Asian Parliamentary Debate – Saturnalia’25

Event Description

• The Asian Parliamentary Debate (APD) is an intellectually stimulating competition where teams defend or oppose motions with logic, persuasion, and strategic depth.
• APD emphasizes argumentative strength and stance clarity over mere fluency, rewarding teams that present well-reasoned cases with strategic precision.
• Each debate has two sides:
  • Government (Proposition): Supports the motion.
  • Opposition: Opposes the motion.
• Each side has 3 speakers, and speeches alternate between Government and Opposition.
• Debaters present cases, deliver rebuttals, and respond to opponents with Points of Information (POIs).
• Key skills emphasized:
  • Critical Thinking: Building strong, logical cases.
  • Strategic Engagement: Handling POIs, rebuttals, and reply speeches.
  • Narrative Construction: Cohesive storyline for arguments.
  • Stance Strength: Convincing judges through evidence-based reasoning.

Date of the Event

• Date: 13/11/2025
• Timings: [Insert Timings Here]
• Venue: [Insert Venue Here]

Flow of the Event

Preliminary Rounds

• All registered teams debate multiple rounds with different opponents and motions.
• Points from all prelims determine the top 8 teams.

Knockout Rounds

• Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Grand Final.

Finals

• Top 2 teams (Government vs Opposition) debate the final motion before the judges.

Debate Structure per Match

- Prime Minister (PM) – 7 min
- Leader of Opposition (LO) – 7 min
- Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) – 7 min
- Deputy Leader of Opposition (DLO) – 7 min
- Government Whip (GW) – 7 min
- Opposition Whip (OW) – 7 min
- Reply Speeches: 4 min each (Opposition first, then Government)

Points of Information (POIs)

• POIs can be offered after the first minute and before the last minute of each speech.
• Maximum 15 seconds per POI.
• Speakers may accept or decline POIs.

Registration Process

1. Teams must register on the official Saturnalia’25 registration platform before the deadline.
2. Each team must consist of 3 speakers.
3. Cross-institutional teams are allowed.
4. Participation open to college students with valid ID cards for the current academic year.

Registration fee: ₹1800 per team.

Performance Guidelines

• Speech Structure: Clear intro → main arguments → rebuttals → strong conclusion.
• Narrative Flow: Build arguments like a story; no disconnected points; closing speeches summarize, not introduce new points.
• POIs: Offer after 1st min, before 6th min; keep under 15 sec; accept 1–2 per speech.
• Reply Speeches: 4 min each; summarize debate clashes; no new arguments; Opposition first, then Government.
• Team Coordination: Consistent stance; each speaker builds on previous; no contradictions.
• Delivery: Clarity, confidence, logical persuasion over speed or rhetoric.
• Scoring Priority: Content > Strategy > Narrative > Style.

Rules and Regulations

Who is eligible?

• Individual and team participation allowed. If a participant doesn’t have a complete team, one will be formed on the spot before the event.
• Only students from participating colleges are eligible.

Results

• A panel of judges will declare the results soon after the competition ends.

Judging Criteria

• Content: Strength, clarity, and depth of arguments; evidence and examples used; relevance to the motion.
• Strategy: Logical structure, case prioritization, rebuttal handling, POI engagement, and effectiveness of reply speeches.
• Style: Clarity, confidence, persuasiveness, and delivery impact.
• Team Dynamics: Coordination between speakers and consistency in stance.
• Evaluation focuses on logical stance, not speed or fluency. Cohesive, sound narrative with strong rebuttals scores higher than scattered arguments or over-reliance on style.

Awards and Prizes

• Certificates for all qualified participants.
• Prize pool: 10,000/-

Points of Contact (POCs)

• Avani: +91 83680 56075
• Suryanshi: +91 89012 30123
• Kunal : +91 7977088286

Terms and Conditions

• By entering this competition, you agree to be bound by the rules mentioned above.
• Judges’ decisions will be final and binding.
• TIET reserves the right to disqualify any team promoting obscenity.
• TIET reserves the right to cancel/reschedule/postpone the event under unforeseen circumstances.
• TIET reserves the right to change prize money before the final round.
• The organizers are not responsible for the non-occurrence of the event.
• Any damage to property must be compensated by the liable team.
• The number of entries will determine deadlines.
• Participants are responsible for their belongings.
• Organizer decisions are final in any disputes.