Will your school take part in the second edition of the National Debate League?

Will your school be a founding member of the National Debate League?

Time left to apply for National Debate League 2025-2026:

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Countdown finished!

Following a successful first edition, we're excited to announce the return of the National Debate League for the 2025–2026 season!


Please note: Participation is limited to a maximum of 10 schools — spots will fill up quickly!

Sign up!

Key participation requirements

15 - 30 students per school


Each school is responsible for recruiting its own NDL team of 15 to 30 students and for communicating directly with those students.

Time commitment of 80 hours per student


This is a mandatory requirement linked to MDT (maatschappelijke diensttijd) subsidy rules. Students are expected to stay involved throughout the program.


In some cases, relevant hours from other school activities—such as Model United Nations (MUN)—may count toward this total, if they align with NDL learning goals.

Students take part on a voluntary basis


Participation must be voluntary, in line with MDT (maatschappelijke diensttijd) subsidy rules.


However, NDL can be embedded in the school curriculum—for instance, as part of a profielwerkstuk (PWS) or as an alternative to another school project—provided students choose to take part.

Participate in three tournaments


The 2025/2026 season includes three preliminary tournaments and one national Finals Day.


Each school participates in at least two of the three preliminaries, and all students attend Finals Day.


Dates will be announced before the 1st of July.

About NDL

The National Debate League (NDL) is a dynamic debate programme for bilingual and international secondary school students (t-havo and t-vwo, years 4, 5, and 6). It is organised by Nuffic, DebatUnie and the Oracy Institute.


From November 2025 to April 2026, students will receive expert training in public speaking and debating, culminating in a series of friendly but competitive tournaments.


Participating students get


3 Full Days of In-School Training


To prepare students thoroughly, they will receive a full day of training before each tournament. These sessions are led by expert debate coaches and take place at your school. Training dates will be scheduled in consultation with each school.


3 Tournaments + Finals Day


The 2025/2026 season includes three preliminary tournaments and one national Finals Day. Each school participates in at least two of the three preliminaries, and all students attend Finals Day. Debates take place in an engaging, competitive atmosphere — with judges including former Dutch and European Debate Champions.


Applying Skills to Help Others


NDL isn’t just about personal development — it's also about giving back. Students use their debate and communication skills to support others, for example by mentoring younger participants in Nuffic’s Soapbox Challenge.

Timeline

Photo gallery

What did the NDL 2024/25 look like?

Why should schools join?

Discover how students benefit from a National Debate League membership

Why Should Students Participate?

Discover the benefits of joining the National Debate League

Improve Language Skills

Enhance communication abilities through engaging debates

Meet New People

Meet interesting students from all over the Netherlands and make lifelong connections

Debate About Global Affairs

Engage in thought-provoking debates about pressing global issues

 Work As A Team

Learn to be a team player and overcome challenges together

A Chance To Be Selected To Debate In Oxford

Debate at the highest level to qualify for the Oxford Schools' tournament (in Oxford!)

Helping Other Students

Learn how to be a good mentor and help younger students grow

Looking for more information? 

Read our Frequently Asked Questions and download the Terms & Conditions 2024/25 (we are currently working on the updated brochure)

Download

  • Who organises the NDL?

    NDL is a collaboration between NUFFIC, DebatUnie and the Oracy Institute.

  • Is my school eligible to take part in the National Debate League?

    All secondary schools in the Netherlands are eligible to take part. There are, however, a few conditions:


    1. To join, you need to sign up between 15 and 30 students.


    2. Students make a commitment of 80 hours (subsidy requirement).


    3. Students need to take part on a voluntary basis.


    4. Costs

    Schools pay a membership fee of 360 euros for their school slot (regardless of how many students participate).

    Additionally, we expect the school to pay for students' travel costs towards the three tournaments.

  • How much does it cost to participate in the National Debate League?

    Participating in the National Debat League (including the workshops and preparatory materials) costs 360 euros per participating school (regardless of how many students sign up per school). 


    This is possible because NDL is a MDT (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) project. The MDT subsidy covers the rest of the costs of this programme (for now). This means that there are some requirements/obligations that need to be met in order to be able to participate. You can find the requirements in the FAQs.

  • What is Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (MDT)?

    We can organise the National Debate League because the project is part of  MDT. Below you can read more about what that means:


    MDT, or Maatschappelijke Diensttijd, was founded to give young people a broad societal orientation, helping them develop into critical and engaged citizens. It was established as part of the Dutch Coalition Agreement 2017-2021 with the aim of fostering a stronger and more connected society. By participating in various community service projects, young people can discover their talents, meet new people, and contribute positively to their communities. This program ultimately enhances social cohesion and provides valuable experiences that benefit both the participants and society at large​ 


    In order to complete the project students need to:


    1. participate for at least 80 hours within a period of 6 months (which they will if they follow the workshops and attend the tournament)


    2. Develop their skills


    3. Meet new people 


    4. Do something for someone else. In this project students fulfill this requirement by  being a mentor during one of Nuffic's Soapbox challenges.

  • Which are the important dates for participants in NDL?

    Feel free to look at the timeline on the homepage to get an overview of the project. 


    For now the most important date is the signup deadline which is set on the 1st of July 2024.


    We will publish the tournament dates as soon as possible.

Eline Hakvoort - Projectmedewerker TTO Nuffic

Growth through debate

Our goal with the National Debate League is to give bovenbouw students an extra challenge. We believe this collaboration with DebatUnie and the Oracy Institute actively contributes to the TTO pillars of personal development, global citizenship and language proficiency.