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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.

We are delighted to announce that registration for Junior Schools Debating Championships 2025 is now open. 

We apologise for the slight delay to registrations and regret to inform you that the event will be held online. While we understand that the community benefits from an offline event, the logistics of securing a location were difficult to overcome. We hope that schools will still treasure this opportunity to debate with young speakers around Hong Kong.

Here are the key details of the tournament:

Dates: 15 March 2025, 08:00 – 18:00 (preliminary rounds); 16 March 2025, 09:15 – 15:30 (break rounds)

Registration Deadline: 14 February 2025, 23:59

Mode: Zoom

Cost: HKD 300 per team

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

Team cap: 32 teams (one team per school – second teams are not guaranteed; priority for second teams will go to previously underrepresented schools)

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

Adjudicators: Each team must provide at least one adjudicator; a second team must be accompanied by a second 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: Link

(Deadline: 14 February 2025)

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

Thank you again to all participants for your enthusiastic participation in a day of rigorous trials on 9th November 2024; speaking and judging at all four (or even five) events from 8am to 5pm is no easy feat! We would also like to congratulate the top speakers from the WIDPSC Trials. The top 12 speakers are as follows:

1. Andrea Chow (RCHK)

2. Evan Chow (DBS)

3. Jean Hu (HKIS)

4. Advik Sharma (HKIS)

5. Marcus Lau (DBS)

6. Joy Wan (DGS)

7. Max Lee (DBS)

8. Lilly Larard (CIS)

9. Kaitlyn Liu (CIS)

10. Jun Nam (HKIS)

11. Chow Pak Kiu (SPCC)

12. Megan Wong (DGS)

And the two reserve breaking speakers:

13. Cynthia Or (SPCC)

14. Benjamin Wu (DBS)

We once again thank all judges, coaches, and student helpers – from SPCC, DBS, THS 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 The Harbour 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 forwards, we cannot wait to begin training with the team in preparation for WIDPSC 2025 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 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!

Thank you to those who participated in Senior SDC 2024, 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 SDC is HKIS 1, debating against DGS 1 in a spectacular Grand Final round. We congratulate both them and the runner-up heartily.

The grand finals motion was: This House Opposes the expectation that romantic partners should be the primary source of support for each other’s mental health.

Next, the Top 10 Speakers (with a tie at 1st, 3rd and 10th place) are as follows:

1=. Jonathan Ho, DBS 1

1=. Or Cheuk Lam Cynthia, SPCC 1

3=. Andrea Chow, RCHK 1

3=. Mollie Mei, HKIS 1

*5. Clara Lau, ICS 1

6. David Hong, HKIS 1

7. Evan Chow, DBS 1

8. Anson Cheng, DGS 1

*9. Tingting Zhang, CIS 1

10=. Hanyi Zhou, CIS 2

10=. Max Lee, DBS 2

10=. Pak Yin Wong, SPC 1

* As an addendum, only speakers with 3 or more speeches have traditionally been considered for speaker awards and this will resume in future competitions. For this instance however, trophies will still remain with awardees that have 2 speeches.

All tabs and the break have now been released publicly. They can be viewed at https://seniorsdc2024.calicotab.com/seniorsdc2024/

Payment receipts will be processed and sent to all teams who requested it as soon as possible. If you have ordered catering/bought catering on the spot and have NOT paid yet, there will be a separate email detailing payment processes in the future.

Thank you once again to everyone, judges and teams alike, who participated in this SDC. We hope to see everyone again soon and we wish everyone the best of luck in your future debate ventures.

We are delighted to open applications for the 2024 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 2025, held in Panama from 22 July – 1 August 2025.

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 2026 or later).

Those selected to be part of either time will have approximately five hours of training a week in groups and individuals until July 2025 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 on 16th July 2025, and no older than 19. You must be attending a High School in Hong Kong. 

The decision on who is selected to trial, the membership of both the squads and the final team will be made only by the current head 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 on evenings from 26 October to 7 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 experiences by 23.59HKT on 19 Oct. All applicants will be informed whether they are called for a trial by 22 Oct. 

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://forms.gle/ezS9JKKYkoroCS7J6

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Harish Natarajan at hknatarajan@gmail.com or info@hkdsc.org

We are pleased to announce that Trials for the Hong Kong WIDPSC Team will be taking place on November 9, 2024, at The Harbour School. With representation in every finals category and a 1st Runner Up for After Dinner at WIDPSC 2024, we now look forward to writing the new chapter of our public speaking legacy at Kuala Lumpur in 2025!

To ensure sufficient training time for the team, trials have been moved (from January to November) since last year; hopefully, this will also be able to accommodate for diverse examination schedules in Hong Kong schools. 

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 last year to best facilitate the schedule and effectiveness of the Trials. 

The registration link is below. Please register by October 23 (Wed): https://forms.gle/KyzYqWWqQuCGzcvk7 

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 2025, subject to organisers’ discretion and competitor quotas.

As we enter the 2024-2025 academic year, we are elated to announce that the Senior Schools Debating Championships (SDC) is returning on 12-13 October, 2024. 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 Wah Yan College, Hong Kong for the first time.

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

Team Registration Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduiz3Iihi8Dk4c1g1kseteZfqFNMnEiRJjtWr5ehNaWfpeHQ/viewform?usp=sharing 

Registration deadline: 20 September, 2024

Date: 12 October 8am-6:30pm (preliminary rounds); 13 October 9am-5pm (break rounds).

Venue: Wah Yan College, Hong Kong

Cost: HKD500 per team.

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

Adjudicators: Each team must provide at least one adjudicator. A second team must be accompanied by a second adjudicator.

Team cap: 30 teams.

Format: WSDC – 8-minute main speech with points of information, 4-minute replies.

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

Awards: Top Ten Speaker awards (debaters contesting 3 or more prelim debates are eligible); Top 8 teams break to quarter-final. Priority for second teams will go to previously underrepresented schools.

(Tentative) Schedule:

Day 1

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

08:15 – 08:45:               Tournament briefing

08:45 – 10:25:               Round 1 prepared debate + feedback

10:25 – 10:40:               Break

10:40 – 10:55:               Prep time for round 2 semi-prepared debate

10:55 – 12:35:               Round 2 semi-prepared debate + feedback

12:35 – 13:15:               Lunch break

13:15 – 13:30:               Prep time for round 3 semi-prepared debate

13:30 – 15:10:               Round 3 semi-prepared debate + feedback

15:10 – 15:25:               Break

15:25 – 16:10:               Prep time for round 4 impromptu debate

16:10 – 17:40:               Round 4 impromptu debate (silent round)

17:40 – 18:00:               Tabulation of results

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

Day 2

09:15 – 09:30:               Registration and roll-call

09:30 – 11:00:               Quarter-final prepared debate

11:00 – 11:30:               Announcement of QF results and feedback

11:30 – 12:15:               Prep time for Semi-final impromptu debate

12:15 – 13:45:               Semi-final impromptu debate

13:45 – 14:15:               Announcement of SF results and feedback

14:15 – 15:00:               Prep time for grand-final impromptu debate

15:00 – 16:30:               Grand-final impromptu debate

16:30 – 17:00:               Announcement of GF 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 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 2024! 

Dear HKDSC Community,

As we step into the new academic year, we are excited to bring to you a wide variety of public speaking and debating events for the 2024-25 academic year. Through these events, we hope to reach more passionate and energetic souls and enable them in achieving the full potential of their voices. A brief summary of the planned events for this year are as follows:

Senior SDC – 12th-13th October 2024 (In-person)
WSDC HK Team Trials – 19th-20th October 2024 (Remote)
WIDPSC HK Team Trials – 9th November 2024 (In-person)
Junior SDC – 15th-16th March 2025 (In-person)
Junior Indivs – 3rd or 10th of May 2025 (In-person; final date TBC)
Flashpoint 2025 – May/June 2025 (TBC)

For more details on these events, please access our calendar tab or reach out to us for more information at info@hkdsc.org.
Our best wishes to you and your families this holiday season!

Sincerely,
The HKDSC