In Partnership with the Oxford Union

Oxford Schools' Global Qualifiers

One of the world's most prestigious debate competitions is now accessible to the world through Cosmos.

Novice & Open Divisions Available

What is Oxford Schools?

The World's Largest British Parliamentary Debate Competition

3500+ teams compete annually, but this is the first time Oxford Schools has been globally accessible.


It has never been easier to represent your country in debate on a stage of this scale.

Have Fun with a Familiar Format

Try out the original debate format from which World Schools debating was derived from. Easy, familiar, and Fun.

Beginner Friendly

Cosmos hosts a separate division in their tournaments for people new to the British Parliamentary format.

ECL Friendly

Cosmos employs special match-making to accomodate teams whose first language is not english

How Does British Parliamentary (BP) Debate Work?

The World Schools Debate Format was derived from British Parliamentary Debating, making them very similar and the skill sets interchangeable. It is the second most popular format in the world, with high profile competitions including Oxford Schools' and the World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC).

Limited Preparation

Teams only have 30 minutes to prepare their arguments. This may seem stressful to debaters new to the format until you realize you can easily argue with your friends for hours with no preparation.

Easy & Fun

The format and style of debate is designed to be fun and easy to approach.

How Does the Cosmos Oxford Schools' Global Qualifier Work?

Human Judged & Scored

Human Judged & Scored

All debaters are judged by humans and receive feedback for every debate.

First Come First Serve

First Come First Serve

Cosmos has a limited number of spots for all qualifiers so people are encouraged to register as soon as possible

Register Individually or as a team

Register Individually or as a team

BP debate teams are made of 2 people. If you don't have a partner, Cosmos can find you one.

Independent Registrations Allowed

Independent Registrations Allowed

You do not have to be affiliated with your school to participate.

No Restrictions on how many teams an organization can send

Regional Qualifiers
(5 rounds of debate, see dates & register below)

Regional Qualifiers
(5 rounds of debate, see dates & register below)

Top performing teams are invited to represent their country at the Online Global Qualifier (Feb 23rd)

Top 2 teams from the Open Division of the Online Global Qualifier are Invited to Finals' Day hosted in person at Oxford University (March 15th)

Eligibility Restrictions

Non-elegible countries

Debaters that identify themselves to be from following countries are not eligible to participate: UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Ghana, Romania, Kenya, Tunisia, India, UAE, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, Netherlands, Zimbabwe.

Age restriction?

While there is no official age restriction for Oxford Schools', the competition is typically for students of high school age. Students of middle-school age (grade 6-8) may compete if prior communication is made with Cosmos.

Individual registrations are allowed

BP debate teams are made of 2 people. If you don't have a partner, register on your own and Cosmos will aim to find you a partner

Independent registrations

While debaters may compete independently from an educational institution, all participants must attend an educational institution. This is primarily for user safety purposes, and is verified during our registration process.

Regional Qualifiers

Cosmos hosts multiple regional qualifiers to suit a variety of timezones. You may participate in multiple regional qualifiers to increase your odds of being invited to a global final.

Multiple registrations

You may register for both national and wildcard qualifiers to increase your odds of making it to the online global final.

The Regional Qualifiers

Oxford Schools Americas Qualifier

Cost: $60 USD

Date: February 22, 11AM-6PM GMT-5

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Americas Qualifier

Cost: $60 USD

Date: February 22, 11AM-6PM GMT-5

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Americas Qualifier

Cost: $60 USD

Date: February 22, 11AM-6PM GMT-5

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Euro-Africa Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, 10AM-5PM GMT+1

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Euro-Africa Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, 10AM-5PM GMT+1

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Euro-Africa Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, 10AM-5PM GMT+1

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Asia-Pacific Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, timing to be confirmed

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Asia-Pacific Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, timing to be confirmed

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Asia-Pacific Qualifier

Cost: £50

Date: February 22, timing to be confirmed

5 rounds of debate throughout the day

Oxford Schools Waitlist

If you're interested in participating in Oxford Schools' but can't find a suitable qualifier, please fill out the form below and Cosmos will work on finding a way to accommodate you.

Oxford Schools Waitlist

If you're interested in participating in Oxford Schools' but can't find a suitable qualifier, please fill out the form below and Cosmos will work on finding a way to accommodate you.

Oxford Schools Waitlist

If you're interested in participating in Oxford Schools' but can't find a suitable qualifier, please fill out the form below and Cosmos will work on finding a way to accommodate you.

Stay up to date with Cosmos

Be the first to hear about new exclusive competitions, wildcard qualifiers, and our international on-demand circuits
Be the first to hear about new exclusive competitions, wildcard qualifiers, and our international on-demand circuits

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The Global Debate Platform

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COSMOS

The Global Debate Platform

© Cosmos Global Limited. 2024. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

COSMOS

The Global Debate Platform

© Cosmos Global Limited. 2024. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.