NOF Topaz Invitational

NOF November Asynchronous Invite: Link

Hosted virtually by National Online Forensics

Dear Forensics Community,

We are excited to welcome you to the National Online Forensics Regular Season online tournaments. These monthly synchronous competitions are a fantastic way to prepare your students for Nationals and provide additional rounds for team members throughout the year. With a condensed schedule of three preliminary rounds and up to two elimination rounds, competitors get high-quality practice without spending the entire day waiting to compete. Plus, with $0 travel costs, these tournaments are both convenient and cost-effective.

Tournaments are offered across all grade levels, from kindergarten to college, in a wide variety of events. Our highly qualified tournament staff is committed to delivering a smooth, engaging day of competition. The schedule takes only half a day to complete (see schedule below).

Run by experienced tournament directors, our events are among the best online tournaments your competitors will attend. Winners of each event may receive a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honors medal. Physical awards for competitors with U.S.-based shipping addresses will be shipped as soon as possible after the tournament concludes. International competitors will have their achievement recognized with a certificate, as well as a small donation to one of our partner charities. 

Key Information

• Registration Deadline: 8:00 PM Pacific the Tuesday before each tournament on ForensicsTournament.net
• Judging Requirements: One judge per 5 IE/Congress entries per pattern or 2 debate entries per pattern. Uncovered entries may be allowed at the discretion of the Tournament Director with applicable fees.
• Rules: The complete set of NOF rules is available here.

We hope you and your team will join us throughout the year. For questions, please email us at Robert@NationalOnlineForensics.org.

Sincerely,
Robert Cannon, Danny Cantrell & Alexandra Smith
National Online Forensics

2025-2026 Synchronous Tournament Information Schedule

All times are Pacific Standard Time.

• Round 1: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
• Round 2: 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
• Round 3: 12:30 PM – 2:15 PM
• Elim Round 1: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
• Elim Round 2, if needed: 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM
• Awards: 7:30 PM or ASAP

Events Offered

Elementary Events:

Informative, Persuasive, Assigned Platform, Declamation, Prose, Poetry, Duo Interpretation, Storytelling, Impromptu, SPAR, Public Forum, Congress, NOF Parli, World Schools

Middle School Events:

Informative, Persuasive, Speech to Entertain, Assigned Platform, Declamation, Poetry, Prose, Program Oral Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Storytelling, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Extemp, Impromptu, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, SPAR, NOF Parli, World Schools, Congress, NOF Mock Trial

High School Events:

Informative, Persuasive, Speech to Entertain, Assigned Platform, Declamation, Original Interpretation, Poetry, Prose, Program Oral Interpretation, Storytelling, Duo Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Extemp, Impromptu, SPAR, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, World Schools, NOF Parli, Congress, NOF Mock Trial

College Events:

Informative, Persuasive, Speech to Entertain, Communication Analysis, Assigned Platform, Dramatic Interpretation, Poetry, Prose, Program Oral Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Extemp, Impromptu, NFA-LD, IPDA, NOF Parli, SPAR

Entry Policies

• Competitors may enter a maximum of three events.
• Competitors entered in a debate event may enter only one debate format and may not enter Individual Events in the same pattern.
• SPAR is treated as an Individual Event for entry, judging, tabulation, and scheduling purposes.
• In small-entry scenarios, events may be combined within their category, such as combined Interpretation events.

Individual Events

• Three preliminary rounds will be held.
• Elimination rounds will be offered according to the entry thresholds and advancement procedures established in the NOF By-Laws.
• Competitors may enter a maximum of three events.
• Judging Requirement: 1 judge per 5 entries per pattern.
• Prelim Ranking: Ranks / Decimal / Drop High Rank
• Elim Ranking: Total Rank in Event / Number of Firsts in Event / Rank in Elim / Decimal in Elim / Judge Preference in Elim
• Speaker points will not be used for IEs.
• Competitors will be recognized with Gold, Silver, Bronze, and, where applicable under the NOF By-Laws, Honors awards.
• SPAR is treated as an Individual Event for entry, judging, tabulation, and scheduling purposes.
• See the NOF By-Laws for more details.

Debate

• Middle School and Elementary School divisions of Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum will use the NOF debate topic found on the NOF Topics page.
  • The NOF September-November tournament for Elementary and Middle School Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas is:
    • Resolved: Governments ought to expand nuclear power development.

• High School Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Policy will follow the current NSDA topic where those events are offered.
• Preliminary rounds will be randomly paired. Brackets will be broken in elimination rounds as permitted under the NOF By-Laws.
• Elimination rounds will be offered according to the entry thresholds and advancement procedures established in the NOF By-Laws.
• Debate entries are single-entry within their pattern. Competitors entered in debate may not enter Individual Events in the same pattern.
• Judging Requirement: 1 judge per 2 debate entries per pattern.
• Speaker Point Scale: 70–100, except where an event such as World Schools uses its own scoring system.
• Prelim Ranking: Wins / Total Points / High-Low Points / Z Score / Opponent Wins
• Speaker Ranking: Total Points / High-Low Points / Ranks / Wins / Z Score
• The top 15% of speakers will be recognized.
• A 5-minute forfeit rule applies to all debate rounds.
• Competitors will be recognized with Gold, Silver, Bronze, and, where applicable under the NOF By-Laws, Honors awards.
• World Schools and other debate formats with specialized procedures will follow the event-specific rules contained in the NOF By-Laws.
• See the NOF By-Laws for more details.

Congress

• Dockets will be released monthly at NationalOnlineForensics.org, as well as on the splash page of each tournament.
• Three preliminary rounds will be held. A final round will be held when required under the advancement and chamber procedures established in the NOF By-Laws.
• Competitors may enter a maximum of three events, including Congress.
• Rounds will not be rerun for missed speeches.
• Judging Requirement: 1 judge per 5 Congress entries per pattern.
• Prelim Ranking: Rank Points / Decimal / Drop High Rank Points / Parliamentarian Rank Points
• Elim Ranking: Total Rank in Event / Number of Firsts in Event / Rank Points in Elim / Decimal in Elim / Judge Preference in Elim / Parliamentarian Rank Points in Elim
• Elementary, Middle School, and High School will each have separate preliminary dockets, plus a shared Finals docket. Merged divisions will use shared legislation and the Finals docket as preliminary material as directed by the Tournament Director.
• Competitors will be recognized with Gold, Silver, Bronze, and, where applicable under the NOF By-Laws, Honors awards.
• See the NOF By-Laws for more details.

Awards

• Sweepstakes: Top schools will be recognized in each division: College, High School, Middle School, and Elementary School.
• Physical Awards: Competitors receiving Gold, Silver, or Bronze recognition with a U.S.-based shipping address will receive physical awards shipped to coaches following the tournament.
• Address Verification: Coaches with U.S.-based shipping addresses will be asked to confirm their shipping address during registration. Please contact the Tournament Director as soon as possible if awards should be shipped to a different U.S.-based address than the address on file. Additional shipping costs may be assessed if an incorrect address is supplied.
• Competitors who earn Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honors recognition but are unable to receive a physical award will receive a digital certificate recognizing their achievement.

Judging

• Judging Requirements: One judge per 5 IE/Congress entries per pattern or 2 debate entries per pattern.
• Schools that are unable to provide the required number of judges may request approval from the Tournament Director to pay an uncovered-entry fee instead. Please contact the Tournament Director as early as possible to make this request.
• Judges may be assigned ballots outside their registered events. Flexibility is appreciated.
• Judges must remain in the Judges Room until dismissed or until their ballot is picked up via email.
• Incomplete eBallots with minimal or no substantive feedback may incur a judge no-show fee.

Fees

• School Fee: $50
• Individual Event Entry: $25
• Duo Interpretation: $45
• Congress: $30
• Debate, 1-person: $50
• Debate, 2-person: $60
• World Schools: $75

Judging & Admin Fees

• Missed Ballots: $25 for the first missed ballot / $50 for each additional missed ballot
• Uncovered IE/Congress Slot: $35 with Tournament Director approval
• Uncovered Debate Team: $125 with Tournament Director approval
• Entry Changes after Deadline: $25 per change with Tournament Director approval
• Judge Drops within 24 hours: $150
• Incomplete eBallots: May result in judge no-show fees
• Tournament Delays, depending on the violation: $20–$100
• Competitor No-Shows without prior notice: $35