Lincoln-DouglasFramework
Value and criterion, explained
The two sentences that decide most Lincoln-Douglas rounds, what they mean, how judges use them, and how to pick ones you can defend.
Resource library, 2026-27 season
Free guides for every speech and debate event.
Twenty-nine guides and topic primers across Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Policy, Congressional Debate, Big Questions, World Schools, and the speech events, written for students and coaches building programs without a research budget. Free to read, print, and share.
Library last updated September 14, 2026. See what changed or open the practice tools.
2026-27 topics
Set by the National Speech & Debate Association and updated through the year. The September/October primers are below; Policy and Big Questions topics run all season. Confirm wording at speechanddebate.org/topics before you write.
Lincoln-DouglasSeptember/October 2026
Resolved: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative.
Definitions, framework choices, the strongest affirmative and negative ground, and a sample case outline for each side.
Read the topic primer
Public ForumSeptember/October 2026
Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction.
What a hyperscale data center is, where the policy debate stands, the best pro and con arguments, and where to find evidence.
Read the topic primer| Format | Current topic | CUDL materials |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln-Douglas | September/October 2026 Resolved: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative. | Primer published |
| Public Forum | September/October 2026 Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction. | Primer published |
| Policy | 2026-27 season Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States. | Beginner's guide published |
| Big Questions | 2026-27 season Resolved: Technological progress has surpassed humanity's ability to use it ethically. | Guide published |
Release calendar
The NSDA announces each topic on the first of the month before it takes effect, after a one-week member vote. Dates marked expected follow that pattern; confirm at speechanddebate.org/topics.
- October 1, 2026 November/December Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum topics (expected)
- December 1, 2026 January/February Lincoln-Douglas topic and January Public Forum topic (expected)
- January 1, 2027 February Public Forum topic (expected)
- February 1, 2027 March/April Lincoln-Douglas topic and March Public Forum topic (expected)
- March 1, 2027 April Public Forum topic (expected)
- Spring 2027 National Tournament topics (expected)
Lincoln-Douglas topics still in the 2026-27 pool
The NSDA wording committee published these potential resolutions for later topic periods. Voting assigns them to periods during the year.
- Resolved: Keeping wild animals in zoos is immoral.
- Resolved: De-extinction is unethical.
- Resolved: The United States ought to vest ecosystems with legal rights.
- Resolved: The use of artificial intelligence for offensive military operations is immoral.
- Resolved: The United States ought to substantially increase subsidies for renewable energy.
- Resolved: The United States ought to provide a universal basic income.
- Resolved: In a democracy, a candidate for public office's right to privacy ought to be valued above the public's right to know.
Tracker last checked September 13, 2026.
Not sure which event?
Ten events compared: team size, topics, speech times, and who each fits.
Resource library
Guides are written by Andrew Thomas unless otherwise noted. Filter by format, or start with the getting-started guides if this is your first season.
StudentStart hereFAQ, the beginner guides, and the sign-up form.
Teacher or coachStart a programA first semester, week by week, with no debate background.
Judge or volunteerJudge a roundWhat to watch, how to decide, and what to write on the ballot.
ParentSee the eventsTen formats compared, what each asks of a student.
Evidence library and block filesCase archive: full sample casesResearch feedGlossaryCongress docketCurriculum: 26 lesson plansTopic archiveNext topic planTournament tracker
29 resources
Lincoln-DouglasCase writing
How to build your first Lincoln-Douglas case
A step-by-step method for writing a six-minute affirmative or seven-minute negative case from a blank page, with a template you can fill in.
Lincoln-DouglasRebuttals
Lincoln-Douglas rebuttal strategy: the 1NC, 1AR, NR, and 2AR
What each rebuttal speech is for, how to allocate time in the hardest speech in debate, and how to collapse a round instead of losing it slowly.
Lincoln-DouglasSeptember/October 2026 topic
Topic primer: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative
Definitions, framework choices, the strongest affirmative and negative ground, evidence directions, and a sample case outline for each side of the September/October 2026 Lincoln-Douglas resolution.
Public ForumGetting started
A beginner's guide to Public Forum debate
The round structure, the speeches, the coin flip, what judges are looking for, and what to do in your first week, written for students who have never seen a round.
Public ForumStrategy
Weighing in Public Forum: how to win the round you are already winning
The four weighing mechanisms, how to phrase them for a lay judge, and how to weigh in summary and final focus so the judge does not have to guess.
Public ForumStrategy
Summary and final focus: writing the last four minutes
How to narrow a round, extend the arguments that matter, and deliver a final focus that a lay judge can turn into a ballot.
Public ForumSeptember/October 2026 topic
Topic primer: A federal moratorium on hyperscale data center construction
What a hyperscale data center is, where the policy debate stands in 2026, the strongest pro and con arguments, crossfire questions, and where to find evidence for the September/October 2026 Public Forum resolution.
All formatsFundamentals
How to flow a debate round
The note-taking system every debater and judge uses, with a template, abbreviations, and a drill for learning it in a week.
All formatsResearch
Five research skills every debater should learn
How to search for a specific claim, judge a source, read it in context, cut a card honestly, and keep evidence organized, with no paid database required.
Coaches and educatorsProgram building
Starting a debate program with no debate experience: a guide for teachers
A semester plan for a teacher who has never debated, covering format choice, recruiting, weekly structure, the first tournament, and how to make the program survive your departure.
Coaches and educatorsJudging
Judging your first round: a guide for volunteer judges
What to expect, how to flow, how to decide, and how to write a ballot that helps a student improve, for community judges at CUDL tournaments.
PolicyGetting started
A beginner's guide to Policy debate
How Policy (CX) debate works: the two-person format, the year-long resolution, stock issues, the 2026-27 national health insurance topic, speech times, and how to get a first case together with free evidence.
CongressGetting started
Congressional Debate: how a chamber works and how to win it
Congressional Debate explained: the docket, three-minute speeches, questioning, precedence and recency, presiding, and how to write legislation. With a first-tournament plan.
Big QuestionsGetting started
Big Questions debate and the 2026-27 topic
Big Questions debate explained: the one-on-one or two-on-two philosophical format, the speech structure, the 2026-27 topic on technological progress and ethics, and how to build an argument without policy evidence.
World SchoolsGetting started
World Schools Debate: the three-on-three format
World Schools Debate explained: teams of three, eight-minute speeches and four-minute replies, prepared and impromptu motions, points of information, and how judges score style, content, and strategy.
SpeechExtemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous Speaking: thirty minutes to a seven-minute speech
How Extemporaneous Speaking works (United States and International Extemp), how to use the 30-minute prep period, how to structure a 7-minute answer with cited sources, and how to build a files-free practice routine.
SpeechOriginal Oratory
Original Oratory: writing and delivering a ten-minute speech that matters
How to write, memorize, and deliver an Original Oratory: choosing a topic, the structure judges expect, the 150-word quotation limit, revision, and a memorization method that works.
SpeechInterpretation events
Interpretation events: Dramatic, Humorous, Duo, and Program Oral Interpretation
An overview of the interpretation events: what each requires, the ten-minute limit and published-material rule, how to choose and cut a piece, and how to build characters and blocking.
SpeechImpromptu Speaking
Impromptu Speaking: seven minutes, no warning
How Impromptu Speaking works, three structures that work under pressure, how to divide prep and speaking time, and a daily drill that makes any student a faster thinker.
All formatsCross-examination
Cross-examination and crossfire: asking questions that win rounds
How to ask and answer questions in Lincoln-Douglas cross-examination and Public Forum crossfire: the four kinds of useful questions, how to answer without giving ground, grand crossfire, and drills.
All formatsDelivery
Speaking drills: pace, clarity, fillers, and word economy
Ten drills for delivery that debaters and speakers can run alone or in pairs, each in under ten minutes, covering pace, articulation, filler words, volume, eye contact, and saying more with fewer words.
Coaches and educatorsPractice design
How to run a practice round that teaches
A step-by-step plan for coaches and team captains to run a debate practice round: setup, timing, judging with a ballot, the debrief that matters more than the round, and variations for small clubs.
All formatsTournament day
Tournament day: the checklist
What to pack, when to arrive, how to read a schedule and pairings, what happens between rounds, and how to leave a tournament having learned something. For students, coaches, and families.
All formatsGetting started
Speech and debate for students and families: frequently asked questions
Answers for students and parents considering speech and debate through CUDL: costs, time commitment, formats, tournaments, transportation, what students gain, and how to sign up.
Lincoln-DouglasFrameworks
A philosophy primer for Lincoln-Douglas frameworks
The six frameworks Lincoln-Douglas debaters actually use, what each claims, the value and criterion each supports, the standard objections, and how to read the original sources.
Lincoln-DouglasTheory and kritiks
Theory and kritiks: what they are and how a novice answers them
A plain explanation of theory arguments (topicality, fairness, disclosure) and kritiks in Lincoln-Douglas and Policy, when they are legitimate, and a four-step method for answering each as a first-year debater.
PolicyNegative strategy
Disadvantages and counterplans on the 2026-27 Policy topic
How disadvantages and counterplans work in Policy debate, the generic positions on the national health insurance resolution (spending, politics, federalism, public option, state action), how each competes, and how the affirmative answers them.
PolicyTopicality and blocks
Topicality, the negative block, and writing blocks that survive the 1AR
Topicality on the national health insurance resolution, how the negative block divides the 2NC and 1NR, and a method for writing 2AC and 1AR blocks that make the hardest speech in debate manageable.
Need something that is not here?
Coaches and students at partner schools can request topic briefs, evidence packets, or a workshop on a specific skill. If you are at a school we do not yet work with, the same request is the first step toward a partnership.
How this library is maintained
Guides are written by Andrew Thomas and reviewed by CUDL coaches before each topic period. Every guide shows its publication and revision dates, and the updates page logs each change. Sources are linked on the links page.
Get new guides and topic primers by email
One email when a new topic primer or guide is published, about twice a month during the season. No other mail.
Want these resources taught in person?
CUDL coaches teach every guide in this library at partner schools, free of charge.