Engage 1000 Bulgarian students in public speaking

Dear friends, 

The new school year kicked off over the summer with several exciting online events, and the BEST community is stronger than ever! 

The 2024–2025 school year filled us with pride thanks to the outstanding achievements of our National Debate Team, a testament to our fruitful collaboration with the Bulgarian Debate Association. In July 2025, Team Bulgaria competed at the World Schools Debate Championship in Panama, reaching the top 8 worldwide. As the leading English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) team and the last European team in the elimination rounds, they showcased that Bulgarian students’ talent, dedication, and spirit truly rank among the best in the world.

In August 2025, we hosted the first-ever online festival in English speech and debate — “Summer Voices”. The event blended workshops, presentations, and competitions, continuing the tradition of our summer debate camps from previous years. We chose a new online format that welcomed both debaters and speech competitors. The program featured expert lecturers from Bulgaria and the United States — including BEST alumni, current Management Team members, and former ETAs. 

The debate festival ran from August 7–10 with 33 participants divided into 11 teams. Before the competition rounds, participants attended workshops on argumentation, case preparation, motion types, strategic content, speaker roles, and effective engagement with opponents. They debated on challenging topics such as: Surrogate motherhood, Parental choice of sport for their children — male-dominated, female-dominated, or mixed, Commercialization of space, The influence of public conflicts between celebrities on cultural life.

The speech festival took place from August 13–16, featuring 8 participants and introducing three new categories — Solo Acting, Humorous Interpretation, and Storytelling — alongside the traditional disciplines of Duo, Original Oratory, Poetry, and Prose. 

“Summer Voices” laid the foundation for a new model of summer events, proving that online platforms can be both effective and inspiring, while keeping continuity with our established initiatives.

On September 9–10, we held an online training for BEST team coaches, spread over two working days to accommodate all participants. A total of 84 coaches registered, including 25 ETAs, representing 54 schools from across Bulgaria — including six schools returning to our tournaments after a few years. The first day of the training focused on speech formats. Coaches were introduced to the fundamentals of Prose, Poetry, Duo, and Original Oratory, as well as the principles of judging. Within working groups, participants practiced assigning roles – coach, judge, actor, and piece selector – and discussed strategies for running training sessions and preparing participants for competitions. The second day focused on debates, debate adjudication, and administrative tasks.The training provided coaches with the skills and confidence to guide their teams and prepare students for success in both speech and debate competitions.

On October 11, 2025, the Lynch Cup online debate tournament was held for the third time, officially launching the new season. Eight teams, with 23 participants, debated timely and thought-provoking topics, including: Should moral credits be tradable in a society based on them? Should a charity making the world a better place refuse donations from immoral sources? Is it better for reality show participants to portray themselves as villains rather than heroes? The debates were judged by BEST alumni, former competitors who brought their own expertise and experience to the event.

We’re excited to continue the season with the Fall West and Fall East Regional Debate Tournaments, coming up in the next few weeks!

Dear Friends

Thank you for your incredible support! The magic of our work wouldn’t be possible without you.

We would be truly grateful if you could share our GlobalGiving link with your friends and consider supporting us with monthly donations. As our programs continue to grow, your support is more important than ever!

Your contributions make a real difference in the lives of every student who participates in our tournaments. We are so thankful to count you among our champions!