Debate Tournament | 2024 Judicial Reform Cup National Senior High School and Vocational School Debate Competition

In June 2023, the Judicial Reform Foundation (JRF), in collaboration with the Chinese Debate Promotion Association (CDPA), the Wenhua Senior High School Debate Club, the Taichung Bar Association, the Changhua Bar Association, and the Nantou Bar Association, co-hosted the Judicial Reform Cup National Senior High School and Vocational School Debate Competition. This event, which incorporated judicial human rights issues featured in an ongoing exhibition at the JRF Taichung Office, received widespread acclaim.

Since its establishment nearly 30 years ago, rescuing the wrongfully convicted has always been the oldest and most core mission of the JRF. To give the public a glimpse of the true plight of the innocent and to bring focus to unexonerated cases and the systemic difficulties encountered along the path to exoneration, the JRF launched the special exhibition [Leaving the Abyss | On the Path of Wrongful Conviction Rescue] on March 1, 2024.

Debating is a clash of language and a convergence of intellects. To draw upon the insights of participating debaters during the tournament to better understand wrongful convictions and the unfinished business of judicial reform and institutional design behind them, the [2024 Judicial Reform Cup National Senior High School and Vocational School Debate Competition] will be grandly held on July 6 and July 7, 2024, centered on the motion: "Our country should establish an independent criminal miscarriage of justice review committee." We cordially invite talented students from schools nationwide to participate!

Registration closed on March 24

Eligible Participants

Enrolled students in senior high schools, vocational high schools, and years 1 to 3 of five-year junior colleges nationwide.

Tournament Venues

• July 6 (Preliminaries and Quarterfinals): Wenhua Senior High School (No. 240, Ningxia Rd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City 407)
• July 7 (Semifinals and Finals): Taichung Bar Association (32F., No. 218, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., West Dist., Taichung City 403)

Tournament Dates

• Tournament Dates: Saturday, July 6, 2024, to Sunday, July 7, 2024
• First Team Leaders' Meeting: Held online at 19:00 on Monday, May 13, 2024; the meeting link will be announced separately. Agenda items include drawing lots for the tournament schedule, motion clarifications, and administrative announcements.
• Second Team Leaders' Meeting: Held online at 19:30 on Friday, July 5, 2024; the meeting link will be announced separately.

Tournament Format

Modified Oregon 4-4-4 system; the opposition team must always deliver the closing argument first.

Tournament Motion

"Our country should establish an independent criminal miscarriage of justice review committee"

Team Formation and Admission Rules

• The maximum capacity for this tournament is 16 teams.
• Registration is school-based, limited to 1 team per school. Each team shall have 1 team leader and up to 6 debaters, and a debater may concurrently serve as the team leader.
• The organizer, Taichung Municipal Wenhua Senior High School, reserves one quota for entry. Admission rules prioritize schools from the central region (Taichung City, Miaoli County, Changhua County, Nantou County, and Yunlin County), with the remaining slots filled on a first-come, first-served basis according to registration order.

Registration Procedure

• No registration fee. A deposit of NTD 1,000 per team is required, which will be refunded after the participating team fully completes the event.
• Registration Period: From 22:00 on Friday, March 20, 2024, to 22:00 on Sunday, March 24, 2024.
• Participating school teams must fill out the online registration form, providing: email address, registered school, team leader name, and team leader phone number.
• The organizing committee will announce the list of admitted and waitlisted schools before 22:00 on Monday, March 26, 2024.
  Admitted schools must complete the wire transfer before 22:00 on Sunday, March 31, 2024, and email the last 5 digits of the transfer account number (not the transaction serial number) to cdpa.tw@gmail.com. Registration is only complete upon confirmation by the organizing committee.
  • Deposit: NTD 1,000
  • Deposit Bank: Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Yongji Branch (822)
  • Account Name: Chinese Debate Promotion Association
  • Account Number: 495540446072

Awards

• Team Awards:
  • Champion: NTD 8,000 cash prize and one trophy
  • Runner-up: NTD 5,000 cash prize and one trophy
  • Third Place: Two teams, each receiving an NTD 3,000 cash prize and one trophy
• Individual Awards:
  • Best Debater (one recipient): NTD 2,000 cash prize and one trophy

Deposit Guidelines

If a participating team violates any of the following regulations, the deposit will be withheld or partially deducted:

• Teams withdrawing before Sunday, May 12, 2024, will have NTD 500 of their deposit deducted; teams withdrawing on or after Monday, May 13, 2024, will forfeit their full deposit.
• All participating teams must send personnel to attend both the first and second team leaders' meetings; proxy attendance is not permitted. Being late by less than 10 minutes will result in an NTD 300 deduction from the deposit. Being late by more than 10 minutes will be deemed failure to attend, and the organizing committee will deduct NTD 500 from the deposit.
• All participating teams must send 3 or more personnel to attend the championship/runner-up finals and the closing ceremony. Attending personnel must be individuals registered on the debater roster. Being late by less than 10 minutes will result in an NTD 300 deduction from the deposit, while being late by more than 10 minutes will be deemed failure to attend, and the committee will deduct NTD 500 from the deposit.
• All participating teams must participate in all scheduled match rounds throughout the event. Teams failing to compete will forfeit their full deposit.
• All participating teams must collect their deposit from the organizing committee on the final day of the event. Failure to collect the deposit within 5 days following the conclusion of the event will result in the forfeiture of the full deposit.
• Any team confirmed by the committee to have used altered or forged data during the competition will forfeit their full deposit.
• For other violations of competition rules requiring a deposit deduction, the amount shall be determined by the organizing committee based on the severity of the circumstances.
• For other major matters disrupting the competition or committee operations, the penalty amount shall be determined by the organizing committee based on the severity of the circumstances.

Image Rights Authorization

Debaters and team leaders who register for the competition are deemed to have granted authorization and consent for the organizers and partner organizations to take photographs and record video footage during the team leaders' meetings and the official tournament. Such audio, video, and image materials will be used for archival preservation, outcome presentation, and event promotion.

Reference Materials

Prospectus for the 2024 Judicial Reform Cup National Senior High School and Vocational School Debate Competition

Organizers

Judicial Reform Foundation Taichung Office, Chinese Debate Promotion Association (CDPA), Taichung Municipal Wenhua Senior High School Debate Club

Partner Organizations

Taichung Bar Association, Changhua Bar Association, Nantou Bar Association