BEST Foundation is organising the first of its kind Summer Speech and Debate Festival! This page is the Tournament Portal for our 2025 Summer Voices Festival. The events will be held from the 7th until the 16th of August over Discord.
This year our annual Summer camp has been transformed into a brand new online Speech and Debate Festival. This event is a fresh chance for high school students to attend workshops and lectures that will strive to improve their public speaking and acting skills, while competing in thought-provoking and engaging categories. The festival will be spread out over the course of nine days in order to give students the opportunity to take part in all of the interesting events. All lectures and workshops will be led by successful BEST alumni, alongside members of the national debate team.
Participation in the festival is free of charge, but spots are limited.
Categories
Debate participants can compete either in a team of three in the usual WSDC category or as a single participant in the new 1:1 category.
1:1 WSDC-Style Debate – It’s you vs. one opponent in a fast-paced, solo twist on traditional WSDC. Sharpen your strategy, think on your feet, and take the spotlight!
Speech participants can compete in up to two out of three exclusive categories - Solo-Acting, Storytelling and Humorous Interpretation.
*For the Summer Speech Festival we have prepared a document compiling all of the information needed regarding the categories - Speech Festival Categories & Rules (specifics, rules, sources, etc.)
Solo Acting Interpretation – Ever dreamed of doing a duo — but solo? Step into the spotlight and perform a dramatic or comedic scene using only your voice, face, and movement. It’s just you, your talent, and the stage.
Humorous Interpretation – Love making people laugh? Bring a funny script to life in a lively solo performance full of character, timing, and charm.
Storytelling – Retell a classic tale or myth with heart, clarity, and creativity. Keep it simple, expressive, and full of imagination!
Information on the logistics and rules can be found below, and as always, you can e-mail us with questions at info@bestfoundation.bg
Registration
Registration opens on the 10th of July and closes on the 30th of July for the Debate Festival and on the 7th of August for the Speech Festival.
Debate competitors and spectators are required to sign up through the Debate Festival registration form here, while Speech competitors and spectators are required to sign up through the Speech Festival registration form here.
*Both competitors and spectators are required to register through the forms.
Tournament Schedule
Summer Debate Festival
7th-10th August
*If a participant is unable to participate in all lectures, they can still attend the tournament.
Day 1 (Thursday, August 7)
18:30 - Opening Ceremony
19:00 - Novice: Introduction to Debate and Argumentation Seminar (Logical Fallacies)
19:00 - Varsity: Case Building (Choosing the winning case, Framework)
Day 2 (Friday, August 8)
18:30 - Novice: Types of Motion, Shorthands and Flowing Seminar
18:30 - Varsity: Strategic Content (Analysis, Mechanization, Illustration, Impactation)
Day 3 (Saturday, August 9)
11:00 - Novice : First Speech Seminar (more on Argument Building and Framework)
11:00 - Varsity: Effective Engagement (Rebuttal, POI, Weighing)
13:00 - Novice : Second Speech Seminar (more on Rebuttal and Argument Extension)
15:00 - Novice : Third Speech Seminar (more on Weighing and Clash points)
Day 4 (Sunday, August 10)
Main Tournament – 12 Teams
10:00 – Round 1 (Prepared)
11:30 – Motion Released: Round 2 (Impromptu, 30-min prep)
12:00 – Round 2 (Impromptu)
13:30 – Round 3 (Prepared)
15:30 – Motion Released: Final Round (Impromptu, 30-min prep)
16:00 – Final Round (Impromptu)
18:00 – Closing Ceremony
Parallel Track: 1:1 WSDC Rounds (for 8 selected participants)
12:00 – Round 1
13:30 – Round 2
15:00 – Final Round
Summer Speech Festival
13th - 16th August
Day 1 (Wednesday, August 13)
19:00 - 20:30: Humorous Interpretation – Lecturers: Morgan Rowe & Kelsey Walock
*Featuring a special icebreaker - After Dinner Speaking, led by Kelsey Walock
Day 2 (Thursday, August 14)
19:00 - 20:30: Solo-Acting Interpretation – Lecturers: Nadezhda Kancheva & Kristina Petrova
Day 3 (Friday, August 15)
19:00 - 20:30: Storytelling – Lecturers: Tatyana Vlaykova & Desislava Taseva
Day 4 (Saturday, August 16)
To Be Announced
Debate Motions
Main Tournament
Prepared Motions
This House Regrets the commercialization of space.
This House Would ban surrogate motherhood.
Impromptu Hints
Sport, Popular Culture
1:1 WSDC Tournament
Impromptu Hints
Social, Emotions, Sport