September/OctoberHealth and Medicine
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/DecemberPolitics and Government
Resolved: The United States should adopt a declaratory nuclear policy of no first use.
JanuaryCrime and Justice
Resolved: The National Security Agency should end its surveillance of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
FebruaryInternational Relations
Resolved: On balance, the benefits of urbanization in West Africa outweigh the harms.
Resolved: On balance, the benefits of creating the United States Space Force outweigh the harms.
Resolved: The benefits of the International Monetary Fund outweigh the harms.
NationalsScience and Technology
Resolved: In the United States, social media is beneficial for democratic values.
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/OctoberPolitics and Government
Resolved: In a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory.
November/DecemberEconomy and Work
Resolved: The United States ought to provide a federal jobs guarantee.
January/FebruaryEthics and Philosophy
Resolved: States ought to ban lethal autonomous weapons.
March/AprilEthics and Philosophy
Resolved: The United States ought to guarantee universal child care.
NationalsHealth and Medicine
Resolved: A public health emergency justifies limiting civil liberties.
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 enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in...
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 seasonPolitics and Government
Resolved: Mathematics was discovered, not invented.
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.