A Year of Firsts: The Oxford Debating Competition 2026

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A New Debating Opportunity for Swiss Students

For the first time in Switzerland’s history, a national qualification round for the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition was organized, marking a significant milestone for academic debating in the country.

The 2026 Competition

Oxford Schools’ is one of the largest and most prestigious school-level debating competitions in the world. It takes place in two stages: A regional round, after which the best-performing teams qualify for International Finals, taking place at Oxford University.

This year in 2026, Switzerland joined the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition for the first time, with the Swiss edition jointly organized by the Debate, Eloquence & Rhetoric Society (DER) and the Union of Student Organizations Switzerland (USO).

The Swiss National Qualifiers were held on 31 January 2026 in Geneva with significant support from the Club Genevois de Débat.

“Our goal is to help young people develop their voices and engage more confidently in public discourse. Debating plays such an important role in that.”

Maximilian Thiersch, Vice President of USO, Co-Organizer

64 Debaters and Countless Ideas

The National Qualifiers of Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition brought together 64 debaters from 22 schools all over Switzerland. French, German, and Italian-speaking parts were represented at this national competition. To reflect this diversity, large parts of the event were delivered in German, French and English.

The participants engaged in 4 rounds of debate in the British-Parliamentary format, where they had the opportunity to develop their skills, gain knowledge and experience, all while engaging in an internationally-regulated setting.

“This competition brought together an outstanding cohort of debaters. We witnessed remarkable reasoning and genuine motivation from the students. We are proud to provide a platform that allows for them to not only showcase their abilities and refine their skills, but also gain access to the international stage.”

Rania Ben Ayed, President of The DER Society, Co-Organizer

A unique debating spirit was visible throughout the entire day as the intensity of the rounds naturally carried over into the breaks, with students keeping on discussing their positions and exchanging ideas long after the official debates had ended.

“Watching the debates unfold was a genuinely proud moment for our team. For many participants, this was their first time debating on such a large scale, and they truly rose to the challenge. The talent we saw in Geneva confirms that the Swiss student voice is ready for any stage”.

Phileas Mehdorn, USO Member

The competition concluded with the selection of the team that will represent Switzerland at the International Finals at Oxford University:

Julieta Stupia and Michalina Opuchlik

🎉 Winners of the Oxford Debating Competiton Switzerland 2026

The team will head to the International Finals at the Oxford Union on 14 March 2026. We are immensely proud to have them represent Switzerland 🇨🇭.

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Participate Next Year!

Are you passionate about debating and eager to take part in a national competition? Meet like-minded students, challenge yourself, and learn by doing. Open to all Swiss High School Students.

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The 2026 Organizing Team

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We were also very fortunate to have experienced adjudicators from the Club Genevois de Débat who provided excellent and constructive feedback after each round. This expert guidance had a visible impact and helped teams improve remarkably from one round to the next, proving that the drive to improve is just as important as the debate itself.

We are grateful to Movetia for their financial support, which made the Swiss National Qualifiers possible. Their commitment to international exchange and youth engagement played an important role in bringing this event to life.