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/DecemberPolitics and Government
Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and/or assets will produce more benefits than harms.
JanuaryCrime and Justice
Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs.
FebruaryInternational Relations
Resolved: On balance, Turkey's membership is beneficial to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of increasing organic agriculture outweigh the harms.
Resolved: Japan should revise Article 9 of its Constitution to develop offensive military capabilities.
NationalsInternational Relations
Resolved: The United States should establish a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan.
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/OctoberHealth and Medicine
Resolved: The member nations of the World Trade Organization ought to reduce intellectual property protections for medicines.
November/DecemberPolitics and Government
Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike.
January/FebruaryScience and Technology
Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust.
March/AprilSociety and Culture
Resolved: In a democracy, a free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.
NationalsHealth and Medicine
Resolved: Radicalism is preferable to incrementalism to achieve social justice.
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 seasonEnvironment and Animals
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the...
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 seasonSociety and Culture
Resolved: On balance, societies benefit from religious belief and practice.
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.