2025 State Speech & Debate Information

NOTE: This page will be updated in mid- to late-February as arrangements are finalized with UW-Madison (buildings/rooms are not released for the festival until a month into the semester to allow for UW course classroom changes).

Summary

Important notes for preparing for the State Speech Festival, April 11-12, 2025.

Guests (friends/family) are permitted; please see guidelines
Checks may be mailed or payment made online via credit card; these do NOT need to be “in-hand” by the festival.

Registration Confirmation #

Schools have until Monday, March 31, 2025, to re-register/confirm on SpeechWire for the WISDAA State Speech Festival. All schools must log in, add adjudicators (or acknowledge the $200/uncovered adjudicator) and complete the Confirm Entries step. Schools also may pre-order merchandise directly within SpeechWire; however, placing such an order does obligate the school to that financial commitment. To begin, click the button to Access SpeechWire and log in, or if logged in, click the Registration icon.

Complete Instructions

Access SpeechWire

Current Amounts Owed

Virtual Option #

In SpeechWire (click button above, [Access SpeechWire]), request to move entries unable to perform in-person to move to virtual. Some coaches record videos of students as a rehearsal/lead-up to State, so they have that backup ready.

Schools must provide adjudicators equivalent to number of virtual entries or pay $200 for each uncovered adjudicator; this may not be combined with in-person adjudicators.

Radio, Impromptu, Extemp materials posted Tue. 4/1/25
(access SpeechWire above)
State Video Due: Tue., 4/15/2025 (one video required per entry)
Adjudication: 4/17-4/21/2025
Evaluations released Tue., 4/22/2025

Merchandise #

Schools are encouraged to pre-order through SpeechWire (you can generate a separate merchandise invoice right from the order page); individuals may purchase directly on our website, but no T-shirts will be shipped before the State Festival. No merchandise will be released at the festival without payment (or a school purchase order). There will be a limited inventory on-hand at the festival, so pre-order by 12 Noon on Monday, March 31 for the convenience of having an order ready when you get to State.

Prior to Arrival #

Assignments/Itineraries #

Contestants can access itineraries here; rooms are preceded with their building name. Please see maps below.

Guest Policy #

NOTE: We are at the mercy of available classroom sizes and cannot guarantee enough space for guests to watch. Coaches and students must communicate time and location of student performances and notify spectators of our guest conduct policies:

Contest Guest Expectations

We strive to ensure rooms have capacity for number of students assigned; however, we are limited by what UW-Madison provides us, where classroom seating capacity is often lower, due to older classrooms or a shift to more seminar-style classes. This means there may not always be audience space for observers. Our priority is ensuring contestants have space.

Addresses, Maps, Parking #

Watch this space for GPS addresses to use for specific UW-Madison buildings and parking lots and special routes for buses, as well as directional maps for vehicles and parking as well as pedestrian maps for participants.

Arriving on Campus #

Watch this space for where to report when you arrive on campus. We are asking schools to remain in holding areas and for students to not congregate outside their contest room until about 15 minutes prior to their round.

Double-Entries #

All double-entries were assigned to the same room/adjudicator to minimize movement. For students in Extemp and Radio, they will draw first, prep, and then report to their Extemp/Radio performance room, where their teammates should have already reported by the beginning of the round. Adjudicators will be given a ballot listing all the categories they will evaluate, so they will know they are using different rubrics.

Merchandise #

Schools should pick up pre-ordered merchandise in the headquarters building.

Schedule #

Individual contestant itineraries will be emailed to coaches on Tue., April 8 (fairly close ahead of the festival, due to anticipated changes). Depending on which time slot your school has been assigned, you will follow the schedule in the appropriate column below.

State Speech Schedule #

Round →	Fri 3:30pm	Fri. 5:30pm	Fri. 7:30pm	Sat. 9:30am	Sat. 11:30am
Arrive; pick up T-shirts, etc. students may gather at [BUILDING/ROOM]	2:15pm	4:15pm	6:15pm	8:15am	10:15am
Adjudicator meeting and packet pick-up; location: [BUILDING/ROOM]	2:30pm	4:30pm	6:30pm	8:30am	10:30am
Extemp/Radio contestants report to: [BUILDING/ROOM]	2:45pm	4:45pm	6:45pm	8:45am	10:45am
Students may start reporting to rooms (enter once adjudicator is present)	3:15pm	5:15pm	7:15pm	9:15am	11:15am
Round begins	3:30pm	5:30pm	7:30pm	9:30am	11:30am
Workshops (for those not presenting)	3:40pm	5:40pm	7:40pm	9:40am	11:40am
Claim medals (see instructions below); location: [BUILDING/ROOM]	After round	After round	After round	After round	After round
Merchandise table/photo backdrop closes			9:00 pm		1:00 pm

Electronic Draw Instructions #

Electronic Radio Draw Contestant Instructions for In-Person State

Debate #

Watch this space for specific information relative to debate.

Adjudicator Information #

E-Balloting Instructions (Typing Evaluations)

Paper Materials #

This section pertains only if you are using paper and not e-ballots.
– If assigned to X building, report outside X room
– If assigned to Y building, report outside Y room.
Follow these instructions:

1. Find your ballot (arranged alphabetically by last name).
2. Note any different categories listed to the right of entries in parentheses (usually highlighted).
3. Count number of evaluation sheets for each categorythat equals each count of entries by category on your ballot.
4. Take a copy of State Speech Adjudicator Guidelines 2025.
5. End of round: return individual evaluation sheets to each entry; bring white ballot back here.

After the Round #

Adjudicator/Rules Concerns #

Adjudicators, coaches, or contestants with questions or concerns about adherence to rules may bring those concerns to BUILDING/ROOM. Concerns pertaining to adjudicators must be filed online, following the festival (see button).

Adjudicator Concern

Rules Concern

Claiming Awards (Medals) #

After the round, the coach or one adult brings evaluation sheets for verification (in case they haven’t been tabulated yet) and to collect awards next to BUILDING/ROOM. For students whose adjudicators evaluated them electronically, those scores will immediately appear in your State Speech Festival Registration area on SpeechWire (click “View scores” icon) and electronic evaluations will be released to schools by time slot, once all adjudicators from that time slot have completed their rounds.

Adjudicators are instructed to hand paper sheets back to entries or tell students if they are using e-ballots, in which case, you may access scores on SpeechWire in your State Festival registration confirmation area (eballot comments are available in a separate area, in the Your account screen of SpeechWire):

Access Team Scores on SpeechWire

Points	Award	Medal
5-19	Achievement (Copper)
20-22	Finalist (Bronze)
23-24	All State (Silver)
25	Critic’s Choice (Gold)

Advancing to the State Festival is an achievement and earning awards beyond that represents rigorous standards. Coaches of four-year gold medalists should immediately claim the special medallion! Schools not retrieving awards at the festival for their team will be assessed a $25 handling fee, unless they have entries already participating in the virtual division.

Whether you operate your own social media for your team or your school/school district does, please tag @wispeechdrama when you promote your team qualifying to State, as well as traveling to and participating at State! We will have a new WISDAA backdrop at the festival, and even some fun “photo booth” props, so come ready to promote all the great things your kids are doing! Hashtag for the event: #wisdaaspeech

Important Dates #

Monday, March 31 (12 Noon): T-Shirt Pre-Orders Due
Tuesday, April 1: Extemp/Impromptu/Radio materials posted on SpeechWire (virtual)
Thursday, April 3: Final invoice and confirmation of entries
Tuesday, April 8: Contestant itineraries with rooms
Tuesday, April 8: Information sent to adjudicators (in-person)
In-person: Paper adjudicator ballot pickup/e-ballots released 1 hour prior to round
Monday, April 14: Reminder of videos due Tuesday, April 15
Tuesday, April 15: Information for adjudicators (virtual)
Thursday, April 17: Adjudication assignments
Tuesday, April 22: Virtual evaluations/results released
Friday, April 25 (5pm): Adjudicator appeals due
Tuesday, April 29: Announcement of school/team awards
Wednesday, April 30: Adjudicator appeal outcomes sent

Help/FAQs/Rules

Speech Categories & Rules

Speech Contests

Speech Adjudicators

State Speech & Debate Festival

2025 State Speech & Debate Information

Registration Confirmation #

Virtual Option #

Merchandise #