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Re:Solved
What is re:Solved?
Dedicated to promoting civil and substantive public debate, Re:Solved is designed for all students aged 13–18 to fuel their interest and participation in global competitive public speaking.
Students and judges from around the world connect and speak on topics that challenge popular beliefs and encourage deep thinking. The goal is to present the most persuasive argument on a universal theme.
Re:Solved asks students to create and upload a six- to eight-minute persuasive speech on a given topic. These are judged by adults from all over the world and the top 20 students will enter the elimination phases, which culminate in a four-person final competition in Toronto.
Registration
Video submissions due December 15, 2025, by midnight in your time zone
why PARTICIPATE?
Global Experience
All students aged 13-18 from around the world are welcome.
Compete in Toronto
Finalists will be flown to Toronto to compete, with hotel, airfare and food expenses covered.
Scholarship Awards
$1,000 for the winning student; $750 for the runner-up; $500 for third place.
Key Dates
Re:Solved 2026
October 15, 2025 - Website and topic announced.
Videos Due
December 15, 2025 - 6-8 minute speech videos are due.
Top 20 Students Announcement
January 2026 - Top 20 students will be announced.
Elimination Round 1 (online)
Early to mid-February 2026 - Round of top 20 online speeches will be held.
Elimination Round 2 (online)
Early March 2026 - Top 10 speeches will be delivered. This will also include online voting.
Finals Day at Branksome Hall
April 2026 - Students will debate the original public speaking topic.
2026 THEME: UN Sustainable Development Goals
With five years to go to the 2030 deadline, which one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should the world prioritize and why?
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries — developed and developing — in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth — all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
Registration and Eligibility
This competition is open to every secondary/high school student between the ages of 13 to 18 (Grades 9 to 12 in North American school terms). University students cannot participate in this competition.
Registration
Registration for the third annual Re:Solved competition is now open.
Video Submission
Students will prepare and deliver a six- to eight-minute speech and upload it.
Travel Eligibility
Once the top four students have been selected, students must be eligible for travel to Toronto.
rules of debate
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Public Speaking Phase
- Those who choose to compete will need to provide the name and contact information of a person who can serve as a judge for at least the public speaking phase. This adult can be any member of the community over the age of 18 and has proficiency in English.
- This judge will be required to listen to other speeches on the online platform, provide a score and comments.
- If students are having difficulty finding a judge, please email the convenor at ReSolved@branksome.on.ca to inform that you are not able to provide a judge.
- Competitors are to present a six- to eight-minute speech on the prescribed topic.
- It is meant to be a persuasive speech. That means it must be organized, researched and relevant.
- Students can speak in favour or against the topic. Students may also provide conditions and criteria to their position.
- All videos are due December 2025.
- In order for a speech to be considered, it must be uploaded using the provided link. Emailed videos will not be considered.
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Judging
- Judging will take place during the month of December 2025 and is due on January 10, 2026. Judges will be provided with the links to their videos and judging form.
- If a judge does not fulfill their requirements, the student(s) under that judge will no longer be eligible.
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Elimination Stages
- Students will be given a public speaking session. They will be given a question about the Sustainable Development Goals. They have 30 minutes to develop an impromptu speech of five minutes that they will deliver on Zoom.
- The top 10 students will then move to the second elimination round.
- During the second elimination stage, the students will be given a second question about the Sustainable Development Goals. They will have 30 minutes to develop an impromptu speech of five minutes.
- These speeches WILL BE RECORDED AND SHARED on a polling platform for people from around the world to vote
- The top four speakers with the highest judging score and highest number of votes will travel to Toronto in April.
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Finals
- The final four students must be able to compete in Toronto in April 2026.
- Students are responsible for verifying the entry requirements to Canada and to purchase the required travel visa if necessary.
- The organizers will provide a letter, if necessary, for travel visa purposes.
- The organizers will book travel and hotel on behalf of the students.
- Chaperones are free to attend at their own expense. The convenor of the tournament will be at the hotel during finals weekend as a chaperone.
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Equity
Under no circumstances are remarks that mock, demean or disparage groups of people permitted. If it is brought to the organizer's attention that a student has said something that is considered offensive and violates our equity policy, the organizers will investigate and it could lead to disqualification.
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AI Use
For this tournament, the use of AI tools such as Gemini or ChatGPT is strictly prohibited. If there is suspicion that AI was used for speeches, the organizers will investigate and, if necessary, disqualify the speaker.
Public Speaking Phase
- Those who choose to compete will need to provide the name and contact information of a person who can serve as a judge for at least the public speaking phase. This adult can be any member of the community over the age of 18 and has proficiency in English.
- This judge will be required to listen to other speeches on the online platform, provide a score and comments.
- If students are having difficulty finding a judge, please email the convenor at ReSolved@branksome.on.ca to inform that you are not able to provide a judge.
- Competitors are to present a six- to eight-minute speech on the prescribed topic.
- It is meant to be a persuasive speech. That means it must be organized, researched and relevant.
- Students can speak in favour or against the topic. Students may also provide conditions and criteria to their position.
- All videos are due December 2025.
- In order for a speech to be considered, it must be uploaded using the provided link. Emailed videos will not be considered.
Judging
- Judging will take place during the month of December 2025 and is due on January 10, 2026. Judges will be provided with the links to their videos and judging form.
- If a judge does not fulfill their requirements, the student(s) under that judge will no longer be eligible.
Elimination Stages
- Students will be given a public speaking session. They will be given a question about the Sustainable Development Goals. They have 30 minutes to develop an impromptu speech of five minutes that they will deliver on Zoom.
- The top 10 students will then move to the second elimination round.
- During the second elimination stage, the students will be given a second question about the Sustainable Development Goals. They will have 30 minutes to develop an impromptu speech of five minutes.
- These speeches WILL BE RECORDED AND SHARED on a polling platform for people from around the world to vote
- The top four speakers with the highest judging score and highest number of votes will travel to Toronto in April.
Finals
- The final four students must be able to compete in Toronto in April 2026.
- Students are responsible for verifying the entry requirements to Canada and to purchase the required travel visa if necessary.
- The organizers will provide a letter, if necessary, for travel visa purposes.
- The organizers will book travel and hotel on behalf of the students.
- Chaperones are free to attend at their own expense. The convenor of the tournament will be at the hotel during finals weekend as a chaperone.
Equity
Under no circumstances are remarks that mock, demean or disparage groups of people permitted. If it is brought to the organizer's attention that a student has said something that is considered offensive and violates our equity policy, the organizers will investigate and it could lead to disqualification.
AI Use
For this tournament, the use of AI tools such as Gemini or ChatGPT is strictly prohibited. If there is suspicion that AI was used for speeches, the organizers will investigate and, if necessary, disqualify the speaker.
Hear from participants
FAQs For Participants
The tournament is open to any secondary/high school student between the ages of 13–18.
When you're writing, aim for three to four pages of A4 or letter-sized paper (double-spaced). Anything longer means you will likely be speaking too quickly.
December 15, 2025.
There is no cost to participate in the tournament.
You need to provide an email address, which can be your own personal email or that of the school. You also need a device to film and a WIFI connection to upload the video and fill out the form. You will not be judged on the quality of the video. While you should be cognizant of space (ideally you would film in a classroom or a private space), the judges are to judge you on the quality of your words. In fact, the speech should not be edited at all. We are trying to keep this as simple as possible.
No. If the speech is not memorized, we would recommend a podium or a music stand where the student can lay out their papers. This is where the teacher can play a role in the recording—they can hold your phone while the speech is being recorded.
The rubric is still being developed, but you will be judged on four criteria: Organization, Analysis and Reasoning, Content (examples) and Style. Rubrics will be provided to students and coaches upon registration.
$1,000 for the winning student
$750 for second place
$500 for third place
Congratulations! For the elimination stage, you will be given a time slot and Zoom link. While the theme will be the same as the public speaking phase, you will have a different question. You will have 30 minutes to prepare a five-minute response to the question.
Only the top 10 students will have their work shown and voted on.
Yes—you should find someone over the age of 18 in your community. That can be anyone in your school, your debate coach, a family member. That adult can be the judge of up to three people.
Please contact us as soon as possible at ReSolved@branksome.on.ca and we will arrange judging.
Please email ReSolved@branksome.on.ca.
FAQs For Judges
Each competitor needs to provide the name of one adult who can act as a judge. This judge can be anyone from their school community, not necessarily their public speaking coach. Examples of this can be their coach, their teacher, their counsellor, their Advisor, someone in their school administration or a family member or family friend. The judge can support up to three students. The purpose is to ensure that the students will have their speeches seen at least three times.
In December 2025, the judge will receive a list of students with their video links as well as ballots. The judge is then asked to watch, give the speech a mark and, if desired, provide comments. The time commitment will be two hours spread over one week.
Unfortunately, if the judge does not complete the judging, the students that are affiliated with that judge will be disqualified.
Please contact the organizers as soon as possible at ReSolved@branksome.on.ca.
CONTACT US
Still have questions? Contact us about the Re:Solved debate competition.
