For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
If you have not registered by the end of this period you are not eligible to participate in our Varna tournament.
The Varna tournament portal is located here!
The BEST Foundation and the American University in Bulgaria will host Balkan Voices, the second annual international oratory competition in Bulgaria, in the spring of 2019. The tournament will take place from March 8th - March 10th on AUBG’s beautiful campus and will host approx. 100 9th-12th grade competitors from schools in the Balkans.
This tournament is a chance for high school students from all around the Balkans to compete with their Original Oratories (a beginner’s guide can be found here), make new friends from other countries, and to learn about the educational opportunities at AUBG. Balkan Voices will provide students with a cross-cultural experience that will enable them to substantially connect with students from other countries and to gain new perspectives. We believe that it is important that all students gain access to future opportunities through speech and debate, and touring AUBG and participating in faculty-led workshops during Balkan Voices will provide students with a new perspective on going to university. An international tournament hosted in Bulgaria will also enable more future BEST students to get valuable intercultural experiences through speech and debate.
Information on the logistics and how to register can be found below, and as always, you can e-mail us with questions at info@bestfoundation.bg.
If your school or any authorities require an official letter of invitation for your students from either us or AUBG, please, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Friday, March 8th
16:00-18:00: Registration, luggage storage (AUBG America For Bulgaria Student Center 2nd floor)
18:00-18:30: Opening Ceremony (Balkanski Center Auditorium)
18:30-19:30: Dinner in dining hall
20:00-21:00: Improv performance by the AUBG Improv club
22:00: Shuttle buses to hotel
Saturday, March 9th
7:30-8:30: Breakfast at hotels
8:30: Shuttles leave for AUBG campus (everyone)
9:00-10:00: Group shake out: In front of Balkanski Center
Judges Training: Balkanski Center
Volunteer training: Balkanski Center
10:00-11:15: Flight A, Round 1, (Flight B Campus Tour)
11:30-12:45: Flight B, Round 1, (Flight A Campus Tour)
13:00-14:00: Lunch
14:15-15:30: Flight A, Round 2 (Flight B Faculty workshop) Anna Joukivskaia
15:45-17:00: Flight B, Round 2 (Flight A Faculty workshop) Anna Joukivskaia
17:15-18:30: Quarterfinals in BC rooms
18:30-19:30: Q&A panel with AUBG students (ASPIRE Room in Student Center)
19:30-20:30: Dinner
20:30-22:30: Karaoke Social in ABF Student Center cafe
23:00: Shuttle buses departs for hotel
Sunday, March 10th
7:00-8:00: Breakfast at hotels
8:00: Shuttle leaves for AUBG campus (bring luggage and store in luggage room)
8:30-9:45: Semifinals in BC rooms
10:15-11:30: Finals in Student Center Theater
12:00-12:30: Closing Ceremony and Awards
12:30-14:00: Lunch
14:00: Departures
We will be in contact with each individual international group and assist as best we can with international travel advice as soon as you have submitted your application. Please make sure that your group is cleared to travel and arrive at the tournament site by Friday afternoon, March 8. Conversely, you can e-mail us with any questions you want to ask before you apply at info@bestfoundation.bg
Tournament attendance will be covered (we will cover the hotel costs for Friday and Saturday, and reimburse your transport upon arrival to the tournament) for approx. 50 participants from Bulgaria, and approx. 60 total participants from the following countries: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia. This wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of the Regional English Language Office - Belgrade.
AUBG will provide a shuttle bus to transport a large number of participants to and from the hotel where they are booked to stay. You can call the following taxi companies for transport around town:
Tip-Top Taxi - +359 73 833 333
OK Taxi - +359 73 882 121
Eco Taxi - +359 73 886 666
Mega Lux - +359 73 882 828
The tournament will take place at AUBG’s campus, which can be found on this Google map:
Our generous partners from AUBG will provide dinner on Friday for all participants, lunch and dinner on Saturday, and lunch on Sunday. All of those will be held at the University’s canteen, located on the top floor of the building where the tournament will be held.
This is the Tournament Portal for our Spring East Tournament in Varna. The upcoming tournament will be held at Dr. Petar Beron Math High School on March 16-17, 2019. Registration for the tournament has now opened and will close on March 4. Coaches, if you haven’t received an invitation for the tournament on Speechwire, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The official letter of invitation for the tournament is available here. If you want a customized letter mailed to your school, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Tournament press releases in English and Bulgarian are coming soon!
The tentative schedule for the tournament is coming soon. For now, keep in mind that the tournament will start on Saturday morning, and end on Sunday in the early afternoon.
We welcome all high school graduates with C1 or higher English to judge at our tournaments. If you are new to BEST and our tournaments, visit our Judging Basics page!
We will reimburse all judges for their transport if they use trains or buses, but we strongly encourage taking the most affordable option when possible (usually trains). Please purchase your ticket back from the tournament location as well, as we cannot reimburse you without being presented tickets. We will provide food at the tournament site, and we will also cover one night of hotel accommodations for regional tournaments. In exceptional circumstances when a judge can’t make it to the tournament site before 11am on Saturday, we will cover two nights of hotel accommodation.
Judge registration for the tournament has now opened, and the form can be found here! Coaches, you must register if you are judging, too, and don’t forget to include your judges when you fill out your team roster spreadsheet (see below).
The team roster and hotels spreadsheet is avaliable here.
*Note: Any names and other personal data filled in the spreadsheet will be used solely for the purposes of organizing the tournament, securing accommodation, and tournament statistics.
In compliance with European GDPR laws, any student under the age of 18 who wishes to attend this BEST tournament needs to have this photo release form printed and signed by their parent/guardian. Students 18 and over need to print this form and sign it themselves. All students’ coaches are responsible to send photographic proof (photos or scans) of the filled-out forms to BEST by the registration deadline. If they fail to do so, the students’ registration is void.
The Scholarship application form is available here.
We will provide taxi numbers for transport between hotels and the tournament site soon.
The tournament will take place at Maths High School Petar Beron, which can be found on this Google map:
We will provide a list of restaurants and stores in town a week before the tournament.
Novice Prepared:
THBT teachers should not be permitted to contact students through social media platforms.
THBT the state should make efforts to reintroduce endangered species to habitats where they have been eliminated through poaching.
TH would introduce an Internet voting system in Bulgaria.
Novice Impromptu hints:
Education
Government Representation
Varsity Prepared:
TH, as the Balkan States, would make a joint bid to host the Olympic Games.
"THBT truth and reconciliation commissions are a better response to past political violence than punishment.
THBT students in US high schools should be allowed to take classes in programming languages, such as Java or Python, to fulfill foreign language requirements*.
*Certain US high schools which require students to have spent time studying a foreign language are now recognizing time spent studying a programming language as meeting their foreign language requirements.
Varsity Impromptu hints:
Feminism
Vegetarianism
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
When this period starts you should receive an e-mail from Speechwire asking you to register. If you don’t receive that e-mail, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The National tournament portal is located here!
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
If you have not registered by the end of this period you are not eligible to participate in our National tournament.
The National tournament portal is located here!
This is the Tournament Portal for our National Tournament in Sofia. The upcoming tournament will be held at the University of National and World Economy on April 19-21, 2019. Registration for the tournament will open on March 25 and will close on April 8. Please note that only students who have broken to semifinals at our regional tournaments are eligible to participate. Coaches, if you don’t receive an invitation for the tournament on Speechwire, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The official letter of invitation for the tournament is coming soon. If you want a customized letter mailed to your school, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Tournament press releases in English and Bulgarian are coming soon!
The tentative schedule for the tournament is coming soon. For now, keep in mind that the tournament will start on Friday afternoon, and end on Sunday in the early afternoon.
We welcome all high school graduates with C1 or higher English to judge at our tournaments. If you are new to BEST and our tournaments, visit our Judging Basics page!
We will reimburse all judges for their transport if they use trains or buses, but we strongly encourage taking the most affordable option when possible (usually trains). Please purchase your ticket back from the tournament location as well, as we cannot reimburse you without being presented tickets. We will provide food at the tournament site, and we will also cover one night of hotel accommodations for regional tournaments. In exceptional circumstances when a judge can’t make it to the tournament site before 8am on Saturday, we will cover two nights of hotel accommodation.
Judge registration for the tournament will open soon! Coaches, you must register if you are judging, too, and don’t forget to include your judges when you fill out your team roster spreadsheet (see below).
The team roster and hotels spreadsheet will be available when registration opens.
*Note: Any names and other personal data filled in the spreadsheet will be used solely for the purposes of organizing the tournament, securing accommodation, and tournament statistics.
The Scholarship application form will be available when registration opens.
We will provide taxi numbers for transport between hotels and the tournament site soon.
The tournament will take place at the American University in Bulgaria’s main building, which can be found on this Google map:
We will provide a list of restaurants and stores in town a week before the tournament.
The debate motions for the tournament will be announced when registration opens.
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
When this period starts you should receive an e-mail from Speechwire asking you to register. If you don’t receive that e-mail, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The Varna tournament portal is located here!
This is the Tournament Portal for our Spring West Tournament in Blagoevgrad. The upcoming tournament will be held at the American University in Bulgaria and the Southwestern University on February 16-17, 2019. Registration for the tournament has closed.
The official letter of invitation for the tournament is available here. If you want a customized letter mailed to your school, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Tournament press releases in English and Bulgarian are coming soon!
All tournament events will be held at the AUBG Main Building, and not the Campus - directions to the Main Building can be found further down in this page.
Saturday, February 16th
9:30 - 11:00 - Team Check In
10:00 - 12:00 - Judge Briefing Session 1
11:00 - Opening Ceremony
12:00 - Round 1 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
Judge Briefing Session 2
13:30 - Round 1 Flight A: Debate (Prepared) and Poetry
14:30 - Lunch
15:00 - Round 2 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
AUBG Campus tour - 1st group
16:30 - Round 2 Flight A: Debate (Impromptu) and Poetry
AUBG Campus tour - 2nd group
18:15 - Quarterfinals: Varsity Prose, Varsity Oratory
Semifinals: Novice Oratory, Novice Prose, Duo
19:30 - Quarterfinals: Poetry
Round 3: Debate (Prepared)
20:30 - Semifinals: Varsity Oratory and Varsity Prose
Sunday, February 17th
8:30 - Semi-finals: Poetry
Round 4: Debate (Impromptu)
10:00 - Finals: Prose, Oratory, and Duo
11:30 - Finals: Poetry and Debate
13:30 - Closing Ceremony
We welcome all high school graduates with C1 or higher English to judge at our tournaments. If you are new to BEST and our tournaments, visit our Judging Basics page!
We will reimburse all judges for their transport if they use trains or buses, but we strongly encourage taking the most affordable option when possible (usually trains). Please purchase your ticket back from the tournament location as well, as we cannot reimburse you without being presented tickets. We will provide food at the tournament site, and we will also cover one night of hotel accommodations for regional tournaments. In exceptional circumstances when a judge can’t make it to the tournament site before 11am on Saturday, we will cover two nights of hotel accommodation.
Judge registration for the tournament has closed.
The team roster and hotels spreadsheet has been closed. If you have any corrections to make, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
In compliance with European GDPR laws, any student under the age of 18 who wishes to attend this BEST tournament needs to have this photo release form printed and signed by their parent/guardian and bring it to the tournament. If a student’s coach fails to send photographic proof of the filled in form to BEST by registration deadline, the student’s registration is void.
Scholarship application for the tournament has closed.
You can call the following taxi companies for transport between hotels and the tournament site.
Tip-Top Taxi - 073 833 333
OK Taxi - 073 882 121
Eco Taxi - 073 886 666
Mega Lux - 073 882 828
Here’s a list of all hotels which will host BEST participants throughout the tournament. For coaches, you will have received information about which hotel you’re booked in approximately a week before the tournament.
The tournament will take place at the American University in Bulgaria’s main building, which can be found on this Google map:
Here is a list of restaurants and large grocery stores in Blagoevgrad.
Novice prepared motions:
THBT in areas of socioeconomic deprivation, schools should train students in vocational skills to the exclusion of the liberal arts.
THBT the primary aim of the criminal justice system should be rehabilitation, not retribution.
THW allow children to attend any primary school regardless of geographical proximity.
Novice impromptu hints:
Romance
Quotas
Varsity prepared motions:
THW offer conditional cash transfers (CCTs) to low-income families to reward their children's school attendance.
THW ban private healthcare.
TH, as the United Kingdom, would hold a second referendum on leaving the European Union.
Varsity impromptu hints:
Parenthood
Voting rights
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
If you have not registered by the end of this period you are not eligible to participate in our Blagoevgrad tournament.
The Blagoevgrad tournament portal is located here!
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
When this period starts you should receive an e-mail from Speechwire asking you to register. If you don’t receive that e-mail, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The Blagoevgrad tournament portal is located here!
This is the Tournament Portal for our Fall East Tournament in Sliven. The upcoming tournament will be held at Zahariy Stoyanov WLHS in Sliven on December 1-2. Registration for the tournament has now closed.
You can find the official letter of invitation in Bulgarian here! If you want a customized letter mailed to your school, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Tournament press releases in English and Bulgarian are coming soon!
Saturday, December 1st
9:30 - 11:00 - Team Check In
10:00 - 12:00 - Judge Briefing Session 1
11:00 - Opening Ceremony
12:00 - Round 1 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
Judge Briefing Session 2
13:30 - Round 1 Flight A: Debate (Prepared) and Poetry
14:30 - Lunch
15:00 - Round 2 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
16:30 - Round 2 Flight A: Debate (Impromptu) and Poetry
18:15 - Quarterfinals: Varsity Prose and Varsity Oratory
Semifinals: Novice Oratory, Novice Prose, Varsity Duo
Round 3: Novice Duo
19:30 - Quarterfinals: Varsity Poetry/Semifinals: Novice Poetry
Round 3: Debate (Prepared)
20:30 - Semifinals: Varsity Oratory and Varsity Prose
Sunday, December 2nd
8:30 - Semi-final: Varsity Poetry,
Round 4: Debate (Impromptu)
10:00 - Finals: Prose, Oratory, and Duo
11:30 - Finals: Poetry and Debate
13:30 - Closing Ceremony
*Note that schedule is subject to change based on registrations.
We welcome all high school graduates with C1 or higher English to judge at our tournaments. If you are new to BEST and our tournaments, visit our Judging Basics page!
We will reimburse all judges for their transport if they use trains or buses, but we strongly encourage taking the most affordable option when possible (usually trains). Please purchase your ticket back from the tournament location as well, as we cannot reimburse you without being presented tickets. We will provide food at the tournament site, and we will also cover one night of hotel accommodations for regional tournaments. In exceptional circumstances when a judge can’t make it to the tournament site before 11am on Saturday, we will cover two nights of hotel accommodation.
Judge registration for the tournament is now open, and the sign-up form can be found here! Coaches, you must register if you are judging, too, and don’t forget to include your judges when you fill out your team roster spreadsheet (see below).
The team roster and hotels spreadsheet is now closed. If you have any changes, please submit them to info@bestfoundation.bg.
In compliance with European GDPR laws, any student under the age of 18 who wishes to attend this BEST tournament needs to have this photo release form signed by their parent/guardian and bring it to the tournament. If a student’s coach fails to send photographic proof of the filled in form to BEST by registration deadline, the student’s registration is void.
*Note: Any names and other personal data filled in the spreadsheet will be used solely for the purposes of organizing the tournament, securing accommodation, and tournament statistics.
The Scholarship application form for the upcoming tournament has now closed.
You can call the following taxi companies for transport between hotels and the tournament site. Please allow ample time before you depart and call since their fleets are limited!
Evro Taxi - 080015156
Grup Taxi - 044 6142
Es-Si Taxi - 044 6145
The tournament will take place at Zahariy Stoyanov WLHS, which can be found on this Google map:
You can refer to this list of restaurants and supermarkets in Sliven!
Prepared motions:
TH would criminalize the use of cryptocurrencies.
TH, as the European Union, would oppose China's Belt and Road Initiative.
TH would institute a universal basic income.
Impromptu hints:
Punishment
Religion
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
If you have not registered by the end of this period you are not eligible to participate in our Sliven tournament.
The Sliven tournament portal is located here!
This is the Tournament Portal for our Fall West Tournament in Vratsa. The upcoming tournament will be held at Yoan Ekzarh FLHS in Vratsa on November 17-18. Registration for the tournament is now open and closes on November 5. Coaches, you should have received an invitation to register for this tournament on Speechwire. If you haven’t received the invitation, or if you are a coach in a different region and would like to bring your team to this tournament, please email us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
You can find the official letter of invitation in Bulgarian here! If you want a customized letter mailed to your school, e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
Here you can find the pre-tournament press release in English and Bulgarian.
Saturday, November 17th
9:00 - 11:00 - Team Check In
10:00 - 12:00 - Judge Briefing Session 1
11:00 - Opening Ceremony
12:00 - Round 1 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
Judge Briefing Session 2
13:30 - Round 1 Flight A: Debate (Prepared) and Poetry
14:30 - Lunch
15:00 - Round 2 Flight B: Oratory, Prose, and Duo
16:30 - Round 2 Flight A: Debate (Impromptu) and Poetry
18:15 - Quarter-finals: Varsity Oratory, Varsity Prose, Duo
Semi-finals: Novice Oratory and Novice Prose
19:30 - Quarter-finals: Varsity Poetry/ Semi-finals: Novice Poetry
Round 3: Debate (Prepared)
20:30 - Semi-finals: Varsity Prose, Varsity Oratory, and Duo
Sunday, November 18th
8:30 - Semi-final: Varsity Poetry,
Round 4: Debate (Impromptu)
10:00 - Finals: Prose, Oratory, and Duo
11:30 - Finals: Poetry and Debate
13:30 - Closing Ceremony
*Note that schedule is subject to change based on registrations.
We welcome all high school graduates with C1 or higher English to judge at our tournaments. If you are new to BEST and our tournaments, visit our Judging Basics page!
We will reimburse all judges for their transport if they use trains or buses, but we strongly encourage taking the most affordable option when possible (usually trains). Please purchase your ticket back from the tournament location as well, as we cannot reimburse you without being presented tickets. We will provide food at the tournament site, and we will also cover one night of hotel accommodations for regional tournaments. In exceptional circumstances when a judge can’t make it to the tournament site before 11am on Saturday, we will cover two nights of hotel accommodation.
Judge registration for the tournament is now open, and the sign-up form can be found here! Coaches, you must register if you are judging, too, and don’t forget to include your judges when you fill out your team roster spreadsheet (see below).
The Registration period for the upcoming tournament has ended.
In compliance with European GDPR laws, any student under the age of 18 who wishes to attend this BEST tournament needs to have this photo release form signed by their parent/guardian and bring it to the tournament. If a student’s coach fails to send photographic proof of the filled in form to BEST by registration deadline, the student’s registration is void.
*Note: Any names and other personal data filled in the spreadsheet will be used solely for the purposes of organizing the tournament, securing accommodation, and tournament statistics.
The Scholarship application period for the upcoming tournament has ended.
You can call the following taxi companies for transport to the out-of-town hotels. Please allow ample time before you depart and call since their fleets are limited!
Korekt Taxi - 092 666 666
Prestige Taxi - 092 666 666
The tournament will take place at Yoan Ekzarh FLHS, which can be found on this Google map:
You can refer to this list of restaurants and supermarkets in Vratsa!
Prepared motions:
THW ban further development of Artificial Intelligence
THW stop directing European Investment Fund money to states that refuse to take a share of refugees proportional to their share of EU GDP.
THW not allow corporations to donate to political parties, campaigns, or candidates.
Impromptu hints:
Free speech
Child psychology
Prepared motions:
TH, as a formerly communist state*, would remove the monuments of the former regime.
* This is an actor motion. It is to be debated from the point of view of the actor - in this case the formerly communist state - and aims to determine whether adopting the motion would benefit the actor.
THBT governments should abandon the strategy of "decapitation"* in fighting terrorism.
* Decapitation in this context is defined as targetting the leaders of terrorist organizations.
TH supports the promotion of collective guilt after large scale crimes against humanity.
Impromptu hints:
Faith
Art
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
When this period starts you should receive an e-mail from Speechwire asking you to register. If you don’t receive that e-mail, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The Sliven tournament portal is located here!
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
If you have not registered by the end of this period you are not eligible to participate in our Vratsa tournament.
The Vratsa tournament portal is located here!
For more information on how to register for a BEST tournament visit our Registration page. If you don’t have a team and want to start one, read up more on how to Start a team!
When this period starts you should receive an e-mail from Speechwire asking you to register. If you don’t receive that e-mail, please e-mail us at info@bestfoundation.bg.
The Vratsa tournament portal is located here!
The Shumen Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Silistra, Shumen, Ruse, Razgrad. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The Stara Zagora Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Dimitrovgrad, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Sliven, Stara Zagora, Yambol. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The Blagoevgrad Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Blagoevgrad, Gotse Delchev, Kyustendil, Pernik, Petrich, Sofia. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The Varna Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Burgas, Dobrich, Varna. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The Vratsa Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Vratsa, Lovech, Montana, Pleven, Pravets, Sofia, Vidin. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The Plovdiv Coach training will cater to coaches from the following regions: Kardzhali, Panagyurishte, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Smolyan, Sofia. At the training you can expect to learn everything about starting or maintaining a team, as well as get updates on BEST Policy changes. BEST will cover your travel to the Coach training location.
The BEST Foundation 2018 Student Leader Training will feature two days of intense workshops focusing on teambuilding, project management, and of course - leadership.
