Ronald Reagan Debate Series (Great Communicator Debate Series)
ListedCompetition
- Award
- Published historical national prizes include $10,000 first and $7,500 runner-up in 2023. Final 2027 individual scholarship amounts and award-use/payment terms are not published. Current 2027 rules provide national qualifiers a flight and hotel room for themselves and one chaperone.
- Timeline
- Nov 14, 20262026-27 regional events: Irvine
- Feb 20, 2027Richmond
- Mar 6, 2027Dallas
- Mar 13, 2027Thousand Oaks
- Apr 3, 2027Las Vegas/Springfield
- Apr 10, 2027Shepherdstown/Redding
- Apr 30Independence to May 1, 2027
- May 1, 2027New York
- May 8, 2027Salt Lake City
- May 22, 2027Honolulu
- Jun 5, 2027Online . Registration closes before each event
- How to apply
- An adult coach/parent registers students through Tabroom; student-only teams are not allowed. Each institution provides at least one judge, plus another for every two students beyond two. Irvine/Richmond invitations state a nonrefundable $15 fee per debater with hardship help; entries stay waitlisted until judges and payment are entered. Complete the media release, with parent/guardian signature under 18. Compete in at most one geographic regional and/or the nationwide online regional; the current handbook advances one winner per region to nationals.
- What you'll need
- A speech or recorded oration
- A finalist round or selection weekend
- Who can apply
- Current handbook permits grades 9 to 12, excluding middle school students. Accredited high school, virtual school and homeschool participants are eligible; the Richmond invitation also allows mid-year graduates. An approved adult must supervise in-person students and be judging or immediately available online. Confirm any regional-specific eligibility in its invitation.
- Good to know
- 2027 regional topic concerns state/local versus federal responsibility for disaster preparedness and response. Use printed speech/research materials only; no laptops/tablets during rounds, phones for timing only. Each debater has two minutes optional prep time. The current page advertises a total $50,000 scholarship budget, not a per-student award.
- Details
- Civics