July 31 - August 3
Austin, Texas
The Westin Austin Downtown
310 East 5^th Street
Austin, TX 78701

Register Now!

For additional information/details regarding this meeting, please contact Chris Paulson ([email protected]) at the NFHS.

Current Year Updates
The Final Policy Debate Topic for 2025-2026 will be announced on January 10, 2025.  To understand how we got to this point in the process, please review the articles linked below.

• 5 Suggested Topics for 2025-26, which came from the 2025 Topic Selection Meeting
• 2 Topics Remain as finalists for the 2025-2026 National High School Policy Debate Topic

2025 NFHS Policy Debate Topic Selection Meeting - General Info

• Detailed Agenda / Schedule – please check back for a detailed daily schedule, which should be posted in early April 2025.
• Things to Do in Austin – use this resource published by the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau to find unique places to eat, shop, and listen to music.  
• Register Here – use this link to register for the 2025 Policy Debate Topic Selection Meeting.
• Hotel Registration– use this quick link to book your hotel stay in Austin.  The NFHS has secured special pricing with the Westin Austin Downtown (Marriott property). 
• Policy Debate Quarterly (Purchase Now!) – Policy Debate Quarterly is the premier resource for the current year’s Policy Debate Topic.  Current issues relate to last year’s topic: Intellectual Property Rights, and issues related to the 2025-26 Policy Debate Topic will be published after the final selection in January 2025.

Topic Author - Information

• 2024-25 Topic Selection Handbook – Information for current and future authors, including timelines, writing criteria, stipend structures, and more. 
• Archive of Topic Reports from previous years (2019-present)
• Meeting Materials – this page will be activated in mid-July, approximately two weeks before the 2025 Policy Debate Topic Selection Meeting, and it will contain all pertinent information and tools for attendees to use during the meeting.
• Resource Video - this video may be useful for new topic authors working through the process for the first time.  
• Timeline for 2024-2025