TOC Bid Tournaments
2026-2027

A fully qualified Congress entry is an individual competitor, who has earned at least 2 bids during the 2026–2027 season.

Tournaments with TOC bids in Congressional Debate are categorized in 4 tiers:

• Tier 1 - Up to Top 6
• Tier 2 - Up to Top 16
• Tier 3 - Up to Top 60
• Tier 4 - Up to Top 120

The tiered setup provides hard caps for previously ambiguous bid levels. In the new system, the Top 6 bid level remains unchanged, while the Final, Semifinal, and Quarterfinal bid levels are capped. Only advancing competitors may receive a bid (i.e. if the top 12 clear, only 12 bids are awarded, as opposed to 16). To ensure accuracy and transparency, tiebreakers for all bid tournaments must be clearly publicized.

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their Congress bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: Congress --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [If Applicable] --> Generate.

• Finals or Semifinals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions
• Finals at the 2026 NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament
• Top 6 at the 2026 NCFL Grand National Tournament

June 8 Update: Tier 1 Bid Tournaments are updated for the 2026-2027 school year. Hyperlinks may still link to the 2025-2026 tournament as we wait for updated links. Please double check the tournament dates, as for many we only had 2025-2026's. 

June 8 Update: Tier 2 Bid Tournaments are updated for the 2026-2027 school year. Hyperlinks may still link to the 2025-2026 tournament as we wait for updated links. Please double check the tournament dates, as for many we only had 2025-2026's. 

June 8 Update: Tier 3 Bid Tournaments are updated for the 2026-2027 school year. Hyperlinks may still link to the 2025-2026 tournament as we wait for updated links. Please double check the tournament dates, as for many we only had 2025-2026's. 

June 8 Update: Tier 4 Bid Tournaments are updated for the 2026-2027 school year. Hyperlinks may still link to the 2025-2026 tournament as we wait for updated links. Please double check the tournament dates, as for many we only had 2025-2026's. 

A fully qualified LD entry is an individual competitor, who has earned at least 2 bids during the 2026–2027 season.

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their LD bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: LD or All Debate Events [If Applicable] --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [N/A] --> Generate.

• Octofinals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions

A fully qualified Policy entry is an intact partnership, who have earned at least 2 bids during the 2026–2027 season.

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their Policy bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: Policy or All Debate Events [If Applicable] --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [N/A] --> Generate.
 

When competing with the same partner or another octofinalist:

• Octofinals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions

A fully qualified Gold PF entry is an intact partnership, who have earned at least 2 bids during the 2026–2027 season.

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their PF bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: PF or All Debate Events [If Applicable] --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [N/A] --> Generate.

When competing with the same partner:

• Octofinals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions
• Octofinals at the 2026 NCFL Grand National Tournament
• Top 14 at the 2026 NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament

A fully qualified Silver Public Forum entry is an intact partnership:

• with at least 1 Gold PF bid, earned during the 2026–2027 season
• with at least 2 Silver PF bids, earned during the 2026–2027 season
• from an international school, preferably with a proven track record of competitive success
• from a UDL member school, with 1 Silver PF bid or a proven track record of competitive success
• For international teams, one bid in the silver division of Public Forum Debate grants a team full qualification to the 2027 TOC. In 2027 international students may apply for at-large bid consideration in silver division of Public Forum Debate if they have demonstrated competitiveness at two or more qualifying events.

*The 2027 Tournament of Champions will be an online only division again. In 2027 Silver PF will be hosted online as part of an expanded effort to promote international participation at the TOC and its network of qualifying events. Consistent with the mission of the University of Kentucky, the TOC is increasing its outreach efforts to promote the growth of new international programs and support existing ones by lowering the barriers to them connecting globally. Over the past decade, Public Forum has grown into one of the strongest international events. In addition to modality, new silver bid tournaments will be created for international tournaments and domestic tournaments that promote global participation. 

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their PF bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: PF or All Debate Events [If Applicable] --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [N/A] --> Generate.
 

When competing with the same partner:

• Octofinals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions

Bid Registration Form

Tournament Criteria

All varsity-level Speech tournaments are eligible to receive bids in events offered by the Tournament of Champions, so long as they meet the following tournament criteria:

• The tournament director has registered with the TOC to be a bid tournament and has received confirmation from the TOC it can receive bids in events that meet entry criteria. Registration form here.
• The tournament is held in person or runs synchronously online. Asynchronous tournaments are not eligible.
• To ensure accuracy and transparency, tiebreakers for all bid tournaments must be clearly publicized.
• Qualified and experienced judges are optimal.
• The tournament director follows bid posting deadlines set by TOC. Directions here.
• Bids must be earned between August 1, 2025, and March 9, 2026. Bids must also be reported by Monday, March 9, 2026.
• The tournament identifies that it is a TOC bid qualifier in the tournament invitation and/or front page of Tabroom.
  • Tournaments can run on SpeechWire, but they should have a Tabroom landing page, too.
• The tournament registers for the Tournament of Champions TOC-UK circuit on Tabroom. Directions here.

Event Criteria

• Champion (1 Bid) - Minimum 8 Entries / 3 Schools / 3 Prelims AND Finals
• Top 3 (Up to 3 Bids) - Minimum 16 Entries / 4 Schools / 3 Prelims AND Finals
• Finals (Up to 6 Bids) - Minimum 30 Entries / 5 Schools / 3 Prelims AND Semifinals + Finals
• Semifinals (Up to 12 Bids) - Minimum 60 Entries / 10 Schools / 4 Prelims AND Quarterfinals Onward
• Quarterfinals (Up to 24 Bids) - Minimum of 120 Entries / 10 Schools / 4 Prelims AND Octofinals Onward

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their Speech bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 9, 2026. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: Eligible Selection or All Speech Events [If Applicable] --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [If Applicable] --> Generate. If eligible, Prose and Poetry must each be recoded in Settings --> Events --> Events: Prose/Poetry --> Main Settings --> NSDA Event Code: Oral Interp of Literature before initiating this process.
 

• Finals at the 2025 Tournament of Champions
• Finals or Semifinals at the 2025 NCFL Grand National Tournament
• Finals or Semifinals at the 2025 NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament

This list will be updated on a "rolling" basis since tournaments need to get pre-registered as a Speech Bid Tournament for the 2026 TOC. 

Any speech tournament director can fill out this registration form if their tournament meets the tournament and entry criteria posted under Qualification Requirements. 

Last Updated: February 5, 2026

A fully-qualified World Schools Debate entry is a team of 3-5 students, at least 2 of which have earned 2 bids together as part of the same team during the 2026-2027 season. Additionally:

• Teams from the United States must be school-based, composed of students that are all from the same degree-granting school. The USA Debate National Team is exempt from the same degree-granting school requirement.
• Internationally-based teams may be national teams or teams based in a school, club or academy. TOC eligible national teams are those recognized by the World Schools Debate Championships.
• Approved bid tournaments must have a minimum of 8 entries that compete in round 1. 

Tournaments are responsible for certifying their WSD bids and submitting their UKTOC bid report via Tabroom no later than March 1, 2027. After competition has concluded, a tournament administrator must enter the correct bid levels in Settings --> Rules & Results --> Points & Bids --> Save Settings, then proceed to Results --> Web Publish --> Result Sheets --> Event: Eligible Selection  --> Report: TOC Bids --> Publish: Yes --> Send Bid Report to UK: Yes --> Limit to Top Places: [If Applicable] --> Generate.
 

• Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals at the 2026 Tournament of Champions
• All national teams recognized by the World Schools Debate Championships.