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The Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament

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The Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament is a national debating competition held throughout the year in Scottish Secondary Schools. It is one of the leading debating tournaments in Scotland and is organised annually by the Law Society of Scotland. It was created in 1999 to mark the Law Society of Scotland's 50th anniversary. It was later renamed in order to remember the life, work and passion of Donald Dewar, the first First Minister of Scotland. Since 2006, the final of the tournament has often been held in the debating chamber of The Scottish Parliament, in Edinburgh. In 2015, Jamie MacLeod and Ewan Redpath won the competition for Madras College. The 2016 competition had 128 teams participating, with winners Finlay Allmond and Caitlin Sherret from Nairn Academy.[1] Craigmount High School have won the competition a record three times- in 2007[2] 2012,[3] and 2014.[4] Madras College, Glasgow Academy, Peebles High School, and Robert Gordon's College are the only other schools to have won the competition more than once.

Format of The Competition

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The debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament, the venue of the finals since 2006 (with exception of 2023 and the pandemic years)

The competition has four stages of debate. These take place throughout Scottish Secondary Schools from November to June, with the final being held in the Scottish Parliament.

Round Format Venues
1 Teams are given two weeks to prepare Host Secondary School
2 Teams are given two weeks to prepare Host Secondary School
Semi-Finals Teams are given one hour to prepare Host Secondary School
Final Teams are given three weeks to prepare Scottish Parliament

In 2023, the motion for the competition's final was subject to a late change, due to the fact that there was a death in the local community that was thought to be related to TikTok. This lead the Law Society of Scotland to change the motion from, "This House would ban TikTok", to "This House would support government intervention to prevent gentrification". Additionally, there was a change in the format of the semi-final debates due to heavy snow, meaning that some of the heats had to be moved online.

Winners

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Year Winning school Speakers Runners-up Speakers
2024 Broxburn Academy Finlay Sayers, Sarah Pym Balfron High School
2023 Broxburn Academy Emma Bell, Ruby Ferguson Balfron High School
2022 Fortrose Academy The High School of Glasgow
2021 Peebles High School Thurso High School
2020 Peebles High School Balfron High School
2019 Bearsden Academy Balfron High School
2018 Peebles High School Perth High School
2017 Douglas Academy High School of Dundee
2016 Nairn Academy Finlay Allmond, Caitlin Sherret
2015 Madras College Jamie Macleod, Ewan Redpath Preswick Academy
2014 Craigmount High School
2013 Robert Gordon's College Glenalmond College
2012 Craigmount High School
2011 Braes High School
2010 Glasgow Academy Séamus Macdonald McGuigan, Oscar Lee
2009 Glasgow Academy Allen Farrington, Cosmo Grant
2008 Robert Gordon's College Joanna Farmer, Michael Sim High School of Dundee
2007 Craigmount High School High School of Dundee
2006 Dollar Academy Hutcheson's Grammar School
2005 George Heriot's School Robert Gordon's College

References

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  1. ^ McKenzie, Jamie (12 June 2016). "Nairn Academy becomes "best school debating team in Scotland"". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Craigmount wins the argument to take top debating prize". The Scotsman. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  3. ^ "School pupils talk the talk". Milngavie Herald. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  4. ^ McKendrick, Heather (16 June 2014). "No question about benefits of debate". The Scotsman. Retrieved 3 July 2016.