Monday Program 2026

Round 1 Draw

The draw for the first round of the 2026 Monday Competition will be released shortly.

Monday Competition

Our primary competition is open to all female and non-binary students in  grades 7-12, including students from co-educational and single sex schools.  The competition is held across five weeks in terms 1 and 2, culminating in a Grand Final and Awards Ceremony where the Champion Team and Best Speaker for each year level will be announced.  

Due to the increased number of participating schools, the BGDA competition will split into three times slots. 
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In 2026 students will compete in the following divisions:
  • Grade 7: 4 minute speeches, no POIs
  • Grade 8: 5 minute speeches, no POIs 
  • Grade 9: 6 minute speeches, no POIs
  • Grade 10: 7 minute speeches, POIs
  • Senior (grade 11-12): 8 minute speeches, POIs and Reply Speeches

Before every round a free afternoon tea gives students an opportunity to refuel and socialise with students from other schools. Following this, all students are invited to attend a Foundational, Intermediate, or Advanced training session to enhance their debating skills and ask some of the most accomplished coaches in Queensland any questions they may have about debating.

All debates are conducted in short-preparation format, maximizing the opportunity for skill building and independent thought. As our competition is small, we only use highly trained and experienced adjudicators who deliver valuable feedback in an extended workshop setting. 
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Dates and Schedule

The Monday Competition will be held on the following dates in 2026:
Round 1: Monday 16 February 
Round 2: Monday 2 March 
Round 3: Monday 16 March
Round 4: Monday 30 March
Round 5: Monday 11 May 
Grand Final: Monday 25 May

The schedule for the Monday Competition will be as follows:

COVID-19 Update

Please stay up to date and follow the latest advice from the Queensland Government  and the Australian Government’s Department of Health. 
  • Stay at home if unwell or have a cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath.
  • ​Notify an executive member if becoming unwell during the competition
  • Maintaining physical distancing 
Are you a student, parent or teacher interested in the BGDA Competition?
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Registration

Registration for the 2026 Monday Competition costs $140 per team for grades 7-9 and $150 per team for grades 10 and seniors. 

We are pleased to announce that we will be offering an early-bird registration discount for the 2026 competition! All teams registered by the end of Term 4 (12 December 2025) will receive a 10% discount on their original fee.

Invoices will be issued immediately after a school registers for the competition. All schools will be required to provide proof of either payment or having requested payment by their school, by Monday 2 March.  However, if as a student or as a school this fee presents a barrier to participation, schools can apply for either a partial or full fee waiver. See the Fee Waiver page for more details.

Where schools cannot create a full team or have extra debaters that cannot create an extra team, the BGDA can arrange for participants to debate with girls from other schools. If you want further information on this option, please contact our schools' vice president at [email protected] and/or fill in our mixed schools' team expression of interest form here.

Location

All debates are held at the campus of Brisbane Girls Grammar School (Gregory Terrace, Spring Hill).