Live From New York: The IPPF Finals on Saturday, April 30

For seven months, debate teams from around the globe have exchanged written debates in the 21st Annual Brewer Foundation / New York University International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). Now, the final eight teams are preparing to meet face to face in New York City, where they will compete in a series of oral debates in hopes of taking home the $10,000 grand prize and being named the "IPPF World Champion."

You are invited to watch all the action – live.

On Saturday, April 30, we invite you to log on to www.facebook.com/IPPFdebate and watch the IPPF semifinals and final debate LIVE from The Harold Pratt House in New York City. The debates will take place at 10:10 a.m., 11:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST, as the students debate the topic, "Resolved: On balance, the hegemony of the United States dollar is detrimental to the world economy." 

The top eight teams competing in the IPPF Finals represent schools in five U.S. states, Canada and Singapore. The team from Singapore will compete virtually – making this the IPPF’s first hybrid debate final. The Elite Eight teams include: 

Amity Regional High School (Woodbridge, Connecticut)

Bergen County Debate Club (Fort Lee, New Jersey)

The Davidson Academy of Nevada (Reno, Nevada)

Extraordinary Education Centre (Toronto, ON, Canada)

Ministry of Education (Singapore) 

North Allegheny Senior High School (Wexford, Pennsylvania)

Pine-Richland High School (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania)

Potomac Oak (Rockville, Maryland)

Meet the Experts: All-Star Judging Panel

The IPPF Finals give students the opportunity to debate in front of some of the world’s foremost experts in education, business, law and politics. This year's proceedings will be judged by William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and founder of the IPPF, NYU President Emeritus John Sexton, NYU Stern School of Business Dean Raghu Sundaram, Above the Law Senior Editor Kathryn Rubino, and Miha Andric, an international debate coach and communication teacher based in Slovenia.

Founded in 2001, the IPPF is the first and only contest that gives high school students around the world the opportunity to engage in written and oral debates on issues of public policy. The 2021-22 competition began in October, as teams submitted qualifying round essays on the IPPF topic. Judges selected the top 64 teams, who then participated in a single-elimination, written debate contest ― volleying essays back and forth via e-mail. From November to March, the field was narrowed from 64 teams to 32, then 16, and finally to the eight teams that will compete in oral debates at the IPPF Finals in New York.

A Bite of the Big Apple: Dallas Students Visit New York

This year, the IPPF debates will be watched in-person by some special guests: students from the Brewer Foundation Future Leaders Program (FLP), who are traveling to New York from Dallas, Texas. Founded in 2001, the FLP provides academic resources and leadership training to deserving students from the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). FLP classes are offered after school on the campuses of the program’s private school partners – The Hockaday School, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Greenhill School, and Episcopal School of Dallas. This public-private partnership is the only one of its kind in Texas.

While in New York, the “Future Leaders” will take a tour of the NYU campus, led by a member of the NYU policy debate team. 

To learn more about the IPPF, visit www.ippfdebate.com.

To learn more about the FLP, visit www.futureleadersprogram.org.

MP