Speech and Debate
Founded in 1885, ASU Forensics has a proud tradition of excellence and competitive success in speech and debate. We are one of the last full-service speech and debate programs in the country.
The school’s forensics team has won hundreds of awards and has consistently finished among the top 20 teams in the nation every year in both speech and debate.
Any Arizona State University undergraduate student is invited to participate in the collegiate forensics program. You don’t need to be a communication major, and no audition is required to join.
We welcome all levels of experience. Whether you have four years of high school competition or you’ve never seen a round before, you can be part of the team.
Collegiate competition is similar to high school competition with a few distinct differences. The team supports all 11 AFA speech events and several types of evidence-based debate, including College Public Forum and Policy Debate.
Program highlights:
- ➤ Enter as many events as you want, and we encourage competing in multiple events.
- ➤ Choose your travel level: regional, national, or both.
- ➤ Compete with debate or individual events teams, together or separately.
- ➤ Set your own coaching hours with our staff.
- ➤ Use our squad room resources to prepare for competition and coursework.
Awards and Highlights Tournament Invitations Debate Resources
2025-2026 Forensics Schedule
Legend: s = synchronous online a = asynchronous online
Fall
- Sep 22–25 — Pride of the Preseason a
- Sep 28 — East Coast Early Bird s
- Oct 4–6 — OATS #1 a
- Oct 10–11 — Lewis & Clark Steve Hunt Classic (Portland, OR)
- Oct 27–31 — OATS #2 a
- Nov 7–9 — CSU Northridge (Los Angeles, CA)
- Nov 17–21 — OATS #3 a
- Dec 6–7 — Off-Broadway Swing (New York, NY)
- Dec 8–12 — OATS #4 a
Spring
- Jan 9–11 — HDSHC Invitational
- Jan 17–18 — Hell Froze Over @ Bradley (Peoria, IL)
- Jan 19–23 — OATS #5 a
Legend: s = synchronous online a = asynchronous online
Fall
Oct 18–19 — Puget Sound s
Nov 1–2 — Gonzaga+
Nov 8–9 — CSU Northridge
Nov 15–16 — Minnesota s
Dec 6–7 — Big Tent Online s
Spring
Jan 9–11 — HDSHC Invitational
Jan 24–25 — ASU College
Feb 6–8 — CSU Long Beach
Feb 21–22 — UPS s
Mar 7–8 — WWU
Apr 11–12 — Weber TACOS
Legend: s = synchronous online a = asynchronous online
Fall
Sep 6–8 — Northwestern s
Sep 27–29 — Kentucky s
Oct 17–19 — Minnesota s
Nov 1–2 — Gonzaga+
Nov 7–9 — CSU Northridge
Nov 15–17 — Wake Forest s
Dec 5–7 — Big Tent Online s
Spring
Jan 9–11 — HDSHC Invitational
Jan 24–25 — ASU College Tournament
Jan 31–Feb 2 — Texas s
Feb 6–8 — CSU Long Beach
Feb (TBD) — Districts qualifying s
Mar 25–31 — NDT @ University of Houston
Apr 2–5 — CEDA s
Speech and debate is an excellent way of improving speaking skills and is particularly helpful in providing experience in developing a convincing argument. When you are in debate rounds, you are sometimes forced to argue against your natural point of view, and you realize that arguments, like coins, always have at least two sides. Debating builds confidence in your ability to engage with individuals on all sides of a topic regardless of what your personal opinion is on the topic.
Jodi Preudhomme, Title IX coordinator and special counsel at ASU
Preudhomme was a member of the Forensics Team for three years as an undergraduate at ASU.
Hugh Downs School doctoral student wins debate coaching award
Michael Tristano Jr., a doctoral student and a recipient of the Graduate College Completion Fellowship at Arizona State University's Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, received the 2019 Assistant Coach of the Year Award by the National Speech & Debate Association.
If you are interested in pursuing forensics at a collegiate level and would like to join the program contact:
Adam Symonds, Director
Office: Social Sciences 220A
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Twitter: asuforensics or acsymonds
Mary Joseph, Assistant Director of Forensics
Email: [email protected]