               Announcement of Grand Final result and prize presentation

Please note that the schedule for the tournament is tentative and subject to change depending on the final team cap. Motions for fully prepared and semi-prepared rounds will be sent out 2 to 3 weeks before the tournament dates if your team is given a spot in the tournament.

For more information and any inquiries, please contact us at info@hkdsc.org. We look forward to seeing your teams and judges at SDC 2025! 

Sincerely,

SDC Executive Committee

HKDSC is delighted to announce the Hong Kong Team for Panama WSDC 2025:

Advik Sharma (HKIS)
Laurne Tse (HKIS)
Jeanine Cheng (CIS)
Jun Nam (HKIS)
Mollie Mei (HKIS)
With Jimi Fitzpatrick (CIS) as the official reserve.

We would additionally like to thank head coach Harish Natarajan, Anser Aftab, and Velina Andonova for coaching the team tirelessly, and we wish the team the best of luck for Panama WSDC!

Team Hong Kong has returned from the World Individuals Debating and Public Speaking Championship (WIDPSC) 2025, following a week of intense competition between March 30th and April 6th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A hearty congratulations to the competitors for valiantly and eloquently representing Hong Kong through eight rounds of preliminaries, two flights of semi finals, finals, and a Grand Finals, with numerous category breaks and finalists, a grand finalist and a overall top speaker. The team’s achievements are as follows:

• SHK01 Benjamin Wu – Diocesan Boys’ School
• SHK02 Andrea Chow – Renaissance College Hong Kong
  • Finalist – Parliamentary Debating
  • Semifinalist – Persuasive Speaking
• SHK05 Jayden Chow – St. Paul’s Co-educational College
  • Semifinalist – After Dinner Speaking
• SHK06 Kaitlyn Liu – Chinese International School
  • Semifinalist – Interpretive Reading
• SHK07 Marcus Lau – Diocesan Boys’ School
  • Semifinalist – Parliamentary Debating
• SHK08 Jean Hu – Hong Kong International School
  • Finalist – Interpretive Reading
• SHK09 Megan Wong – Diocesan Girls’ School
  • Finalist – Interpretive Reading
  • Finalist – After Dinner Speaking
  • Overall Top Speaker – 20th
• SHK10 Lilly Larard – Chinese International School
  • Finalist – Interpretive Reading
• SHK11 Max Lee – Diocesan Boys’ School
  • Semifinalist – Parliamentary Debating
• SHK12 Joy Wan – Diocesan Girls’ School
  • Finalist – Persuasive Speaking
• SHK13 Evan Chow – Diocesan Boys’ School
  • Finalist – Interpretive Reading
  • Grand Finalist and 2nd Runner Up – Persuasive Speaking
  • Semifinalist – Impromptu
• SHK14 Cynthia Or – St. Paul’s Co-educational College

Thanks must be given to the Hong Kong Debate and Speech Community (HKDSC) for logistics support with the Open Trials, and to the coaches who held weekly trainings – Ms Joan Cho, Ms Lilian Chow, Mr Allen Ng, Chloe Yeung, Joseph Lim, Adam Pei, Adele Li, Anston Yu, Athena Shen, Callum MacBeam, Eric Wu, Mark Lee, Tingting Zhang, Vijay Narayanan, and Garrett Mak. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the four parent chaperones, Ada, David, Ella, and Thomas for their endless support for our students before and during the trip.

Finally, and most importantly, thanks must go to Mr Michael Hauge and the Learning Leaders Academy, for hosting WIDPSC 2025 allowing the 12 students from Hong Kong to have the experience of a lifetime. We can’t wait to be back again next year!

Dear Teachers,

The Junior Individuals Public Speaking Championships has been hosted for many years to foster the growth of new generations of public speakers in Hong Kong. This year, we are excited to announce that the annual Junior Individual Public Speaking Championships is scheduled to be an in-person tournament on May 17, 2025 (Saturday), held at Harrow International School Hong Kong. Please read on for further details of the format and registration logistics.

As in past years, there are three compulsory categories, namely Persuasive Speaking, Interpretive Reading and Impromptu Speaking. Please refer to the attached slides for the exact time limits and rules of each category. 

Each school can enrol six junior students maximum. Students up to current Secondary 3/ Year 10/Grade 9 are eligible for Junior competitions. Each school is also expected to supply one adjudicator for every three nominated students (in other words, two adjudicators for sending four, five or six students) to judge the live rounds in-person on the day. Please note that for junior competitions, senior students can be registered to judge. More guidelines on the judging criteria and approaches will be sent out after the registration period ends. 

In order to facilitate the competition, a registration fee of $200 will be collected from each competitor. Further details about payment will be forwarded after your registration is confirmed. Please keep an eye out for updates with further information about logistics on the competition day.

Please fill in the Google Form by May 7 (Wednesday) for registration. Schools are encouraged to register competitors as soon as possible as we may be limited by a competition cap due to venue restrictions. Earlier registration will also help the tab team ensure a smooth running of the competition. The registration form can be found here: https://forms.gle/4VXx8DBcL7Bpg4S36. 

The following is the tentative schedule of the competition day on 17th May (Saturday).

0845 – 0915	Registration
0915 – 0930	Welcome & Competitor Briefing
0930 – 1000	Judge Briefing
1000 – 1100	Persuasive Speaking
1100 – 1200	Interpretive Reading
1200 – 1300	Impromptu Speaking
1300 – 1400	Lunch Break
1400 – 1530	Grand Finals
1530 – 1545	Tabulation of Results
1545 – 1600	Announcement of Results and Prize Ceremony

Thank you for your attention. We highly look forward to your participation so we can continue to nurture young public speaking talent in Hong Kong. 

Best regards,

Coaches for WIDPSC Team Hong Kong

Thank you to those who participated in Junior SDC 2025, hosted over the past weekend! Following the weekend’s debates, the final results of the competition can now be announced.

The Grand Champions of this year’s JSDC is SPCC 1, debating against GSIS 1 in a spectacular Grand Final round. We congratulate both them and the runner-up heartily.

The Grand Finals motion was: TH, as Mickey Mouse, would opt to permanently discontinue the show and fade into obscurity. 

Next, the Top 15 Speakers (with a tie at 4th and 10th place) are as follows:

1. Gwyneth Chan, DGS 1

2. Annette Chan, HIS

3. Jacob Wong, KGV

4=. Kiki Lu, ISF 1

4=. Lucas Haoxiang Yau, ISF 1

6. Hanson Ko, DBS 

7. Samuel Ang Krishnan, CIS 1

8. Rachel Rhodes, GSIS 1

9. Ziao Chen, WIS

10=. Adrian Wong, HKIS

10=. Charisse Wong, DGS 1

10=. Haru Kim, CIS 1

13. Gemma Yeung, KGV

14. Valmik Dangayach, GSIS 1 

15. Caia Tam, RC 1

All tabs and the break have now been released publicly. They can be viewed at https://juniorsdc2025.calicotab.com/JSDC2025/

Payment receipts will be processed and sent to all teams who have requested it as soon as possible. 

Thank you once again to everyone, judges and teams alike, who participated in JSDC and sacrificed their time to make this event a success. We hope to see everyone again soon and we wish everyone the best of luck in your future debate ventures.