“Arctic” Selected As 2025-2026 National High School Policy Debate
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has announced the selection of “Arctic” as the National High School Policy Debate Topic for the 2025-26 academic year. The debate resolution will be as follows: “The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.”
“Arctic” was chosen over “Military Presence” by a 21-13 vote in the final balloting process, which saw participation from 30 state associations, including the National Speech and Debate Association, the National Catholic Forensic League, the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, and the National Debate Coaches Association.
The process that the NFHS uses to determine the year long topic for Policy Debate is a thorough and intensive process. Professionals from across the country come together each summer to figure out how to select a topic that will be both educational and relevant, while remaining appropriate enough for high schools across the country to share.
“This work is crucial to making sure everyone has equal access, and even though I wasn't a voting member, I felt that my questions and concerns were taken seriously and fairly considered. I plan on going again if I am given the opportunity, because I think it is important that the membership of these committees are made up of people who represent youth from our communities,” said Kwodo Moore, SVUDL Senior Program Specialist, after attending the topic meeting last summer.
Three stages of voting were used to determine the winning topic. The first was held during the NFHS Policy Debate Topic Selection Meeting August 1-4, 2024, where 61 attending delegates from 21 states and multiple national organizations compiled five potential choices. In addition to Arctic and Military Presence, other options included “India,” “Nation State Recognition” and “South Asia.”
HOW THEY VOTED FOR 2025-2026:
National Policy Debate Topic Area Balloting:
21 ARCTIC
Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.
13 MILITARY PRESENCE
Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly reduce its military presence in one or more of the following: Bahrain, Japan, Kuwait, South Korea.
The topic of the Arctic offers a unique opportunity for students to delve into geopolitical, environmental and economic discussions that shape our world.
Do you work in this area? Calling all SVUDL supporters to share their knowledge, expertise, anecdotes and insights for SVUDL students! Your experience will be invaluable as our students navigate this powerful and fascinating area of the law. We’re going to be scheduling topic lectures for our students over the summer and early fall - reach out to us today if you would like to help out!
