Rubric teardown
“What exactly are the judges rewarding this year?”
What they hand inA one-page plan mapped to the marking criteria.
Before the entry startsProgrammes / Leadership & Global Affairs
Competition · Leadership & Global Affairs
HCUS Debating Championship
A hybrid debating championship for Grades 7 to 12, pairing weekly online training with an in-person tournament in Riyadh. The HCUS Debating Championship Saudi Arabia builds argumentation, research and public speaking through structured training followed by competitive rounds. Students register individually and are placed into teams of four. Weekly online training prepares delegates for the in-person championship at Riyadh Najed Schools. Girls' and boys' tournaments and training sessions run in parallel, each with its own places, and the championship is open to students in Grades 7 to 12.
Next cohort starts Sat, 3 Oct 2026 · USD 300
Decide by 23 SeptCohorts of Small live cohort
Length36 days
Cohort sizeSmall live cohort
EligibilityGrades 10–12 (15–17)
Live sessionsLive session times confirmed on registration · live on Zoom
What your child will actually do
Live, mentor-led sessions - worked problems and real output, not lectures.
1
Understand what judges reward
A live briefing on the HCUS Debating Championship rubric, so your child knows what a winning entry looks like before starting.
2
Research and build the entry
Structured work across 36 days, with checkpoints rather than a last-minute scramble.
3
Submit and get judged
Entries are assessed by the organising panel, with feedback and rankings returned to every participant.
Skills your child will gain
Named, practised skills - grouped the way universities read them, tied to how each is used in this competition.
Communication
Writing and speaking so an adult expert takes them seriously.
- Stakeholder writing
Rehearsed in front of a mentor and peers, then corrected on the spot.
- Argument under scrutiny
Written up each week and marked the way a specialist reader would mark it.
Building & doing
The hands-on craft that turns an idea into a finished artefact.
- Editing ruthlessly
Used directly on the work your child hands in across 36 days.
Working with people
Deadlines, teams, feedback - the habits universities and employers notice.
- Project management
Built through real deadlines and written mentor feedback.
- Team facilitation
Practised in small-team work with students your child has never met.
- Working to a hard deadline
Held to a professional standard - the brief, the deadline, the follow-up.
- Handling results, win or lose
Built through real deadlines and written mentor feedback.
Projects they finish with
Sample briefs from recent cohorts - the actual work that comes out of the programme, not a syllabus.
The competition entry itself
“Can your child produce leadership & global affairs work that stands up to outside judging?”
What they hand inA submitted entry - essay, case or presentation - kept for the portfolio.
36 daysPost-result reflection
“What did the judges' feedback reveal to fix next time?”
What they hand inJudge feedback plus a written reflection worth quoting in interviews.
After resultsA judged entry with a result attached
Impact on other people, documented - the difference between a title and leadership. By the end of HCUS Debating Championship, the aim is simple: a led initiative with numbers attached and letters from those involved.
What you end up holding
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
- A line that needs no explaining on a form
What they'll take away
Certificate of ParticipationJudging feedback and rankingAwards for top entriesA submission to show universities
How this strengthens their university profile
The point isn't the certificate. It's the line a family can honestly write afterwards - and the artefact sitting behind it.
Before
"My child is interested in leadership & global affairs."
Nothing an admissions officer can check.
After HCUS Debating Championship
"My child completed HCUS Debating Championship and finished a judged entry with a result attached."
A line with an artefact behind it.
Why this competition counts
External validation. A competition is judged by someone other than us, which is exactly why admissions officers weigh it - a rank or an award is a third party saying the work was good.
Impact on other people, documented - the difference between a title and leadership.
What a university can verify
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
- A line that needs no explaining on a form
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
Upcoming cohorts
Starting soon
Sat, 3 Oct 202636 days · Grades 10–12October 2026
Live session times confirmed on registration
Session times shown in Dubai time (GMT+4) with US Eastern alongside. Fees are correct at time of publishing - confirm on the programme page.
Live mentors, every single session
HCUS Debating Championship is taught live by mentors from leading universities and partner organisations - never pre-recorded. Small cohorts mean your child is spoken to by name, not counted in an audience.
Parents usually ask
Is my child the right age for this?
It is designed for Grades 10–12. No prior background is assumed - mentors calibrate to the cohort in the first session.
How much time does it take?
36 days in total, with live sessions live session times confirmed on registration plus light preparation in between. It is built to sit alongside school.
What if we miss a session?
Tell the team in advance and they will share the materials and arrange a catch-up so your child rejoins without falling behind.
How do we pay and confirm a place?
Places are confirmed on the HCUS Debating Championship application page. Fees shown here are correct at time of publishing - always confirm on the programme page before paying.
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