The Great Alaska Speakout is a highly competitive debate tournament modeled after the Great Alaska Shootout, the NCAA Basketball tournament hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage each fall.

Nine teams from around the nation are invited to compete in the tournament.  First round bids go to those teams who have distinguished themselves in competition in the previous year.  Several wildcard bids are also offered to teams who may not be ranked highly, but who demonstrate considerable potential for competitive excellence.  Of course, a University of Alaska Anchorage team receives an automatic bid for the tournament.

A bid application packet  for 2002 is  available for download.  All bid applications are due by July 12, 2002.

Each school will enter one, two-person debate team in the tournament. On the first day of competition, these teams will participate in a series of preliminary rounds to determine seed order for single elimination rounds. On the second day, the top four teams will participate in the semifinal and final rounds to determine the Speakout Champion.
 

For more information, contact:

Steve Johnson
Co-Director of Forensics
Department of Communication
University of Alaska Anchorage
(907) 786-4391