Our History:
2023 – In its 20th year, ICYD becomes one of the first junior competitions to return to in-person debating.
2020 – With the Covid Pandemic, the ICYD adapts and goes online.
2008 – From this year, the system of alternation between the Cambridge and Oxford Union societies was made permanent.
2007 – The Cambridge Union hosted the competition for the first time, ICYD spreads across the world.
2006 – University College Dublin hosted an Irish round to make the competition a truly international event. At this point the National Competition for Young Debaters (NCYD) became the International Competition for Young Debaters (ICYD)
2005 – St. Andrews became the first Scottish University to join the regional rounds. Finals’ Day was held at Birmingham University.
2004 – The National Competition for Young Debaters was formed: the inaugural event was organised by Oxford, and regional rounds were also held at Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, and Durham.
2003 – The Oxford Union held a one day competition for under fifteens which proved that junior debaters had just as much enthusiasm as their senior counterparts.
Our Team
Our ICYD 2026 Convenor is Imran Aly Rassiwalla, a second-year Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) student at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. They can be reached individually at imran.rassiwalla@stcatz.ox.ac.uk.
Our ICYD 2026 Deputy Convenors are Zach Fleesler and Tori Chittmittrapap. They are both second-year PPE students at University College, Oxford.
The ICYD 2026 CA Team is Leo Marinopoulos, Nicole Wong, and Hans Deepak.
Please direct all questions to the convenor@icyd.org.uk email for our convenience and yours.