Jaipur: The Indian Debating League (IDL) has partnered with the Harvard College Debating Union to host the Indian Invitational—a qualifying round for the prestigious Harvard College Debating Union World Schools Invitational 2026. The event will be held from August 15 to 17, 2025, at Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur.

The Indian Invitational, open to students in Grades 6 to 12, will be conducted in Open and Novice categories. The tournament adopts the World Schools Debating Championship format and offers Indian school students a first-of-its-kind platform to engage with global issues through structured debate.

“This is not just a competition, but a platform to empower India's youth with critical thinking, empathy, and leadership skills,” said Anjali Tiwary, Founder and CEO of IDL. She noted the rise of Indian debating talent globally, citing recent wins at Columbia and Stanford University tournaments and a semi-final finish at Cambridge.

The top-performing teams at the Indian Invitational will earn the opportunity to represent India at the Harvard College World Schools Invitational in 2026, hosted in the USA. “Through the Indian Invitationals, we're excited to make this global exchange of ideas more accessible to students in India,” said Zyna Dhillon (Harvard '28) and Shayna Leng (Harvard '27), convenors of the 2026 edition.

IDL has engaged over 90,500 debaters from 1,050 schools across 28 states since its inception. “Debate is where tomorrow's leaders learn to balance conviction with curiosity,” said Ayush Periwal, founder of the host school.

Registrations for the Indian Invitational are now open at www.harvardcollegeworldschools.com.