2026 Harvard University

Vancouver Debate Academy proved once again that excellence knows no bounds at Harvard University, where VDA delivered a program-defining performance across Public Forum and World Schools Debate at every level of experience, from novices to seasoned varsity veterans.

In Varsity Public Forum, Flora Tu and Joshua Zhou put on another master class performance, securing an elite Tournament of Champions Gold Bid by powering to the top 16 of almost 400 teams at one of the world’s most competitive tournaments. This TOC bid, their fifth of the season, places Josh and Flora among the top-ranked teams in the world, a well-earned honour for two of the hardest working students at every tournament.

The team’s successes continued in Worlds School Debate, where VDA bulldozed their way through one of the most competitive fields of the year. The talented trio of Alyssa Yu, Esther Lin, and Sylvia Zhu lost only a single ballot on their way to a Semifinalist finish, while right on their heels, the squad of Amanda Chen, Crystal Su, Eaton Li, Lex Hsiao, and Norah Liu dominated their panels to secure a Quarterfinalist spot. The team’s depth didn’t stop there, however, as Audrey Yung, Brandon Kim, Jenny Yu, and Samuel Sun also posted winning records against elite competition. The team also came home with a wealth of top 50 individual speaker finishes, with Eaton claiming 14th, Alyssa taking 28th, Jenny 33rd, and Amanda Chen 39th.

More success was yet to come in the Varsity PF Online Division, where Angela Zang and Miranda Le fought their way to a gritty Quarterfinalist finish, while Shannon Zhu and Steven Shi advanced to Octofinals. To add to their already impressive performances, Steven was awarded the second place speaker award and Shannon finished as fourth speaker, each an incredibly high honour given the competitiveness of the field. Miranda and Angela were recognized in the top 50 as well, earning 18th and 31st rankings respectively.

Perhaps most exciting, however, was the Novice squad. Though they just missed the break, Bateer Wang & Lucas Chen, Gayla Hui & Izela Yao, Kate Huang & Nicole Wu, and Lily Leung & Tyson Zhang all posted winning records against the nation’s best, a terrifying sign of what’s to come from these talented young debaters. Tyson Zhang also announced his arrival as the 24th overall speaker of the tournament.

From the top of the varsity brackets to the future stars in novice, this was a total program victory. Congratulations to everyone who made the trip to Harvard, both in-person and virtually, a massive success.

Let’s go VDA!!!