If you are, your oratory skills could offer you the opportunity to match wits with top debaters from the United Kingdom, and take home prizes in the process.

Sign up for Debating with Respect (DWR) 2023, organised by the Association of Science Technology and Innovation (ASTI) Malaysia and Picture News UK, which tests participant’s skills on debating current affairs.

The programme is aimed at fostering constructive and respectful dialogue among participants, while promoting critical thinking, effective communication skills and open-mindedness in a structured debate format.

DWR 2023 also aims to elevate dialogue that encourages learning, empathy, and the exchange of ideas, even in the midst of disagreement.

“We are hoping to change the paradigm of debating from one of argumentation to one of dialogue, jointly learning from each other and trying to arrive at the truth,” the organisers said.

To participate, teams must register by Oct 31 and attend an online briefing session this month, as well as an online training session in November. Each team must consist of five members (three main speakers and two reserves) aged between 13 and 16.

This programme is open to both schools and independent teams. Debates will be conducted online, with participation also open to those outside Malaysia and the UK.

To be shortlisted, teams must create a short video presentation (up to three minutes) discussing their response to the question: “Will artificial intelligence change the world for the better?”

This presentation can involve the whole team or individual members, and must be submitted by Nov 22.

Eight shortlisted teams will be chosen to participate in online debating rounds in January. The top two finalist teams will receive a cash prize of RM1,000 each, as well as the opportunity to debate with the top two teams from Picture News UK in February.

The overall champion will be presented with RM1,500, a special certificate, and a trophy.

Interested teams can register here. For more information, visit ASTI’s website.