School Debates
The Leeds Salon has run an annual school debating competition for years 10&11 students since 2014, as well as many other one-off competitions for both years 10&11 and sixth form students. And in 2023, we began an annual sixth form competition in partnership with the Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds).
Our competitions rely on our growing list of Judges, who give up their time to engage with the young people on important contemporary issues. For our competitions, we use the Academy of Ideas’ sixth form Debating Matters format.
Between 2016 and 2018, we also presented The Leeds Salon Individual Prize at the Debating Matters Yorkshire Regional Finals to the individual who best exemplified the spirit of Enlightenment inquiry by asking lots of good, incisive questions. From 2024, we’ve resurrected the prize for the Royal Armouries Sixth Form Debating Competition.
If schools want to take part in our competitions or help to run your own, email us at contact@leedssalon.org.uk
The Leeds Salon Annual Years 10&11 Debating Competition
The Leeds Salon’s annual debating competition for years 10&11 (ages 14 to 16) began in 2014 as a one-off event involving just Leeds three schools.
In 2015, we introduced qualifying rounds to include more schools to compete to win a place in the final.
Since 2023, leading transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (Leeds) has been the Headline Partner of the competition, making it the:
Womble Bond Dickinson / Leeds Salon Years 10&11 Debating Competition
The qualifying rounds for the Womble Bond Dickinson / Leeds Salon Years 10&11 Debating Competition 2026 will take place in January. This is the thirteenth year of Leeds Salon’s annual competition for 14-to-16-year-olds, and the fourth year with leading transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson as Headline Partner.
There are four qualifying rounds involving: Abbey Grange CofE Academy, Cardinal Heenan Catholic High, Carr Manor Community School, Guiseley School, Mount St Mary’s Catholic High, Roundhay School and UTC Leeds. The qualifying round winners will meet in the final on Wednesday 1st April 2026 at WBD’s Leeds offices.
Qualifying round details can be seen here.
Years 10&11 Finals: 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Royal Armouries Sixth Form Debating Competition
The Leeds Salon has partnered with the Royal Armouries Museum (Leeds) since 2023 to run an annual sixth form debating competition each November.
The first Royal Armouries competition involved just three Leeds schools. In 2024. we expanded it to include six West Yorkshire schools in an all-day event. For 2025, we expanded it again to include eight Yorkshire schools.
For 2025, schools were divided into two groups competing in a knock-out format. Group winners Bradford Grammar and Abbey Grange Academy met in the final debating ‘Trial by jury should be removed in certain cases’, and Abbey Grange Academy were declared champions – see details here.
RAM 2025 was sponsored by UKREiiF.
Royal Armouries Sixth Form Debating Competitions: 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025
Other competitions we’ve ran:
Between 2016 and 2020 we ran the annual Tetley Years 10&11 Debating Competition for south and central Leeds schools: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020. As well as competing to be crowned Tetley Champions, the winners would go on to compete against the north Leeds qualifying round winners in the Years 10&11 final.
We’ve also ran the: Lawnswood School Summer Competition (2014); Ralph Thoresby School Debating Competition as part of Headingley LitFest (2015); Jordans Solicitors Wakefield Sixth Form Competition (2015 & 2016); Leeds City College & Leeds College of Building Debating Competition (2016); Lightcliffe Academy (Halifax) Summer Sixth Form Competition (2016); South Leeds Academy Christmas Debating Competition (2016); ‘Debate Outwood’ Sixth Form Competition between schools from Outwood Academy Trust (2017), Gateacre School (Liverpool) Sixth Form Debate; (2018); NHS Digital/Debating Matters Sixth Form Competition at Thackray Medical Museum (2018); Bolton Sixth Form College Debating Competition (2019); ‘Debate Outwood’ Years 10&11 Competition (2019).