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Team Hong Kong has returned from the World Individuals Debating and Public Speaking Championship (WIDPSC) 2026, following a week of intense competition between April 11th and April 17th in Bristol, UK. 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, and an overall top speaker. The team’s achievements are as follows:

HK01 Adrien Yucheng Li – Diocesan Boys’ School
Interpretive Reading – Semifinalist
Impromptu Speaking – Semifinalist
After Dinner – Semifinalist
Parliamentary Debate – Seminfinalist
U16 Champion
Overall 3rd Best Speaker

HK02 Ann Ann Leung – ELCHKLA
Parliamentary Debate – Semfinalist

HK03 Antonio Ting Tsz Woon– Diocesan Boys’ School
Impromptu Speaking – Semifinalist
Parliamentary Debate – Semifinalist
After Dinner – Semifinalist
Overall 25th Best Speaker

HK04 Athena Wai-Sum Lam – Hong Kong International School

HK05 Clarisse Poon – St. Paul’s Co-educational College

HK06 – Annette Chan – Harrow International School
Interpretive Reading – Semifinalist

HK07 – Shiloh Hui – St. Paul’s Co-educational College
Interpretive Reading – Semifinalist

HK08 Jean (Jing Yun) Hu – Hong Kong International School
Impromptu Speaking – Finalist
Parliamentary Debate – Finalist
Overall 22nd Best Speaker

HK09 Kaitlyn Liu – Chinese International School
Impromptu Speaking – Semifinalist
Parliamentary Debate – Semifinalist
After Dinner – Semifinalist
Overall 21st Best Speaker

HK10 Lilly Larard – Chinese International School
Interpretive Reading – Finalist

HK11 Lily Liang – Chinese International School
Parliamentary Debate – Semifinalist

HK12 – Megan Wong Yuet Sang – Diocesan Girls’ School
Interpretive Reading – Finalist
Impromptu Speaking – Semifinalist

Thanks must be given to 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, Chloe Yeung, Joseph Lim, Adam Pei, Andrea Chow, Callum Macbean, Garrett Mak, Joy Wan, Jayden Chow, Eric Wu, Evan Chow, Benjamin Wu, Jason Wong, Mark Lee, and Cynthia Or. Additional thanks is also to be given to HKT affiliates who stepped in to coach whilst in Bristol – Ethan Lo, Callum Macbean, and Avi Lau. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our parent chaperone, Rosanna Man, for their endless support for our students before and during the trip.

Finally, and most importantly, thanks must go to Chloe Yeung, team coach and alumni of the WIDPSC HK Team, for tirelessly serving the HK team by coaching the team and hosting WIDPSC 2026 in the beautiful city of Bristol. Thank you for making WIDPSC 2026 a memory of a lifetime for the 12 members of the HK team, and breathing new life into the heart of what WIDPSC is.

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 23, 2026 (Saturday), held at ELCHK Lutheran Academy. 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. Details of the categories can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dyRVPORpnav8rcTL-Xojtgwad6zQbd0scB2L7vEIuZw/edit

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 13 (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/yDTuzymUAmbnaQHx9 

The following is the tentative schedule of the competition day on 23rd 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. 

Thank you to all who participated and adjudicated in JSDC 2026, held at the French International School of Hong Kong during this past weekend! With 7 intense debate rounds across 2 days, we hope the tournament was a fulfilling experience for everyone — we are delighted to publicly announce the final results of the tournament alongside some extra information.

Firstly, the Top 10 Speakers, are as follows:

1. Emi Rujis (CIS)
2. Joanne Lau (DGS)
3. Alice Wan (HKIS HS)
4. Nora Cappelen (CDNIS)
5. Cathy Li (HYS)
6. Cyrus Yuan (DBS)
7. Rachel Rhodes (GSIS)
8. Vera Hui (GSIS)
9. Theodore Wang (HKIS HS)
10. Charlize Wong (HKIS MS)

The best speaker from a debut school at this tournament is: Ashwin Moorgani (SAIS)

In addition, after a heated grand finals debate between DBS and HKIS HS, DBS emerged as Champion, with the Grand Finals Best Speaker being Piers Ko from HKIS HS. Congratulations to all prizewinners and to the Champion, First Runner-up and Semi-finalists!

All tabs and the break have been released publicly on our tab page: 

https://juniorsdc2026.calicotab.com/juniorsdc2026

Finally, we would like to thank everyone who aided in the creation and operation of the tournament, be they debater, adjudicator, motions committee member, or orgcomm member. We would also like to thank FIS again for graciously providing their Tseung Kwan O campus as the tournament venue this weekend. The Junior Schools Debating Championship has always been one of the stages for young debating talent in Hong Kong to show themselves and flourish, and this year’s iteration was no different. Whether it be your first or last JSDC, we hope you got something out of it, and will use that to further your debate careers. With that, we hope to see everyone again soon!

Our highly-anticipated Junior Schools Debating Championships (JSDC), returning as an in-person event for the first time on 7-8th March, 2026, at French International School, is right around the corner! We are looking for passionate debaters who are interested in judging as independent adjudicators for the tournament!

(Please note that if you have registered a team in JSDC and are serving as a judge on behalf of your institution, you cannot register to be an IA.)

Eligibility: Secondary school graduates who have debate or judging experience, preferably in WSDC or similar formats.

Date: 7th March, 2026 08:00-18:00 (preliminary rounds); 8th March, 2026 09:15-15:30 (finals)

Venue: French International School (Tseung Kwan O Campus); 28 Tong Yin St, Tseung Kwan O

Remuneration: HKD100 per round for Chairs, HKD50 per round for Panelists. The AdjCore will assign chairs/panellists based on debating and judging achievements.

Link to the Team Registration Form: https://forms.gle/8YtGxVH3u7p64iTw9

If you have any inquiries, please contact us at info@hkdsc.org.

We are delighted to announce that registration for Junior Schools Debating Championships 2026 is now open. 

Here are the key details of the tournament:

Dates: 7 March 2026, 08:00 – 18:00 (preliminary rounds); 8 March 2026, 09:15 – 15:30 (break rounds)

Venue: French International School 

Registration Deadline: 6 February 2026, 23:59

Cost: HKD300 per team

Eligibility: 3-5 members per team; Form 1-3 / Year 7-10 / Grade 6-9

Team cap: 28 teams (one team per school)

Format: WSDC – 6-minute main speech with points of information, 3-minute reply speeches

Adjudicators: Each team must provide at least one adjudicator

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

Awards: Top 10 Speaker Awards (debaters speaking in 3 or more preliminary rounds are eligible); Top 8 teams break to Quarter-final

Schedule:

Day 1

08:00 – 08:30               Registration and roll-call

08:30 – 09:00               Tournament briefing

09:00 – 10:15               Round 1 prepared debate + feedback

10:15 – 10:30               Break

10:30 – 11:00               Prep time for round 2 semi-prepared debate

11:00 – 12:15               Round 2 semi-prepared debate + feedback

12:15 – 13:15               Lunch break

13:15 – 13:45               Prep time for round 3 semi-prepared debate

13:45 – 15:00               Round 3 semi-prepared debate + feedback

15:00 – 15:15               Break

15:15 – 16:00               Prep time for round 4 impromptu debate

16:00 – 17:00               Round 4 impromptu debate (silent round)

17:00 – 17:30               Tabulation of results

17:30 – 18:00               Break announcement, prizes for top speakers

Day 2

09:15 – 09:45               Registration and roll-call

09:45 – 10:45               Quarter-final prepared debate

10:45 – 11:15               Announcement of QF results and feedback

11:15 – 12:00               Prep time for Semi-final impromptu debate

12:00 – 13:00               Semi-final impromptu debate

13:00 – 13:30               Announcement of SF results and feedback

13:30 – 14:00               Prep time for grand-final semi-prepared debate

14:00 – 14:50               Grand-final semi-prepared debate

14:50 – 15:30               Announcement of GF result and prize presentation

Team Registration Form: https://forms.gle/K8hLAah9QEkE7Xn89 

(Deadline: 6 February 2026)

For more information and any enquiries, please contact us at info@hkdsc.org. We look forward to seeing your teams and adjudicators at JSDC 2026! 

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