Our 2024 National Championship
A historic season of 5,000+ competitors across 25 tournaments culminated with the top 90 vying for the national championship title.
Our 2023-24 Incubate Debate season has come to a close. We made history, welcomed thousands of new students, and crowned a new national champion. Before we tell the story of nationals, let’s recap our historic season.
If there’s one number that sums up the season, it’s 5,000. That’s how many unique students joined us this past year. They hailed from towns large and small across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
We were able to welcome all 5,000 to our 25 in-person tournaments at absolutely no-cost, thank to the generous support of our sponsors and donors who share our passion for the power of open debate.
This season, students debated a wide-range of timely and timeless issues, from whether the U.S. should ban TikTok to whether it was necessary for the U.S. to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.
At our tournaments, students were evaluated by judges like Commander Jonathan J. Lushenko of the U.S. Navy and Professor Courtney Krolikoski of Jacksonville University. They were two of the 112 unique judges who joined us this season.
In preparation for the National Championship, Incubate welcomed 2024 Presidential Candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the 109th Mayor of New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio, to our ‘Advisors in Residence’ session. Here, they delivered real-time feedback to our students during a rigorous practice round on two National Championship topics: “Should college DEI programs be abolished?” and “Is there a climate emergency?”
Vivek and Bill surprised students (and us) with how well they had checked their worldview at the door. They shared honest, straightforward feedback with students on how they could improve their arguments before nationals. Here’s our favorite pearl from each.
Vivek Ramaswamy: “If you can't offer the best argument of the other side, then you don't actually know your side.”
Bill de Blasio: “Don't give up your point unless you're absolutely certain your opponent has you on it.”
Other topics debated at the National Championship include “Is Trump guilty in the federal January 6th case?” and “If China invades Taiwan tomorrow, should the U.S. defend Taiwan militarily?”
Challenging topics and fierce competition made the national championship exhilarating for students, coaches, parents, and judges.
Eric Rosenfeld of Crescendo Partners, who served as one of our distinguished judges at nationals, says he “…was incredibly impressed by the level of debate and the skill of the students. They were knowledgeable, courteous and very appreciative … Incubate Debate has created a viable, thriving alternative to the National Speech and Debate Association that actually welcomes true discourse and the exploration of ideas and intellect.”
We’re honored by Eric’s words. While we won’t delve into the NSDA here—you can read James’ widely-acclaimed essay for more—, we are proud of our commitment to viewpoint diversity, which first and foremost begins with our judges. We believe that viewpoint diverse judging panels, like the one below from our final round, enrich the debate experience by bringing a broad range of perspectives to evaluate student arguments on their merit alone.
Final Round Judging Panel — 2024 Incubate Debate National Championship
Mayor Bill de Blasio (109th Mayor of New York City)
Stephen Asoli (Director of Admissions, University of Austin)
Dr. Peter Boghossian (Founder, National Progress Alliance)
Simon Hankinson (Senior Research Fellow, Heritage Foundation)
Clea Conner (Chief Executive Officer, Open to Debate)
Tamika McKinney (Lead Engineer, United States Air Force)
John Papola (Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director; Emergent Order)
Jacqueline Hutchins (Attorney, Office of the Attorney General of Florida)
Michele Hanson (Board Member, Clay County School Board)
Christine Wynne (Board Member, Australian Wildlife Conservancy USA)
All Incubate judges take an oath of impartiality that is best summed up as ‘may the best argument win.’ Their commitment to our oath was evident in the fact that judges consistently voted for arguments that were antithetical to their personal beliefs.
Open and free thinking debate for the students depends on objective judges.
Students celebrated the National Championship for its rigor and openness to free thinking. Marcos Ortega, a senior from South Florida who finished in sixth place at the National Championship, described the tournament as “an intense debate that made me question several of my own previous positions. It forced me to develop a much deeper understanding of the debate around climate change, on both my own perspective and the perspectives of others.”
Steven Abraham, who was runner-up, called it “the most productive political discussion of my life. Everyone was so encouraging…competing in Incubate has taught me to question accepted notions and search for truth by collaborating with other students in open and honest discourse.”
Both Marcos and Steven competed in the final round alongside finalists Briana Whatley, Rachel Ball, Christian Bailey, Gabriella Rothberg, Owen Giberman, and Julia Howey.
After two rigorous, back-to-back final rounds, our judges submitted their individual ballots and the results were tabulated: Briana Whatley, a junior from South Florida, was crowned the national champion, receiving a $10,000 prize provided by our partner Open to Debate, the nation’s only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate will broadcast the entire final round of the National Championship on their podcast in the coming week. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Briana described her experience as “a testament to Incubate’s values on personal growth. I began Incubate very timid and quiet; now I am able to speak my mind in any environment without fear. Every single student, coach, and judge I’ve come across through Incubate has helped instill knowledge and confidence within me. My success wouldn’t have been possible without the competitive yet inviting debate space Incubate fosters.”
Our theme this year was ‘make debate great again.’ This slogan isn’t simply about making high school debate great again, which we believe we’re doing. It’s about reviving free inquiry, civil discourse, and open debate throughout America. We believe that in any debate—whether at our tournaments, on college campuses, or around the dinner table—diverse viewpoints should be aired and engaged with constructively. In debate, everyone has something to give and something to gain. This philosophy underscores our mission to “bring the power of open debate to young Americans” and will guide us as we write the next chapter of Incubate with the support of our students, coaches, parents, judges, and you.
We’ll have more to share soon. In the meantime, grab a ‘Make Debate Great Again” here. All proceeds support our no-cost programming for students!
Incubate in the News
Heritage Foundation: Incubate Debate Takes On “Woke” National Speech and Debate Association
University of Austin: University of Austin judges high school debate league national championship
WJHG: Wise beyond his years: student named fourth best debater in the country
Broward County Public Schools: Miramar High School Student Wins National Debate Championship
A worthwhile experience for judges too. These kids are open-minded and receptive.