 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
The English-Speaking Union Schools' Mace is an annual debating tournament for secondary schools in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Contents
The competition was founded in 1957 by the journalist Kenneth Harris of The Observer newspaper, [1] and was initially known as The Observer Schools' Mace. Since 1995, the tournament has been organised by the English-Speaking Union, with assistance from several regional convenors. [2]
Schools across the United Kingdom and Ireland are eligible to enter one team in the championships each year, made up of three student debaters from the school. Teams compete in multiple rounds before regional finals, the winners from each of the twelve regions going on to the national final day. Final day is made up of two rounds: the semi-finals, in which the regional champions are split into two groups of six, with the winning team of each group moving on to the last round, and the grand final, the winner of which is crowned national champion, receiving medals and a trophy, as well as having their names put on the Silver Mace the competition is named for.
The equivalent competition for universities in the UK and Ireland is the John Smith Memorial Mace.