By-Law Changes

We've published a revised version of the NOF By-Laws for the 2026-27 Season. This update is primarily a cleanup and clarity pass; read through for the full changes:

• Bigger elimination rounds (7)

  • In an effort to award more students for their well-deserved work, we have scaled the elimination break entries to allow for more participants. Break points now scale up by five: events with 35 or fewer entries hold a single final; 36–70 entries add a semifinal; 71+ add quarterfinals. Final and semifinal rounds are now built around seven competitors instead of six.

• New Code of Conduct

  • The Conduct section now spells out clear expectations for everyone at a NOF event: respect and professionalism, integrity, a prohibition on harassment and discrimination, protection of minors, privacy and recording rules, cooperation with tournament staff, and program accountability.

• The event titled Mock Trial is now "Mock Trial Advocacy"

  • To avoid any confusion with a similar event with different rules, NOF Mock Trial will now be named Mock Trial Advocacy; the rules are the same as previous seasons

• Async Debate

  • Rule changes to enable rebuttal/response speeches in Async invitations are coming ahead of the first async competition (this September). Keep an eye out for more announcements!

• Additional changes related to clarity of the document

Wish a rule changed that you don’t see? We’re always looking to improve. Contact Alexandra (alexandra@nationalonlineforensics.org) if there are changes you would like to suggest!