WUDL Travel Team

The WUDL Travel Team takes students to regional competitions to face the best and brightest from around the region and the nation. These trips are designed to allow students who have worked hard and excelled at the local level to test their skills against students from outside the Washington Metro area and explore the wide world of debate. These tournaments are also an opportunity for students to meet and showcase their skills for college debate coaches and learn about scholarship opportunities.

To attend travel tournaments, WUDL debaters must attend extra practices and do extra research to prepare for these rigorous tournaments. We practice and travel as a single team so WUDL’s Travel Team is a great way to get to know students from around the league. As with all WUDL programs, the Travel Team is 100% free! 

Click here to learn more about the WUDL Travel Team

Click here to learn more about how we choose participants

Travel Schedule

The WUDL travel schedule fluctuates from year to year, but we generally attend most of the these competitions each season.

Georgetown Day School Invitational

Washington D.C.​
September

Urban Debate Dragon Invitational

Washington, D.C.
November

New York Fall Faceoff

Mamaroneck, New York
December

Lexington Winter Invitational

Lexington, Massachusetts
January

Pennsbury Falcon Invitational

Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
February

Urban Debate National Championship

Moves around the country!

Tournament of Champions

Lexington, Kentucky

Urban Debate Middle School Nationals

Virtual

Newark Invitational

Newark, New Jersey
January

Bishop Guilford Invitational

Birmingham, Alabama
January

Bulldog Invitational

Athens, Georgia
January

Westchester Invitational

Westchester, New York
March

WUDL Travel Team Hall of Fame

Burke Foundation External Camp Scholarship

— This program is not currently available — 

One element of our travel program is the Burke Foundation External Camp Scholarship. WUDL will sponsor a limited number of students to attend out-of-league debate institutes each summer. If interested, please complete the application on the right. Applications are due at Districts each season.

Competitive Candidates will: 

  • Apply as a partnership
  • Be rising Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors
  • Have been active the previous year at WUDL events
  • Have had some competitive success locally at the JV or Varsity level
  • Agree to go to a number of travel tournaments the following year
Burke Foundation Scholarship Application

I did not know what I expected to gain from the Georgetown Debate Institute, but I can say with certainty that I have leveled up as a debater. Not only did I develop my debating skills, expand my knowledge substantially, and learn extensively about the water topic, but I created bonds and met incredible debaters—which ultimately made the experience for me. Thank you for awarding me the Burke Scholarship. I honestly can’t say how grateful I am for the opportunity. Though debating has been a passion of mine for a while now, GDI has shown me how to immerse myself deeper into the activity.

Emmanuel, Varsity Debater, Charles H. Flowers High School / New York University Class of 2026