The North American Debating Championship is one of the two official university debate championships of North America. It is sanctioned by the national university debating associations in the United States and Canada, the American Parliamentary Debate Association and the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate. It has been held each winter on an alternating basis between the United States and Canada since 1992. The host university arranges all judging and is not allowed in the competition. The most frequent hosts have been the University of Toronto and McGill University, which have each hosted the championship three times. Bates College, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, and Queen's University have each hosted twice. This tournament, often abbreviated as NorthAms, is not to be confused with the North American Universities Debating Championship, abbreviated as NAUDC, which is hosted separately in the fall of each year as a British Parliamentary Style tournament. The two events are coordinated such that each is hosted by a different country, the United States or Canada, in a given year.
The most recent iteration was held by Dartmouth College in January 2026. The current North American champions are from Stanford University.
Results Since 1992, the most successful university overall has been Yale University with nine championship victories, including three of the last four. Following it is the University of Toronto with seven wins. After that, Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and McGill University have two championships each, and no other university has won more than once.
No team has ever repeated as the top team at the championship. Five individuals have won the top team award twice. Most recently, Matthew Song won in 2022 and 2024, representing Yale University. Matthew Wansley of Yale University won back-to-back championships from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that, Nathan MacDonald and Robert Silver won first together for the University of Western Ontario in 1997–1998, then MacDonald for the University of Guelph in 1998–1999, and Silver for the University of Ottawa in 1999–2000. Three people have won the top individual debater award twice: Casey Halladay of the University of Ottawa in 1997–1998 and 1999–2000, Rory Gillis of Yale University in two consecutive years from 2004 to 2006, and Kate Falkenstien of Yale in two consecutive years from 2010 to 2012.
Year Host Champion Team College Top Debater College2026 Dartmouth Claire Beamer & Tejas Subramaniam StanfordTejas Subramaniam Stanford University2025 Odette Alessandro Perri & Roy Tiefer UChicagoElizabeth Li Stanford University2024 UChicago Justin Kim & Matthew Song YaleRyan Lafferty Dartmouth College2023 Western Ye Joo Han & Matt Mauriello HarvardMatt Mauriello Harvard University2022 Brandeis Cameron Chacon & Matthew Song YaleDevesh Kodnani University of Chicago2021 PennDavid Edimo & Eva Quinones YaleEva Quinones Yale2020 WaterlooGautier Boyrie & Chris Pang TorontoSamuel Arnesen and Shreyas Kumar Princeton2019 RutgersWilliam Arnesen & Xavier Sottile YaleSophia Caldera Harvard2018 TorontoHarry Elliott & David Slater StanfordChristopher Taylor Yale 2017 Middlebury Megan Wilson & Kyle Hietala Yale Nathan Raab Princeton 2016 Queen's Anirudh Dasarathy & Brian Litchfield Princeton Denizhan Uykur McGill 2015 NYU Juliana Vigorito & David Israel Hopkins Shomik Ghosh Michigan 2014 Ottawa & Carleton Kaya Ellis & Louis Tsilivis Toronto Michael Barton and Veenu Goswami Yale and Toronto 2013 Syracuse Coulter King & Josh Zoffer Harvard Coulter King Harvard 2012 Toronto Simon Cameron & Romeo Maione Carleton Kate Falkenstien Yale 2011 Fordham Nate Blevins & Pam Brown Yale Kate Falkenstien Yale 2010 York Adam Goldstein & Bill Magnuson MIT Richard Lizius Toronto 2009 Amherst Grant May & Andrew Rohrbach Yale Mark Samburg Harvard 2008 Carleton Jon Laxer & Jason Rogers Toronto Josh Bone Yale 2007 Bates Dylan Gadek & Matthew Wansley Yale Ian Freeman Carleton 2006 Toronto Ben Eidelson & Matthew Wansley Yale Rory Gillis Yale 2005 Cornell Joanna Nairn & Melanie Tharamangalam Toronto Rory Gillis Yale 2004 Queen's James Renihan & Gordon Shotwell McGill Greg Allen UBC 2003 Hopkins Phil Larochelle & Patrick Nichols MIT Emily Schleicher NYU 2002 McGill Rory McKeown & Aaron Rousseau Toronto Ranjan Agarwal Ottawa 2001 Cornell Storey Clayton & Adam Zirkin Brandeis David Silverman Princeton 2000 Queen's Casey Halladay & Robert Silver Ottawa Casey Halladay Ottawa 1999 Smith Nathan MacDonald & Averill Pessin Guelph Jason Goldman Princeton 1998 McGill Nathan MacDonald & Robert Silver Western Casey Halladay Ottawa 1997 Hopkins John Oleske & Niall O'Murchada Princeton John Oleske Princeton 1996 Toronto Matt Cohen & Jamie Springer McGill Ron Guirguis Guelph 1995 Penn Jeremy Mallory & Neal Potishman Swarthmore Michael D'Abramo Toronto 1994 Dalhousie Randy Cass & Avery Plaw Toronto Avery Plaw Toronto 1993 Bates Jason Brent & Thomas Meehan Toronto Marc Givens Queen's 1992 McGill Marc Givens & Elicia Maine Queen's Ted Cruz Princeton
North American Public Speaking Championship Every year from 1992 to 2001, and biannually from 2003 to 2007, individual public speaking was also an event at the championship. It was run as a parallel tournament, with a grand public speaking final before the final round of debate. After 2007, it was discontinued as APDA had shortened debating tournaments and discontinued public speaking as a regular event at US tournaments. No individual ever repeated as North American Public Speaking Champion. McGill University and the University of Ottawa each had three public speaking champions, the most of any university. Year Winner College 2007 Vinay Kumar Mysore McGill University 2005 Jason Rogers McGill University 2004 Stuart Savelkoul Dickinson State University 2001 Aidan Johnson University of Toronto 2000 Jeremy Holiday Middlebury College 1999 Mark Bigney McGill University 1998 Michael Podgorski Queen's University 1997 Jordan Mills University of New Mexico 1996 Shuman Ghosemajumder University of Western Ontario 1995 Marika Giles Concordia University 1994 Jake Irving University of Ottawa 1993 Michael McKneely Colgate University 1992 Awanish Sinha University of Ottawa
References
External links CUSID Summary of Past Championships