Competitions

Debating competitons are known as "Inter Varsities", or IVs, and are one of the best things about debating! They take place at universities across the UK, as well as at many universities and locations around the world.

In the past, we have sent a team to the World Championships in Botswana, and for the last four years we have competed at the European Universities Debating Competition, the premier tournament in Europe! In 2017 this took place in Tallinn, Estonia, and in the past teams have been able to travel to Zagreb, Vienna, and Warsaw.

IVs are great fun, you get to meet lots of new people, and you develop your debating skills quicker than anything we can teach you once a week. What is more, we pay entry fees for you (these range from £25 up to £80!) and aim to subsidise travel costs, so it doesn’t stop anyone from taking part who wants to.

Should you be interested in attending an IV, please let one of the committee know so we can make sure the appropriate numbers of teams are registered, and entry fees paid on your behalf.

We will keep you updated about upcoming competitions via our weekly newsletter email to members, and through our members Facebook group.

2021/22 IVs:

In 2021/21, competitions picked up again! We attended IV's in Imperial College London, Bristol, Exeter and Bath as well.

2020/21 IVs:

In 2020/21, we attended less IVs due to the global pandemic. However, we still took part in a number of online competitions including Southampton and Exeter.

2019/20 IVs:

In 2019/20, we attended IVs in Imperial College London, Oxford, Bristol (2x) and Exeter!

2017/18 IVs:

In 2017/18, we have attended IVs in Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton, Bristol, Oxford, Imperial College London, and Lancaster!

2016/17 IVs:

In 2016/17, we attended IVs in Exeter, Southampton, Bristol, Oxford, Imperial College London, and University College Dublin, plus we sent a team to the European Universities Debating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia!