The Princeton Debate Panel

The Princeton University Debate Panel, also known as the PDP, is one of the premiere collegiate debating societies in the country. Throughout the year, the PDP competes in weekly tournaments across the country sanctioned by the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA), of which Princeton was a founding member.

Princeton's historical success has been unrivaled since APDA's founding in 1983. A Princeton team, composed of two individuals, has won the Team of the Year (TOTY) award a record seven times, most recently in 2009. Similarly, an individual competitor has won the coveted Speaker of the Year Award (SOTY) a record nine times since APDA's founding. In 2009, the PDP added another notch to its belt when Dan Rauch and Zayn Siddique won Princeton's seventh APDA TOTY award; Dan Rauch rounded out the season by winning the SOTY award as well. The PDP is also one of the world's premiere international debating squads with teams consistenty reaching late elimination rounds.

The Princeton Debate Panel also hosts two debating competitions during the year. Each December, for highschool competitors in the National Forensic League, the Princeton Classic offers Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum Debate as well as Congress and Individual Events. In the spring, the PDP hosts the Adlai E. Stevenson Memorial Debate Tournament, one of the largest and most prestigious parliamentary debate tournaments in the nation.

Prospective members or others looking for information should contact the PDP at debate@princeton.edu.