Finale der Deutschsprachigen Debattiermeisterschaft 2026

In the organizer's words:

Here words fly instead of fists! In the final of the German Debating Championship, it's the best and not the loudest argument that counts.

Final of the German Debating Championship 2026

The German Debating Championships (DDM) is the largest tournament in German-speaking university debating and this year brings together around 250 students from German-speaking countries. For four days, they will compete against each other in the British Parliamentary Style (BPS) format and debate a wide range of topics from politics, society and business. The German-speaking Debating Championship has been held annually since 2001, which is why it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026. This year, the tournament is being held under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
After seven challenging preliminary rounds and exciting quarter and semi-finals, the best four teams will ultimately make it through to the grand final. There they will compete for the 2026 championship title! One special challenge of the format remains: The finalists, just like the audience, will only find out the topic of the debate 15 minutes before it begins!
An independent student jury will decide which of the four teams will win the final. In addition, an honorary jury consisting of well-known personalities from politics, science and society will award the prize for the best final speech.

Organizer:
Verband der Debattierclubs an Hochschulen e.V. with the organizer die Rederei e.V.

Sponsored by:
Main sponsors: Volkswagen Foundation, German Debating Society
Local sponsors: Heidelberg University Student Union, Adalbert Zajadacz Foundation, Heidelberg Public Utilities, KRAUSGRUPPE