Established in 2022, the Spring Cup and Winter Cup tournaments are the crowning jewel of Eloquence Academy’s debate programming. From first-time debaters to seasoned veterans, these bi-annual debate tournaments offer an opportunity for all students to partake in competitive debate. To further promote accessibility, tournaments will remain online through NSDA Campus and accept all types of entries (clubs, schools, hybrids, and unaffiliated).

In addition, to establish a social impact, these tournaments function as fundraisers. Upon the conclusion of the tournament, at least 50% of total entry fees (across all divisions/events) are donated to various local and national charities. To date, Eloquence has supported the One Warm Coat Organization, Ocean Cleanup Organization, Razom for Ukraine, and more.

For past tournament results, please visit our event gallery. Congrats to all prior participants!

3,880

Minutes of Debating

150

Student Participants

A full tournament includes:

  • 4 preliminary rounds

  • 4 elimination rounds with judge panel (3-5 judges)

  • competitive entry pool with 20+ schools from nationwide

  • certificates of participation and accomplishment

  • complementary feedback from judges, including: Reason for Decision (RFD), personal feedback, and speaker scores

Charity Feature

The ongoing war in Ukraine has taken countless civilian lives. Founded in 2014, Razom (meaning “together” in Ukranian) is a powerful nonprofit that aims to “unlock the potential of Ukraine” by creating spaces for people to meet, partner, and work together. Razom maintains a relentless focus on the needs on the ground and aims to amplify voices from Ukraine in global conversations. In 2022, they delivered a record $62 million worth of aid to Ukraine. Some of Razom’s key programs include:

  • Razom Emergency Response - purchasing medical supplies

  • Razom Procurement & Logistics - team of volunteers/partners

Recently, Eloquence Academy supported Razom with a donation and received a special feature in the monthly Razom newsletter. To learn more and get involved, click here.

Registration Breakdown

  • Registration occurs on Tabroom.com, an online tabulation website provided by the National Speech & Debate Association. Every school or entity that plans to attend must register on Tabroom. Upon registering, the complete contact information (name, e-mail address, and phone number) of a responsible adult, either a coach or chaperone, must be provided. During the tournament, this adult will be the central point of contact between the school and tournament organizers.

  • All Eloquence tournaments accept entries with students in 4th through 12th grade. Unfortunately, there are no divisions or competitive options for students’ whose age falls outside the aforementioned range. Coaches should carefully and diligently register their students, ensuring that entries are placed in the correct division.

    In addition, all entries must be linked. Linking entries allows your students to receive round pairings and access virtual competition rooms through their own Tabroom accounts. To ensure a smooth experience, the tournament reserves the right to drop or delete entries with unlinked students without refund.

  • For every two registered entries, the associated school is obliged to provide one full-time judge. Coaches, responsible adults, and school administrators may view their total obligations through Tabroom. All judges provided by the school should be age 18+, received a background check within the last 5 years, and have access to reliable internet connection during the course of the tournament. Schools accept responsibilty for the judges that they provide.

    Alternatively, schools may request to hire a judge from the tournament with an added fee of $400. The $400 fee is all-inclusive, which involves the tournament’s background check process, interview, application training, and compensation for the judge. If the request is approved, this fee will be included in the Tabroom invoice and should be paid with the entry fees.

  • Cost per entry is $100 and there are no additional surcharges or fees. Coaches, responsible adults, and school administrators may download and/or print an invoice through Tabroom. If one coach has registered multiple entities or schools, invoices will be printed and should be paid separately (by school).

    All tournaments accept payment through Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or check. If a school chooses to pay via the preferred digital methods (Venmo, Zelle, Paypal), the school’s associated Tabroom balance will automatically update within two business days. If there are issues with the payment process or invoice accuracy, please contact the tournament hosts.

  • Please review tournament policy, schedule, and information communicated by tournament hosts. Check in your team via Tabroom!