Junior National Debating Championship

January 29, 2026

Dear Provincial/Territory Debate Coordinators & Coaches, 

The Manitoba Speech & Debate Association (MSDA), along with Balmoral Hall School, Gray Academy of Jewish Education, and St. John's-Ravenscourt School, are pleased to invite you to the 2026 Asper Cup Junior National Debating Championship. This tournament will be hosted in Winnipeg, Manitoba from Friday, May 8th to Sunday, May 10th, 2026. 

Eligibility: 

Eligibility for the 2026 Asper Cup Junior National Debating Championship is based on qualification at the provincial organization's pre-determined preliminary events.  

This tournament is open to students who are in grade 9 or below in the current academic year. For Junior Nationals only, should a province or territory enter a hybrid team consisting of two students from the same province, they are fully eligible to win team & individual awards.  

At this time, each province or territory may register up to five (5) teams. Should a province or territory choose not to send their entire provincial quota, we may use our discretion to offer more positions after initial registration. The host province will have a double size contingent, as is the usual practice at national events.  

Chaperones: 

We expect and require that all teams must be fully chaperoned at all times by an official registrant of the event. Unchaperoned teams will not be accepted. We must be able to know who and where the chaperone is at all times in case of an emergency or if they need to be contacted. A coach/chaperone may fulfill this role for several teams, so long as the judging requirement is met, as outlined in the next section. 

Judging: 

As you can imagine, the support of several people to assist with the judging is essential. We encourage each team to designate a judge. Note that we must have 1 judge for each pair of teams available to be allocated during each round. To ensure this rule is kept, we ask that you please round up when you are calculating how many judges your organization should designate. On the name specific registration form, to be completed by the province/territory coordinator, it will be required to identify the coaches/chaperones that will judge on behalf of the teams. If necessary, an email to explain judge allocation should be sent to Paula Fleury, the MSDA Secretary and tournament registrar at pfleury@balmoralhall.ca.   

Registration: 

We require each province or territory to register and confirm the number of teams they will send in each division with 100% certainty by Monday, March 30, 2026. This form is to confirm the number of teams your province or territory will enter into the competition in each division. This form should be completed by a single individual who is designated as your province/territory coordinator for this tournament. If this individual is different from the president of your organization, please directly communicate this with Paula Fleury at pfleury@balmoralhall.ca.   

Please complete the Team Number Confirmation Form by March 30th, 2026. https://forms.gle/T2zd9MJLZD6rjUbg9   

Once the initial registration is completed, all communication will be sent directly to the registered coordinator as the main point of contact. 

Additional competitor, judge, and chaperone information will also be required, no later than Monday, April 6th. Registration will be coordinated by Paula Fleury (pfleury@balmoralhall.ca). The provincial or territorial coordinator will be required to gather the information of all individuals attending and complete the spreadsheet that will be sent to the designated tournament coordinator from your organization that completed the Team Number Confirmation Form by March 30th. Your assistance in completing one detailed form is greatly appreciated. The information for each team that will be gathered on the spreadsheet will be:  

Province/Territory: 

Team Information: 

Division (Senior or Junior): 

Name of School: 

Name of Coach: 

Email of Coach: 

Phone Number of Coach: 

Debater 1 Information 

First & Last Name of Debater #1: 

Email of Debater 1: 

Phone Number of Debater 1: 

Debater 1 Dietary Restrictions, Medical Concerns, or Mobility Concerns: 

Birthdate of Debater 1: 

Please Confirm: Is this individual a grade 8 or 9 student registered at the school for which they are competing?  

Debater 2 Information 

First & Last Name of Debater #2: 

Email of Debater 2: 

Phone Number of Debater 2: 

Debater 2 Dietary Restrictions, Medical Concerns, or Mobility Concerns: 

Birthdate of Debater 2: 

Please Confirm: Is this individual a grade 8 or 9 student registered at the school for which they are competing?  

Adult Registration Information: 

Name of Coach / Chaperone that will attend the tournament (please indicate role): 

Email of Coach/Chaperone: 

Phone Number of Coach/Chaperone: 

Will the coach/chaperone be one of the allocated judges from your province/territory? (1 judge is required for every 2 teams, so 5 teams = 3 judges) 

Dietary restrictions: 

Medical or Mobility Concerns: 

2nd Adult Registration Information: 

Is a 2nd chaperone attending as a school requirement? 

Name of 2nd Coach / Chaperone who will attend the tournament (please indicate role): 

Email of 2nd Coach/Chaperone: 

Phone Number of 2nd Coach/Chaperone: 

Will the coach/chaperone be one of the allocated judges from your province/territory? (1 judge is required for every 2 teams, so 5 teams = 3 judges) 

Dietary restrictions: 

Medical or Mobility Concerns: 

Bus Information: 

Bussing will begin on the morning of May 8th from the Delta Hotel. 

How many individuals from your province/territory will be traveling on the bus to and from the Delta Hotel to the schools on Friday and Saturday? 

How many individuals from your province/territory will be traveling on the bus to and from the Delta Hotel to Balmoral Hall School on Sunday? (If you are departing directly to the airport from Balmoral Hall School on Sunday, it will be necessary for you to come to the tournament by taxi in the morning and then depart on your own to the airport.) 

Total Number of Individuals (Competitors, Coaches, Chaperones) registering from your province/territory who will be eligible for meals & transportation: 

Registration Fee and Payment: 

The registration fee for the event will be $250 per person. The same fee applies to coaches and other registered chaperones. We highly discourage spectators, but if someone is attending and not paying the chaperone registration fee, we regret to enforce the policy that they may not use the tournament buses or partake in meals provided by the tournament under any circumstances. 

The preferred method of payment will be a cheque payable to “Manitoba Speech & Debate Association.” All payments must be received prior to the competition, and no later than May 1st. If necessary, an electronic payment option can be discussed. The value of the cheque will be based on your registration and will be confirmed after your name specific registration is completed. Additional instructions will be provided on an invoice when the registration is completed, no later than April 13th. 

Location: 

This tournament will occur at 3 different schools including Gray Academy of Jewish Education on May 8th (123 Doncaster St), St. John's-Ravenscourt on May 9th (400 South Dr), and Balmoral Hall on May 10th (630 Westminster Ave.). A detailed draft of the schedule is included at the end of this invitation. 

Hotel:  

The designated tournament hotel for this event is the Delta Hotel at 350 St. Mary Ave. A block of rooms has been reserved until April 7th, so we encourage you to complete your entire registration process as soon as possible. We would ask that you please fill the rooms at the Delta Hotel before searching for other locations. A total of approximately 40 rooms are available so we recommend booking early. An exceptional rate of $209.00-$229.00 + 17% taxes was negotiated; however, the rate of the taxes may be subject to change. This rate is based on double occupancy and additional guests in the room will be an additional cost of $15.00 each. This rate is available for May 7th-10th.  

Hotel registration should be completed no later than April 7th. Once the reserved rooms from the block are filled, rooms and rates will be subject to availability. Teams will need to make alternate accommodation arrangements and potentially their own transportation arrangements to the tournament location each day if the hotel is fully booked. All buses will be departing and returning to the Delta Hotel. 

Please note: All room bookings and payments will need to be made through the hotel as the tournament hosts will not be involved in this process. 

Here is a link to the hotel information/online booking page. Book your group rate for Junior Debate Nationals Room Block 

For anyone who wishes to make a reservation by phone, you are welcome to either call the hotel directly at 204-942-0551 or the Reservation Centre 1-866-994-8603. You can identify yourselves as being with the Junior Debate Nationals to have access to the room block & discounted rates.  

Transportation: 

When registering specific names of individuals attending the tournament, you will also be asked to confirm the number of individuals that will be traveling on the school buses that we have reserved and paid for in advance. Please note that observers will need to acquire their own transportation if they are not the designated coach, chaperone, competitor, or judge. 

Transportation will be provided from the Delta Hotel to the designated tournament school each day, and to the Human Rights Museum on Friday afternoon. After the tournament on Sunday, the buses will return to the Delta Hotel. If you are departing directly to the airport from Balmoral Hall School, it will be necessary for you to come to the tournament by taxi in the morning and then depart on your own to the airport. A location to store your luggage at Balmoral Hall School will be provided.  

Province/Territory coordinators are asked to please confirm with the registrar how many members of the delegation will require bussing on Sunday, May 10th by April 6th when you register with specific names for the tournament. 

Cell Phone Use 

Please note that once motions have been released, competitors will not be permitted to use cell phones. We kindly encourage all teams to bring their own non-cellphone timing device for use during preparation and rounds. To ensure fairness for everyone, any student found with a cell phone during prep time or during the round may risk disqualification. Thank you for helping us maintain a positive and equitable competition environment. 

COVID Considerations: 

While we cannot require masks, we ask you to consider wearing one if you otherwise feel ill or you have been around others who are unwell. We suggest coaches have contingency plans in place should debaters, judges, or chaperones fall ill during the tournament. 

Tentative Schedule: 

Thursday, May 7th   

Arrive at the Winnipeg James Richardson International Airport at your convenience.  

Friday, May 8th

• 8:45 AM Bus leaves from hotel

• 9:00 Registration at Gray Academy (in Berney Theatre Foyer)

• 9:30 Opening ceremonies  (in Berney Theatre)

•  9:30-10:00 am Judges registration (in foyer of Berney Theatre)

• 10:00 Judges Briefing & Professional Development debate session (Berney Theatre)

• 10:45-11:45 Round 1 (Prepared debate taking place in all high school & 2nd floor elementary rooms)

• 11:45 Lunch (in Gym)

• 12:45-1:45 Round 2 (Prepared debate taking place in all high school & 2nd floor elementary rooms) 

• 1:45 Bus to Human Rights Museum

• 2:10-5:00 Human Rights Museum 

•  5:00 Free time at the Forks and dinner on your own

• 6:30 Bus back to hotel

• 8:00 Hospitality for coaches at Delta

Saturday, May 9th

•  8:30 AM Depart hotel for SJR

•  9:00-9:30 – Registration for Judges

•  9:30 – Judges briefing & Professional Development debate session begins

• 9:30 - 10 -Topics given out prep time

•  10:00 – 11:00 Round 3 (Impromptu)

• 11:30 – 12:00 Topics given out prep time

• 12:00 – 1:00 Round 4 (Impromptu)

• 1:00 – 2:00 Lunch at SJR

•  2:00-2:30  Afternoon judges briefing for new judges & Teacher P.D. debate session

• 2:00 – 2:30 Topic announced and then prep time

• 2:30 – 3:30 Round 5 Impromptu debate

• 3:30 – 4:00 Break

• 4:00-4:30 Round 6 topic announced 

•  4:30 – 5:30 Round 6 Impromptu debate

• 5:30 - Dinner at SJR

•  6:30 – Evening Activity - Trivia at SJR

• 7:30 - Bus Back to Hotel

Sunday, May 10th

• 8:00 AM Bus leaves from the hotel

• 8:30 Quarterfinalist announced at Balmoral Hall

• 9:00-10:00 – Quarter Finals

• 10:00– Semi Finals and Topic Announced

• 10:30-11:30 – Semi Finals

• 11:30- Finals and Topic Announcement

• 12:00-1:00 Finals

• 1:00 – Banquet & Awards Presentation

• 2:30 – Bus leaves back to the Delta Hotel

The event is expected to end no later than 2:30 p.m. It is recommended that out-of-town guests do  

not book flights departing Winnipeg until after 4:30 p.m.  

Contact Information: 

If you have any questions, please email Paula Fleury directly at pfleury@balmoral.ca.  We look forward to seeing you on May 8th! 

Sincerely, 

The 2026 Asper Cup Junior National Debating Championship Organizing Team 

Paula Fleury 

Secretary, Manitoba Speech & Debate Association & Event Host / Registrar 

Balmoral Hall School Debate & Public Speaking Program Coordinator 

pfleury@balmoralhall.ca - 204-784-1600 (work) or 204-930-1897 (cell) 

Andrew Kaplan 

President, MSDA & Event Host / Tournament Director 

Gray Academy: Student Life Coordinator, ELA, Speech & Debate 

Graeme Berrington 

Treasurer, MSDA & Event Host / Chief-Adjudicator 

St. John’s-Ravenscourt School Social Studies and Debating Teacher 

Leora Diakuw 

Tabs Director 

St. John’s-Ravenscourt School Debating Teacher