Debate Competition | 2026 Judicial Reform Cup National High School and Vocational High School Debate Competition

Over the past three years, the Taichung Office of the Judicial Reform Foundation, together with the Chinese Debate Promotion Association (CDPA), the Taichung Bar Association, the Changhua Bar Association, and the Nantou Bar Association, has successfully brought the "Judicial Reform Cup National Inter-Scholastic High School Debate Competition" into its fourth year. Through debate competitions, we guide high school students to step beyond textbooks and delve deeply into various judicial human rights issues. This has not only won high praise from many participants in the debate community, but has also allowed practical judicial reform work to draw further reflection and inspiration from the perspectives of the younger generation.

In recent years, with the advancement of reproductive technologies and the diversification of family structures, the social fabric has been undergoing profound changes, which in turn impact our existing understandings of bodily autonomy, legal boundaries, and the definition of family. Among these, the discussion surrounding the "surrogacy system" has once again become a focal point of society. This issue is not merely a debate over reproductive rights; it also involves women's rights, the best interests of the child, and complex legal and ethical dilemmas. We believe that behind reproductive technologies and legal systems lies an important dialogue in Taiwanese society regarding "life, dignity, and the boundaries of contracts."

Therefore, the debate topic for this year's [2026 Judicial Reform Cup National High School and Vocational High School Debate Competition] has been decided as "Surrogacy should be legalized in our country." This is a topic that has been debated for many years yet remains highly challenging, and its discussion is all the more crucial at a time when deliberations on amending the Assisted Reproduction Act are running high. Continuing the profound cooperation with the bar associations of Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou, this year's tournament aims to guide Taiwan's youth through cross-generational critical thinking and the exchange of diverse perspectives to jointly contemplate how to build a more inclusive judicial environment imbued with human rights values.

Registration Link

Target Participants

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

Competition Venues

• August 22, Preliminaries and Repechage: Mingdao High School (No. 497, Sec. 1, Chungshan Rd., Jente Li, Wuri Dist., Taichung City)
• August 23, Semifinals and Finals: Taichung Bar Association (32F., No. 218, Sec. 2, Taiwan Blvd., West Dist., Taichung City)
  

Event Dates

• Competition Dates: Saturday, August 22 to Sunday, August 23, 2026
• First Team Leaders' Meeting: To conduct procedures such as tournament drawing, debate topic clarifications, and administrative announcements, held online at 19:00 on Saturday, July 11, 2026. The meeting link will be announced separately.
• Second Team Leaders' Meeting: Held online at 19:30 on Friday, August 21, 2026. The meeting link will be announced separately.
  

Competition Format

New-style Oregon 4-4-4 format, with the negative side delivering the closing argument first in all matches.

Competition Debate Topic

"Surrogacy should be legalized in our country"

Team Formation and Admission Rule

• The maximum number of participating teams for this competition is 24.
• Registration is based on schools, with each school limited to 1 team consisting of 1 team leader and up to 6 debaters; debaters may concurrently serve as the team leader.
• The organizer Mingdao High School and the previous year's champion and runner-up teams, Tainan First Senior High School and Wun-Hwa Senior High School, are granted a reserved quota of one entry each. Admission rules prioritize schools in 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 1,500 per team is required, which will be returned after the participating team fully participates in the event.
  
• Registration Period: From 22:00 on Friday, June 5, 2026, to 22:00 on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
  
• Schools and teams wishing to participate must fill out the online registration form for this event, which requires: email address, registered school, registering unit (e.g., Oratorical Club), team leader's name, and team leader's phone number.
  
• The committee will announce the list of accepted and waitlisted schools before 22:00 on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
  
  Accepted schools are requested to complete the wire transfer before 22:00 on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, and email the last five digits of the transfer account number (not the transaction serial number) to cdpa.tw@gmail.com. Registration is completed only after confirmation by the committee.
  
  • Deposit: NTD 1,500
    
  • Deposit Bank: CTBC Bank, Songshan Branch (822)
    
  • Account Name: Chinese Debate Promotion Association
    
  • Account Number: 4955-4044-6072
    

Awards

• Group Awards:
  • Champion: NTD 8,000 in prize money, one trophy
  • Runner-up: NTD 5,000 in prize money, one trophy
  • Third Place: Two recipients, NTD 3,000 in prize money and one trophy each
    
• Individual Awards:
  • Best Debater (one recipient): NTD 2,000 in prize money, one trophy
    
• Teams that successfully advance to the championship and runner-up matches in this tournament will be granted priority reserved quotas when registering for the next Judicial Reform Cup.
  

Deposit Guidelines and Penalties

If participating teams violate any of the following regulations, their deposit will not be returned or will be partially deducted:

• Teams that withdraw from the competition before the first team leaders' meeting on Saturday, July 11, 2026, will have NTD 500 deducted from their deposit; those that withdraw before Thursday, August 6, 2026, will have NTD 1,000 deducted, and those withdrawing thereafter will forfeit their entire deposit.
  
• All participating teams must dispatch personnel (defined in these guidelines as personnel registered on the debater roster) to attend the first and second team leaders' meetings; proxy attendance is not permitted. Being late by less than 10 minutes will result in a deduction of NTD 300 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 dispatch 3 or more personnel to attend the championship/runner-up finals and the closing ceremony. Being late by less than 10 minutes will result in a deduction of NTD 300 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 throughout all scheduled matches they are required to play; failure to compete will result in the committee deducting the entire deposit.
  
• All participating teams must claim their deposit from the committee on the day the event concludes. Failure to claim the deposit from the committee within 5 days after the event concludes will result in the deduction of the entire deposit.
  
• Teams confirmed by the committee to have used altered or forged information during the competition will have their entire deposit deducted.
  
• For other violations of competition rules requiring deposit deductions, the amount shall be determined by the committee based on the severity of the circumstances.
  
• For other major matters disrupting the competition or committee operations, the amount shall be determined by the committee based on the severity of the circumstances.
  

Image Authorization

Debaters and team leaders who register to participate shall be deemed to have authorized and consented to the organizer and partnering organizations taking photographs and videos during the team leaders' meetings and formal competition periods. Related audio-visual and image materials will be used for archival preservation, outcome presentation, and event promotion.

Reference Materials

Event Guidelines for the 2026 Judicial Reform Cup National High School and Vocational High School Debate Competition (In the event of any matters not covered in these guidelines, the final interpretation of the organizer shall prevail.)

Contact Information

• Executive Chief: Wang Chen-yun, Director of the Taichung Office, Judicial Reform Foundation
• Competition Chief: Chen Pin-yu, Secretary of the CDPA Chinese Debate Promotion Association (0978-525-821)
• Chief Referee: Chen Li-ling, Rule-of-Law Education Specialist at the Judicial Reform Foundation; Wang Min-hua, Secretary of the CDPA Chinese Debate Promotion Association (0983-143-488)
• For any questions related to the competition, please call the Competition Chief or email cdpa.tw@gmail.com, taichung@jrf.org.tw
  

Organizers

Taichung Office of the Judicial Reform Foundation, CDPA Chinese Debate Promotion Association, Debate Club of Taichung Private Mingdao High School

Partnering Organizations

Legal Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, Taichung Private Mingdao High School, Taichung Bar Association (pending invitation), Changhua Bar Association (pending invitation), Nantou Bar Association (pending invitation)