Debating
USU’s Debating Society is one of the most successful in the world, often appearing in the finals of national and international competitions and developing some of the most recognised and awarded speakers.
If you've never debated before, we're also a great place to start, with regular training and mentorship from experienced debaters. Whether you just want to try debating or are keenly competitive, joining the USU Debating Society is a great opportunity to hone your speaking skills and make new friends!
Debating Society
What is debating?
Debating is an activity where teams of speakers argue for or against a topic. This can be fun and casual - like you’ll see at our Internals - or highly competitive - like at the World Championships! Debating involves your public speaking skills, powers of persuasion and general knowledge.
You can also learn to adjudicate debates, which is a tricky, yet rewarding, skill! If you want to find out more about debating and how to do it, come along to our Internals on Wednesday evenings throughout semester.
What does debating involve?
Weekly internals are a great way to practice and get to know other debaters. You’ll also be able to learn from experienced members of the Society through seminars. Internals are held every Wednesday throughout semester, with seminars starting at 5pm and debates starting at 6pm.
Types of competitions
Casual weekend tournaments (a.k.a. ‘minis’) are held most weekends throughout semester and are hosted by various universities in the Sydney region. They’re totally optional and allow you to form a team with your friends. Major tournaments, such as the World Championships or Australian Championships, are longer and more competitive tournaments held a few times per year. Trials are held to select contingents to these events.
Get involved
The easiest way to get involved is to sign up to our weekly newsletter, Debaterbase and follow us on socials: Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
World Universities Debating Championships 2026
Eight USU debating teams competed at the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC) 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria. The WUDC is the world's largest debating competition. Held annually in English, teams from universities around the world travel to compete. Beating out Cambridge A, Sofia A and Stanford A, Team USU A (Jack Story and Udai Kamath) took out the top spot and placed first overall in the competition!
Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships
The Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships (Easters) is one of the most prestigious events in the Australian debating calendar, bringing together Australia’s top university debaters, adjudicators, and alumni.
In 2026, for the first time since 2018, Easters will be hosted by the University of Sydney Union (USU) at the University of Sydney, welcoming hundreds of high-performing students from universities across Australia.
