Tournament Types and Registration Policies

NCFCA tournaments are open to eligible students from affiliated families. Each tournament type has its own eligibility policies and fees explained below.

Last Updated: Aug 30, 2024

Registration Policies

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League Policies

Understand the guidelines and regulations that govern NCFCA competitions and events. Familiarize yourself with our policies to ensure a fair and enjoyable experience for all participants. 

  1. Qualifying Tournaments

    Regional or District Qualifying Tournaments

    • Regional or district qualifying tournaments are multi-day events open to eligible competitors within the region or district and offer six preliminary rounds of Lincoln-Douglas Value and/or Team Policy debate, three preliminary rounds of speech, and elimination rounds for both speech and debate. This tournament type is primarily an in-person event but may be offered as an online option if a facility is not available or due to an unforeseen circumstance (weather, etc.). Students who are recognized during the awards ceremony with an event placing earn an invitation to the Regional Championship.

    Moot Court National Open Tournaments

    • Qualifying Moot Court tournaments take place exclusively online and are open to eligible competitors from all regions. Each tournament will include six rounds of preliminary competition as well as elimination rounds. Top competitors from the four National Open tournaments earn invitations to the Moot Court National Championship which will be held in person in early June.

    National Open and Mixer Tournaments

    • National tournaments are multi-day events open to eligible competitors from all regions. Unless otherwise specified, they offer six preliminary rounds of Lincoln-Douglas Value and Team Policy debate, three preliminary rounds of speech, and elimination rounds for both speech and debate. Students who are recognized during the awards ceremony with an event placing earn an invitation to their Regional Championship, and National Championship invitations are issued to first and second place competitors in each event for National Opens and to the first place competitor(s) in National Mixers. Details are available in the Qualification System guide.
  2. Championship Tournaments

    Participation in championship tournaments is by invitation only. Competitors must qualify though one of our qualifying tournaments, a National Open, a National Mixer, or the National At-Large System.

    Qualification System Overview

    • Individuals or teams who advance to elimination rounds or are recognized in the Awards Ceremony for an event at a Regional or District Qualifier, or a National Open Tournament may compete in that event at their Regional Championship. Invitations are awarded to individual competitors in Lincoln-Douglas Value debate and most speech events, and invitations are extended to teams in Team Policy Debate and Duo Interpretation.
    • Invitations to the National Championship are awarded through National Open Tournaments, Regional Championships, and the National At-Large System.
    • Invitations to the Moot Court National Championship are awarded through the Moot Court National Open tournaments and the National At-Large System.

    Complete details of the Qualification and Tabulation System are available in the Qualification System guide.

    Regional Championships

    • Regional Championship tournaments are multi-day events open to competitors within a region who have earned an invitation through the Qualification System. Top competitors in each event earn an invitation to the National Championship. These tournaments generally take place in late April or early May.

    Moot Court National Championship

    • The Moot Court National Championship is open to competitors who have earned an invitation through the Qualification System.

    National Championship

    • The National Championship is open to competitors who have received invitations through the Qualification System.
  3. Non-Qualifying Competition Opportunities

    Practice Events

    • The league will host two sets of abbreviated pre-season, online practice opportunities for competitors and parents to use the online tournament platform and practice their speech and debate skills. Many independent local clubs may also host practice tournaments in preparation for the qualifying competition season.

    Junior Tournaments

    • Many in-person qualifying tournaments will also host a Junior Tournament. As non-qualifying events, Junior Tournaments are less rigid in their eligibility criteria but are generally recommended for students 7-11 years old. Junior tournaments feature one or two rounds of practice-style speech competition and generally take place during the debate elimination round(s) of the associated qualifying tournament. Details for Junior Tournaments will be available on your NCFCA dashboard.
  4. Tournament Registration Fees

    Competitors may register for any tournaments for which they are eligible. Registration fees are non-refundable once paid, so affiliates should review the schedule and details for each tournament carefully before completing payment. The fee schedule below applies to both in-person and online tournaments except where otherwise noted.

    Tournament Type Student Entry Fee Debate Event Fee Speech Event Fee
    Regional and District Qualifiers $20 $35 $20
    National Open Tournaments (in-person/online) $20/$15 $45 $25
    Moot Court National Open Tournaments $15 $45 N/A
    Regional Championship $40 $45 $25
    Moot Court National Championship $35 $55 N/A
    National Championship $50 $55 $30
    Practice Events $10 $20 $10
    Junior Tournaments $10 n/a $7
  5. Registration Policies

    Partners and Registration

    For any event requiring a partner, both partners must request registration before the team is moved to the registration list. Students who have not indicated a partner or are waiting for their partner to register will remain on the waitlist until the other partner has registered.

    Late Registration

    Late registration requires a $25 late fee per competitor ($5 late fee per competitor for Junior Tournaments) and will open online at 9:00am CT on the designated Friday for events with remaining space. This late fee will also apply to those who registered during regular registration but failed to pay before the deadline. Late registration will remain open until 2:00pm CT one week prior to the first day of competition. During late registration, affiliates will be able to choose events and check-out all in one transaction. Payment is required for the registration to be complete, and all unpaid orders will be cleared at the close of late registration.

    Waitlists and Registration Preference

    NCFCA meets its mission when students participate and will make every attempt to accommodate as many requests as possible.

    Unfortunately, there are instances when demand exceeds space, and a waitlist will be created. In most cases, the waitlisted students can be accommodated before the tournament begins. The student and parent will be notified directly when space becomes available and the event has been placed in their cart. Payment for this event is due within 72 hours or the slot may be offered to the next student on the waitlist. Students who cannot be accommodated for a particular event will be given preferential registration for that event in the next tournament for which they register, regardless of tournament type. The registration software will automatically account for this status, so no action is required on the part of the student. Preferential registration status is not transferable, and registrations are not transferable between students. If a space is offered and declined, the competitor’s preferred status will be forfeited.

    In the unlikely event that there are too many preferred competitors for the available space and a competitor remains on a waitlist for a second tournament, the competitor will be given a higher preference status the next tournament.

    Competitors placed on the waitlist due to nonpayment are not eligible for preferential status.

    Scholarships

    A limited number of scholarships for registration fees are available by demonstrating financial need via the link in the shopping cart.

    • Scholarships must be requested prior to payment.
    • If the scholarship is granted, a coupon code will be added to the cart for the registrant to complete the transaction.
    • Refunds will not be issued once an order is paid.

    Registration Adjustment Procedures

    Information on how to drop or exchange events is found on the tournament prep page. This page also explains how to obtain a refund if one is allowed.