New Topics for LD and Public Forum (Middle School and Elementary)
This season, we're shaking things up a bit. National Online Forensics is launching a fresh approach to topics in Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debate for middle school and elementary students, aiming to make competition more accessible, age-appropriate, and easier to prepare for.
We will no longer be using the NSDA’s topics for these divisions. Instead, we will release our own topics on a quarterly basis, designed specifically with younger students in mind. This change is aimed at creating more accessible, age-appropriate resolutions while also giving coaches more stability in planning their curriculum and preparing their students.
High school divisions will continue to use the NSDA topic. That approach will remain the same.
Topic Schedule
NOF will release four topics each year. Each topic will be used for a three-month block:
August through October (announced August 1)
November through January (announced October 1)
February through April (announced January 1)
May through July (announced April 1, used for Nationals and Internationals)
Topic for August-October, 2025 Tournaments:
The topic we will use for all middle school and elementary school Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debates from August-October, 2025 will be:
Resolved: Physical education ought to be a major educational priority in K–12 schools.
What Happens If Students Prepare the Wrong Topic?
We understand that this change may take time to get used to. If a student mistakenly prepares the NSDA topic for the middle school or elementary division, they will have two options: they may join the high school division and compete there, or they may drop from the event with no penalty.
We expect that this will be a rare occurrence, but we want to make sure the transition is handled fairly and with flexibility.
One Topic for Both LD and PF
To make this first quarter as smooth as possible, we are beginning with one shared topic for both LD and PF. This is meant to help coaches who teach both events and to allow for easier transitions between the two formats. We may eventually return to separate topics for each event, but for now, this shared structure will help establish consistency across our younger divisions.
Topic Suggestions Portal Coming Soon
Beginning next month, we will open a topic suggestion portal. This will give teams the opportunity to submit ideas for future topics in both LD and Public Forum. We want this process to be open and collaborative, and we encourage coaches and students to get involved.
We believe this new structure will help align topics with the developmental needs of younger debaters while also making things more manageable for coaches and teams. We’re looking forward to seeing how these new changes help grow and improve debate across our elementary and middle school programs.
Stay tuned for the release of our first NOF-LD/PF topic on August 1 at noon Pacific. They will be available on the 'topics page on our website.