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The Great Debaters

Winners of the Contest

UNIVERSITY

1st: Camelia Hostinar and Simonida Subotic
2nd: Marisa Maleck and Joel Todoroff
3rd: Andreea Militaru and Barbora Ondruskova
4th: Samantha Carol and Casey Brander

HIGH SCHOOL

1st: Joshua Johnson and Rohit Iragavarapu
2nd: Xi Lin and Paul Gu
3rd: Molly Duncan
4th: Emily Brown and Rebecca Borton

Believe in the Power of Words

The Great Debaters is inspired by a true story and underscores the extraordinary power of debate. As ideas traverse our world more rapidly than ever, the need for debate has grown in our lives.

To celebrate the purpose and potential of debate, The Princeton Review, along with the International Debate Education Association for the first time ever, is hosting an online debate contest for anyone who has a voice and wants to be heard.

From two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and an ensemble cast led by Washington that includes Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, comes "The Great Debaters".

Inspired by a true story, "The Great Debaters" chronicles the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small African American college in the deep south into a historically elite debate team.

A controversial figure, Professor Tolson challenged the social mores of the time and was under constant fire for his unconventional and ferocious teaching methods as well as his radical political views.

About the Contest

We believe in the power of words and the impact they can have on society. The Princeton Review is hosting the first ever open debate contest where you’ll get the chance to be heard.

Enter The Great Debaters Video Debate Contest and you could win great prizes.

How to Enter

Grab a friend, classmate, debate teammate, or colleague, and a video camera.
Review debate topics and prepare your arguments. One person must speak in favor of the topic, and one must speak against it.
Verify that you are 13 years or older.
Review the rules below.
Create a video of your arguments (no more than 4 minutes in total). Your "For" and "Against" speeches should be roughly the same length.
Upload your video!
Note - the contest is only open to residents of the United States of America.

Debate Topics

Topic 1

Universities should use affirmative action to encourage minority enrollment.

Topic 2

MySpace is Your Space: It is ethical for colleges, parents, or employers to get information about people from social networking websites.

Topic 3

In a democracy, civil disobedience is an appropriate weapon in the fight for justice.

More About the Topics

Tips from the International Debate Education Association

For the complete rules of the contest, please go here.

The contest will be judged by the International Debate Education Association.

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