Adjudicators provide constructive feedback to students at the conclusion of the debate and are responsible for the ensuring that debates are conducted in a timely and professional manner.

There are many benefits of adjudicating including:

• The ability to think clearly under pressure.
• To speak within a given time-frame to provide clear and constructive feedback.
• Interact positively and professionally with young people.
• Skills of logical thinking and reasoning.
• Sense of contribution to the community.

Prior debating experience is not required.

There are nine venues of debating each with five rounds. Debates occur on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30pm.

Quarter and Semi-finals are held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in early September with the Grand Finals on Saturday during mid-September.

Debating SA fully reserves the right to assess an individual’s suitability to adjudicate and may withdraw an offer to adjudicate if the individual’s adjudication is not of the required standard.

Students in Years 11 and 12 can apply to become Peer Adjudicators and will adjudicate Primary School debates. People of post-secondary school age can elect to adjudicate Primary School or Secondary School debates, or both.

TRAINING Adjudicator training is conducted in two parts:

• An online set of modules
• Face-to-face training.

The online modules are available for trainees to complete at their own pace in their own time. Each module is followed by an assessment task that allows the trainee to demonstrate his or her knowledge of the module topic.

The face-to-face training is the final part of the initial training which is designed to provide practical training in the role of adjudicating. Participants will have the opportunity to watch some debates and receive feedback from experienced adjudicators on their feedback to students.

All participants are required to undertake a final assessment task to ensure that their adjudication is of the required standard.

• Have an interest in critical thinking and communication.
• Have good interpersonal skills and can work as part of a team.
• Can think clearly under pressure.
• Have excellent spoken and written English.
• Are supportive of young people and of the aims of Debating SA.
• It is not a requirement that an individual have debated before.