We are thrilled to announce that Young Speakers Scotland will be running a full in-person competition programme in 2022/2023, including both the Mace and Public Speaking Competitions. The last few years have been disruptive for all of us, and we’re looking forward to using this year to strengthen debating in Scotland.
We have made the decision to change the format of the Mace and Public Speaking competitions in order to increase accessibility for schools. All three preliminary Mace rounds will be taking place in-person, in Edinburgh, on Sunday 30th October. There will be a backup, online competition day on Saturday 12th November for schools unable to attend this in-person event. The first round of the Mace will be a prepared topic and the following two rounds will be impromptu. Entry to the Mace will cost £50 per school.
Preliminary rounds for the Public Speaking Competition will take place in-person, in Edinburgh, on Saturday 10th December for both junior and senior speakers. There will also be an online session on the evening of Friday 9th December for those unable to make the in-person session. Entry for the Public Speaking Competition is £25 for one speaker and £10 for each additional speaker entered per school.
The St Andrew’s Day Debate will also be taking place in person in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 30th November. Entry to the St Andrew’s Day Debate is free.
Please fill in this form if you wish to take part in these competitions. The closing date for entries is Friday 30th September. The prepared Mace topic and Public Speaking themes will be released on Monday 3rd October.
Full schedules for these events will be sent out next week.
*Please note, we are still accepting late applications. Feel free to fill in the form above even after the closing date.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.