18th Annual Talk Hawk Invitational: Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2026

Entries Closed - Contact tournament directors for entry changes.  

NPDA Topics:

Round 1: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should repeal the "illusion of immunity" granted by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Round 2: Resolved: The State of California should break the "First in Time" curse by abolishing the Prior Appropriation doctrine of water rights.

Round 3: Resolved: To connect the realm, the United States Federal Government should fully nationalize the rail industry to build a High-Speed Rail network.

Round 4: Resolved: To ensure the Balrog of AI plagiarism "Shall Not Pass," the California State University system should mandate a return to handwritten Blue Book exams for all undergraduate writing requirements.

Round 5:  Four giant Dragons are sitting on the kingdom's food supply, demanding all our gold for a single turkey leg. It's time for the knights of the realm to slay them!  Therefore: 

Resolved: The United States Federal Government should break up the "Big Four" meat packing monopolies.

ELIM 1 Resolved: To protect the "Old Growth" from the axes of Isengard, the United States Federal Government should ban commercial logging on Federal Public Lands.

NPDA Topic Announce will be by the 1800 Palm Trees

PARLI PREP ROOMS
     Humboldt    1874
     Davis            1873     
     DVC              1872
     Foothill        1871
     Delta            1859
     Solano          1816 

IE WARM-UP ROOMS
     Bellvue     1001
     Butte        1002
     COD         1003
     Chico       1004
     Chabot     1006
     CCSF        1007
     Clovis      1008
     Lake Co.   1051
     Davis        1053
     DVC         1056
     El Paso     1057
     Foothill    1058
     Harper     1059
     Hofstra    1060
     Lewis & Clark  4213
     Modesto  4127
     Mt. Sac     4212
     Sac State  4129
     Delta       4138
     San Jose  21114
     Santa Rosa  21111
     Solano        21109
     Talahassee  21108
     Berkeley     21105
     Reno          21104
     UOP          21103

IMPORTANT LOCATIONS:
Daily Check-in & Registration - 1000 Building Lobby
Tab Room (Sat & Sun) - Room 1013
Judge's Room - Room 1012
Student Hangout & Snacks - Cafeteria, Building 1600
NPDA Topic Announcement - in front of Building 1800
Extemp Prep (Sunday) - Room 1011
Free Parking (every day) - Lot A & Lot B
Awards Ceremony (Sunday) - Building 4000
(see campus map)

FEES: Fees will be collected from your school on the last day of your competitive participation.  While we need each school to check in every morning in the lobby of Building 1000 (for drops or other concerns), registration fees will be collected at the end of each day of competition when a school is done for the weekend.  See Tim Heisler for payment.

FOOD: Grab an' Go Snacks will be available all weekend long.   While the tournament hosts will provide grab-n-go snacks (bagels, water, coffee, etc.) throughout the day, full meals will not be provided by the tournament.  A quick google search will identify local establishments a short drive away.  Please plan accordingly for a team runner who can do a food run if needed.  The school cafeteria has graciously agreed to stay open for extended hours on Friday (for lunch), and they will open for us on Saturday for brunch and lunch.  Save yourself a hurried drive for food by taking advantage of the cafeteria in Building 1600.

We are still accepting entries for our NUANCE EVENT: Create a 60-second TikTok-style video inspired by any enchanted universe of your choosing.  Funny, dramatic, aesthetic, or original with unlimited creative freedom.  Put it in an unlisted YouTube link and upload it through the tournament registration process.

SPAR will be a Sweepstakes Event held on Saturday, Jan 31   Need help understanding the event?  Watch Me!

To Our Forensics Community,
We want to sincerely apologize for the harm and discomfort caused by the original theme of our upcoming Talk Hawk tournament.  When we chose a Harry Potter–themed event, we did not fully consider how closely tied the franchise is to J.K. Rowling and the harm her beliefs have caused, especially to transgender people.  We want to be clear: we do not support or endorse J.K. Rowling’s views in any way. We appreciate those who spoke up and helped us recognize this issue.  Moving forward, the tournament will shift to a general wizarding theme rather than an explicit Harry Potter theme. While certain previously planned preparations will remain in place, we will make reasonable adjustments where possible to reflect this shift. Participants are encouraged to interpret this new theme in whatever way feels most comfortable for them. We also want to support the trans community and encourage you to support as well. A donation link to support transgender individuals and organizations is included in our bio.  Sincerely, The LPC Talk Hawks

Questions?  Please feel to contact any of the below individuals and we will come up with answers for you:
  - Jim Dobson  (510) 384-9525 jdobson@laspositascollege.edu  

  - Natalie Kellner (925) 759-8449 nkellner@laspositascollege.edu  

  - Ryan Guy (951) 237-8711 guyr@mjc.edu 

  - Tim Heisler (209) 765-7260 theisler@laspositascollege.edu