September/OctoberEthics and Philosophy
NSDA by season
Lincoln-Douglas
One-on-one debate built around values: each side defends a value and a criterion for weighing it. The resolution changes every two months. How Lincoln-Douglas works
November/DecemberPolitics and Government
Resolved: all United States citizens ought to perform a period of national service.
January/FebruaryEthics and Philosophy
Resolved: communities in the United States ought to have the right to suppress pornography.
March/AprilEnvironment and Animals
Resolved: development of natural resources ought to be valued above protection of the environment.
NationalsScience and Technology
Resolved: individual obedience to law plays a greater role in maintaining ethical public service than does individual obedience to conscience.
Policy
Two-on-two debate on one resolution for the whole season. The affirmative proposes a plan and both sides use a lot of evidence. How Policy works
Whole seasonCrime and Justice
That the federal government should adopt a nationwide policy to decrease overcrowding in prisons and jails in...
Shortened here. The full wording is on NSDA's topic page.
About NSDA topics
The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) is the largest high school speech and debate organization in the United States. It publishes the resolutions that US tournaments use each season: a new Public Forum topic every month or two, a Lincoln-Douglas topic every two months, and one Policy topic for the whole year. Its National Tournament in June has its own topics.
Resolutions from NSDA's topic page, credited to the National Speech & Debate Association. NCFL Nationals topics are from the National Catholic Forensic League tournament, as listed by NSDA.