SeptemberEnvironment and Animals
NSDA by season
Public Forum
Two-on-two debate on a current-events resolution that changes every month or two. Each speech is short and the round is meant to be followed by any listener. How Public Forum works
OctoberInternational Relations
Resolved: NATO presence improves the lives of Afghan citizens.
NovemberEducation
Resolved: High school Public Forum Debate resolutions should not confront sensitive religious issues.
DecemberCrime and Justice
Resolved: Cyberbullying should be a criminal offense.
JanuaryCrime and Justice
Resolved: In the United States, plea bargaining undermines the criminal justice system.
FebruaryPolitics and Government
Resolved: Wikileaks is a threat to United States national security.
Resolved: North Korea poses a more serious threat to United States national security than Iran.
AprilHealth and Medicine
Resolved: The United States federal government should permit the use of financial incentives to encourage organ donation.
NationalsPolitics and Government
Resolved: That the United States should intervene in another nation's struggle for democracy.
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
September/OctoberInternational Relations
Resolved: States ought not possess nuclear weapons.
November/DecemberCrime and Justice
Resolved: The abuse of illegal drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice.
January/FebruaryCrime and Justice
Resolved: In the United States, juveniles charged with violent felonies ought to be treated as adults in the criminal justice system.
March/AprilInternational Relations
Resolved: The United States is justified in using private military firms abroad to pursue its military objectives.
NationalsPolitics and Government
Resolved: When forced to choose, a just government ought to prioritize universal human rights over its national interest.
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
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more...
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.