September/OctoberInternational Relations
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
November/DecemberScience and Technology
Resolved: The benefits of the United States federal government's use of offensive cyber operations outweigh the harms.
JanuaryInternational Relations
Resolved: The United States should end its economic sanctions against Venezuela.
FebruaryEconomy and Work
Resolved: The United States should replace means-tested welfare programs with a universal basic income.
Resolved: The United States should increase its use of nuclear energy for commercial energy production.
Resolved: The United States should remove nearly all of its military presence in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.
NationalsEducation
Resolved: On balance, charter schools are beneficial to the quality of education in the United States.
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/OctoberEducation
Resolved: In the United States, colleges and universities ought not consider standardized tests in undergraduate admissions decisions.
November/DecemberEnvironment and Animals
Resolved: The United States ought to eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels.
January/FebruaryEthics and Philosophy
Resolved: States ought to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
March/AprilPolitics and Government
Resolved: Predictive policing is unjust.
NationalsEconomy and Work
Resolved: The intergenerational accumulation of wealth is antithetical to democracy.
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 seasonInternational Relations
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce Direct Commercial Sales and/or Foreign...
Shortened here. The full wording is on NSDA's topic page.
Big Questions
A debate on a philosophy and science question, with one resolution for the season.
Whole seasonEthics and Philosophy
Resolved: Objective morality exists.
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.