To be eligible for competition a student must be a matriculated undergraduate at NYU for the semester of competition. A team for competition is to consist of two undergraduate students from any of the NYU schools in any combination (i.e., students from different schools may compete together on the same competitive team). The organizers will make every effort to assist interested students who are unpaired in finding a partner. Students may participate in the annual NYU Global Debate Program up to four times.

To be eligible for competition a student must be a matriculated undergraduate NYU student enrolled at one of NYU's international study sites. A team for competition is to consist of two undergraduate students from any of the NYU schools in any combination. Students are strongly encouraged to find partners attending the same international study site. Students may participate in the annual NYU Global Debate Program up to four times.

All competitors will be entered in a preliminary competition tournament. The tournament will consist of three rounds on the same day. Each round will contain five-minute constructive speeches, three-minute rebuttals, and two-minute cross examination. Each team will have five minutes of preparation time per round. Judges will have an optional five minute cross-examination period. Each student will complete one constructive, one rebuttal, one response to cross examination, and one questioning during cross examination per round. Rounds will be judged by faculty of the University and special guest judges. Within each round judges will assign a winner of the debate to one side only. Judges will also assign each competitor a rank and a score reflective of their speaking. These points will be used to determine ties in ranking of teams. Teams will first be ranked based on number of wins, then on team points, and finally team ranks. The top teams will continue to the Elimination Tournament. The continuing teams will be announced within three days of the close of preliminary competition. Judges will write ballots explaining the basis of their decision. The decision of a judge may not be challenged in a round or changed once entered. The preliminary tournament will be randomly matched for round one & two, and be power-paired for round three. All tournament procedures, alterations, and questions shall be resolved by the Coordinator, who shall function as Tournament Director.

All competitors will submit four-minute videos for the preliminary competition tournament. Videos will present arguments in favor of or against the resolution. Judges will review and score each video submission. Teams will be ranked by points with ties broken on judge preference. The continuing teams will be announced within three days of the close of preliminary competition. Judges will write ballots explaining the basis of their scoring. The decision of a judge may not be challenged or changed once entered. All tournament procedures, alterations, and questions shall be resolved by the Coordinator, who shall function as Tournament Director.

The tournament will consist of four elimination rounds: octofinals, quarterfinals, semifinals on the same day with a championship round held on a separate day. Speech and cross-examination times will remain the same as for the domestic prelim tournament. Teams will be seeded based on the video submission ballots and the results of the domestic prelim tournament. Each round will have a minimum of three judges. Judges will have a twelve minute cross-examination period. Each student will complete one constructive, and one rebuttal. Cross-examination periods may be shared. Rounds will be judged by faculty, alumni, previous competitors and administrators of the University as well as special guest judges. Within each round judges will assign a winner of the debate to one side only. All tournament procedures, alterations, and questions shall be resolved by the Program Director, who shall function as Tournament Director. The decision of the judges may not be challenged or changed once entered.

Any student competitor will be free to ask for additional instruction or advice at any time via appointment. The Coordinator will be an impartial resource for all competitors. All competitors will be entitled to the Debate Resource Bibliography. All competitors may ask faculty of the University for advice on issues related to topic and argument. All competitors will be expected to uphold the ethical considerations of academic discourse in the process of competition and to represent the University, their school, and themselves to the best of their ability. A 15 minute forfeit rule will be in place for head-to-head competitions during each phase of the domestic tournament. Teams may work together and practice with other teams prior to competition to maximize preparation. Student awards may be subject to additional terms of disbursement by the University pending legal and tax obligations.

If one competitor from a team is unable to participate in the elimination rounds due to verified medical reasons or visa problems, the remaining competitor will be able to secure a different partner for the elimination rounds. If a competitor from a team chooses not to participate for any other reason, the remaining competitor will have the option to debate singly or forfeit their elimination rounds. In any event, no single-member team will be permitted to advance past the semifinal round under any circumstances. The team member who did not compete will receive the octofinal award regardless of how far their partner advances. Each member of all sixteen advancing teams agree to be present for all scheduled events organized by the sponsors including the elimination rounds, any welcome reception, the awards ceremony and the Championship Final Round. Failure to attend these events will lead to forfeiture of their award.