Nominating Forms

Each year the National Debate Tournament honors outstanding contributions in the areas of teaching, coaching and service.  Our community has always been privileged to have many dedicated professionals who represent our values and further the mission of intercollegiate debate in important ways.  The Board of Trustees is seeking nominees for the following awards to be presented at the National Debate Tournament:

Please fully complete the respective nomination form for any nominee and return to [email protected] by March 1, 2024.

Dr. Lucy M. Keele Award for Excellence in Service

This award recognizes individuals whose collective contributions to the debate community have dem-onstrated extraordinary leader-ship and service, and whose career reflects a true commitment to encouraging the opportunity for quality debate for students of all institutions.

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Ross K. Smith Coach of the Year Award

The coach of the year award was named in honor of Ross K. Smith in 2009. It is intended to recognize lifetime achievement in coaching intercollegiate debate. Lifetime achievement is measured based on the characteristics exemplified by the awards’ first recipient, Dr. Anabel Hagood of the University of Alabama.

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Laurence H. Tribe Distinguished Alumni

The Laurence H. Tribe Distinguished Alumni Award will recognize a National Debate Tournament Alumnus who has used their debate training to make significant contributions to their profession, to society or to humanity.

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George W. Ziegelmueller Award for Excellence in Education

This award recognizes individuals who have dis-tinguished themselves in the communication profession while coaching teams to competitive success and reflect a commitment to academic excellence, excellence in debate pedagogy, and students’ personal and professional development.

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