Debating SA

What Debating SA does

Debating SA is a not-for-profit association incorporated in South Australia, founded in 1991, that operates the state's largest and longest-running inter-school debating competition. It serves more than 60 schools across the government, Catholic, and independent sectors, engaging over 1,400 students and 300 teams annually through a Term 2-3 (May to September) competition held across nine Adelaide venues, with Grand Finals hosted in the House of Assembly Chamber at Parliament House. The organisation's product portfolio spans the Schools' Competition, paid coaching ($60/hour), adjudicator hire ($100/hour), training workshops ($70-$450 per session), AITSL-aligned teacher professional learning, adjudicator training, and a small merchandise and publications line including the Official Debating Manual.

Revenue is generated entirely through fee-for-service professional engagements — competition entry fees, workshop fees, coaching fees, adjudication fees, and merchandise sales — with no software platform, no digital product, and no subscription model. Distribution is direct-to-school via competition entry, on-site workshops, and a website-based online shop. The organisation operates under the patronage of the Governor of South Australia (Her Excellency Frances Adamson AC), holds government support from the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, and is led by Chairman Sonja Lowen. In 2025 it launched an inaugural Regional Debating Competition extending services to Port Lincoln, Port Augusta, Orroroo, Yorke Peninsula, and Whyalla with subsidised entry fees, representing its first material geographic expansion beyond metropolitan Adelaide in over three decades.

Name

Debating SA

Legal name

Debating SA Incorporated

Website

https://debatingsa.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Debating SA is a South Australian not-for-profit founded in 1991 that runs the state's largest inter-school debating competition, serving 60+ schools and 1,400+ students annually through regional rounds, training workshops, coaching, and adjudication services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debate Education Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

akta.pro primary industry

Debate Tournament & League Organizers (EDAMAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Debate (Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary, Public Forum) (EDAMAGAA), After-School Public Speaking & Debate Clubs (EDAMAOAB), Debate Curriculum, Lesson Plans & Instructional Materials Publishers (EDAMAOAM), Speech & Debate Competition Preparation (Events, Extemp, Impromptu) (EDAMAOAF)

Keywords

• School debating competitions
• Inter-school speech events
• Adjudication services
• Debating training workshops
• Public speaking coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Collingwood

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Schools' Competition Entry Fees: Schools pay entry fees to participate in the annual inter-school debating competition with multiple divisions (Year 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and Senior). Entry includes participation in rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and grand finals.
2. Coaching Services: Provides trained coaches to assist student teams with debate preparation at $60 per hour, maximum 6 participants.
3. Adjudication Services: Provides qualified adjudicators for school and corporate debates at $100 per hour.
4. Training Workshops: Beginner Prepare a Debate Seminars ($400-450 per school day), Voice and Presentation Seminars ($250 per 3-hour session), Fallacies Seminars ($150 per group), and Evidence and Reasoning Seminars.
5. Teacher Professional Learning: Introduction to Coaching workshops at $70 per person (minimum 3 attendees) with AITSL teacher standards certification.
6. Regional Competition: Regional competition at $185 per team with additional school entry fees ($110) waived for inaugural regional competition.
7. Merchandise Sales: Sale of debating merchandise including Official Debating Manual ($15), The Debater's Guide to Fallacies ($15), Printed Cue Cards ($5 per set), Lapel Pins ($12-15), and Debating SA Caps ($15).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Debating SA runs the annual inter-school Schools' Competition across South Australia with multiple divisions spanning Year 5 through Senior, and delivers debating training workshops, coaching, and professional adjudication services to schools, students and corporate clients. The organisation also runs an adjudicator training program and a regional debating competition, and retails debate publications and branded merchandise through an online shop.

Product overview

Debating SA operates as a single unified debating competition organization offering the annual Schools' Competition as its core product along with supporting services. The portfolio includes training workshops (Beginner Prepare a Debate Seminar, Voice and Presentation Seminar, Fallacies Seminar, Evidence and Reasoning Seminar, Rebuttal Seminar), professional coaching services, adjudicator services for school and corporate debates, and adjudicator training programs. The organization also sells publications (The Official Debating Manual, The Debater's Guide to Fallacies) and merchandise (Printed Cue Cards, Lapel Pins, Caps) through its online shop. A regional competition program extends participation to rural South Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schools' Competition Annual inter-school debating competition for South Australian schools, structured into multiple divisions spanning Year 5 through Senior. Schools register teams and compete under Debating SA's rules and adjudication standards; this is the organisation's flagship program.
• Regional Debating Competition Extension of the Schools' Competition to regional areas of South Australia, enabling students outside metropolitan Adelaide to participate in structured inter-school debating.
• Coaching for Teams One-on-one and team coaching services provided to school debating teams at A$60 per hour, delivered by Debating SA coaches to help teams prepare arguments, structure cases and improve rebuttal skills.
• Adjudicators for School or Corporate Debates Hire of professional adjudicators from Debating SA for school or corporate debate events, billed at A$100 per hour, providing impartial, trained judging for internal and external debates.
• Beginner Prepare a Debate Seminar Beginner-level training workshop for students new to debating, covering how to prepare and structure a debate. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Voice and Presentation Seminar Training workshop focused on voice projection, delivery and presentation skills for student debaters. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Fallacies Seminar Training workshop teaching students to identify and counter common logical fallacies in argument. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Evidence and Reasoning Seminar Training workshop on the use of evidence and reasoning in debate argumentation. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Rebuttal Seminar Training workshop focused on rebuttal technique and strategy for student debaters. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Introduction to Coaching Professional learning workshop aimed at teachers and prospective coaches, introducing the fundamentals of coaching school debating teams. Priced within the A$150–A$450 workshop range.
• Adjudicator Training Program Structured training program that prepares participants to adjudicate debates at Debating SA competitions, supporting the organisation's adjudication pipeline.
• The Official Debating Manual Official Debating SA publication providing comprehensive guidance on debating technique, structure and strategy, sold via the online shop to students and coaches.
• The Debater's Guide to Fallacies Specialist Debating SA publication focused on identifying and refuting logical fallacies, sold via the online shop to students and coaches.
• Printed Cue Cards - Affirmative Set Printed cue card set for affirmative debaters, sold via the Debating SA online shop to support structured case preparation.
• Printed Cue Cards - Negative Set Printed cue card set for negative debaters, sold via the Debating SA online shop to support structured rebuttal preparation.
• Lapel Pins Debating SA branded lapel pins sold via the online shop, with tiered pricing and a volume discount applied when 3 or more pins are purchased.
• Debating SA Caps Debating SA branded caps sold via the online shop to students, alumni and supporters.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Hon. Blair Boyer MP (Minister for Education, Training and Skills, South Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Minister for Education, Training and Skills provides support for the Regional Debating Competition initiative, extending debating opportunities to regional areas of South Australia including Yorke Peninsula, Whyalla, and Port Lincoln. The generous support has enabled waiver of additional school entry fees for the inaugural regional competition.
• Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC (Governor of South Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Governor of South Australia serves as Debating SA Patron and hosts annual award ceremonies at Government House to celebrate Schools' Competition winners, runners-up, and Debater of the Year recipients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• International Debate Education Association (IDEA): Global non-profit focused on debate curricula, teacher training, and youth programs. Comparable in offering teacher workshops and debate instructional materials; less directly competing in running state school competition leagues.
• Rostrum Voice of the People: Australian public speaking and communication association running speech competitions and training with a community rather than school-centric model. Comparable in adjacent skill area (oral communication) but with overlapping school outreach.
• National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA): US-based national honour society running school speech and debate tournaments, training, and curriculum. Comparable in competitive format and curriculum alignment; geographic distance limits direct competition but is a useful benchmark for product portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• English-Speaking Union (ESU) Australia: Established educational charity promoting oracy, public speaking, and debating through schools programs, competitions, and teacher training. Comparable in mission and not-for-profit structure; broader portfolio beyond K-12 debating leagues.
• Australian Schools Debating Championships (ASDC): National championship body for Australian school debating. Operates at higher level across all states; comparable in that it sets standards and aggregates demand for debate competitions, but does not run state-level school leagues.

Direct peers

• Debate Queensland: Queensland debating association running school competitions and adjudication training. Functionally analogous to Debating SA but for Queensland schools; same flywheel of competition + training + adjudication.
• Debating Victoria: State-level debating association running inter-school competitions, training, and adjudication services for Victorian schools. Closest comparable by mission, operating model, and revenue streams (entry fees, coaching, adjudication) — only differing by state geography.
• Debate NSW (Debating Association of NSW): New South Wales debating association that organises school debating competitions and adjudicator training, with a similar not-for-profit structure. Direct peer in product and customer base, operating at larger scale in NSW.

Regional players

• Australian Debating Federation (University sector body): Federation overseeing university-level debating in Australia. Adjacent debating category; relevant for adjudicator pipeline and adjudication standards that feed into school debating ecosystems.

Others

• Torrance Debate Education (Creative Education Foundation-aligned programs): Creative problem-solving and debate-style programs targeting schools. Comparable as supplementary enrichment and teacher professional learning provider; weaker as direct competition in state-level school debating leagues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/debatingsa
• Facebookfacebook.com/debatingsa
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/debating-sa-incorporated
• Instagraminstagram.com/debatingsa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Debating SA