WHO WE ARE
The Debates Union is second oldest society at the University of Edinburgh and has a long-standing tradition of promoting social and political dialogue.
Besides holding weekly workshops, we host a variety of public debates throughout the year, as well as the annual Edinburgh Cup and two schools competitions.
We are one of the most successful debating societies in the UK, regularly breaking to finals and semifinals at competitions both nationally and overseas.
WHAT WE DO
WORKSHOPS
COMPETITIVE TRAINING
PUBLIC EVENTS
SOCIAL EVENTS
We run weekly workshops at 7pm every Monday.
Everyone is welcome - from seasoned debaters to complete novices.
Develop your competitive skills with our Thursday workshops and represent the Union at competitions across the world.
We host regular socials both after our workshops and on the weekends. They include pub nights, barbeques, outdoor activities and parties Find out more about our socials.
We regularly hold thought-provoking events such as lectures and panel debates featuring visiting speakers on a range of topical issues.
SCHOOLS OUTREACH
At EUDU we are proud to run the largest schools programme in Scotland. In addition to our two major competitions, Edinburgh Juniors in Autumn and Edinburgh Schools in Spring, we offer training and teaching for all of our local schools. We strongly believe that debating should fun and accessible for all children, regardless of background, which is why we are currently expanding our outreach programme. Many of our members are also actively involved in training programmes such as Debate League and Debate Mate.
Find out more about each of the competitions using the links below. If you think that EUDU can help your debate programme in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch with contact Zainab Sardar, our Schools Officer, at edinburghschools@gmail.com.
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JUNIORS (open to S1-S3 or equivalent): one day competition, three rounds, break to finals.
SCHOOLS (open to S1-S6 or equivalent): one day competition, three rounds, break to finals.
THE EDINBURGH CUP
The Edinburgh Cup is our two-day Open competition which marks the beginning of the year's national debating season. The tournament runs over a full weekend with a novice workshop on Friday night. Our first four in-rounds take place on Saturday, culminating in one of our famed socials. On Sunday we hold the final in-round, the semifinals and final of the competition.
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For further information on general competitions, contact:
Freya Queeney
Competitions Convenor
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Watch a previous Grand Final here: