PriloFebruary Public Forum is announced January 1. March/April LD and March PF are announced February 1.
AI for offensive military operations
Resolved: The use of artificial intelligence for offensive military operations is immoral.
This is one of two wordings NSDA published for the January/February 2027 LD vote. It is not the announced topic. NSDA announces the winner on December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT. Do not cite this resolution as the January/February topic before that announcement.
Format: Possible Lincoln-Douglas topic. Voting happens the week before the December 1 release.
What the resolution asks
- If this wording wins, the debate is about moral status, not about a particular country’s procurement plan.
- “Offensive military operations” and “use of artificial intelligence” both need definitions. Defensive systems, logistics, and intelligence analysis may or may not fall inside the wording. That is a debate, not a fact this page can settle.
How to start a brief
- Prep it as a conditional brief. Label every file “ballot option” until December 1.
- Prep the other LD option in a separate file so the two wordings do not get mixed.
Sources checked: NSDA Topics · accessed 11 November 2026
Renewable energy subsidies
Resolved: The United States ought to substantially increase subsidies for renewable energy.
This is the other January/February 2027 LD wording on the NSDA topics page. It is not the announced topic. The winner is announced December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT.
Format: Possible Lincoln-Douglas topic.
What the resolution asks
- The actor is the United States. “Ought” is an obligation claim, which LD usually frames with a value and criterion.
- “Substantially increase” and “subsidies for renewable energy” are the terms that decide whether a small tax credit, a mandate, or a research grant is topical. Define them before writing contentions.
How to start a brief
- Hold this brief until the announcement. If the AI wording wins, archive this one instead of mixing the arguments.
Sources checked: NSDA Topics · accessed 11 November 2026
Gig workers as employees
Resolved: The United States federal government should classify gig workers as employees.
This is one of two January 2027 Public Forum wordings. It is not the announced January topic. NSDA announces the winner on December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT. February, March, and April PF topics have their own later release dates.
Format: Possible Public Forum topic for January 2027 only.
What the resolution asks
- The actor is the United States federal government, not states and not individual companies acting on their own.
- The action is classification as employees. A benefits mandate that leaves workers classified as contractors is a different policy.
How to start a brief
- Define “gig workers” from the resolution rather than from one company’s workforce.
- Keep the big-box-retailer wording in a different brief.
Sources checked: NSDA Topics · accessed 11 November 2026
Big box retailers
Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of big box retailers outweigh the harms.
This is the other January 2027 Public Forum wording. It is not the announced topic. The winner is announced December 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT.
Format: Possible Public Forum topic for January 2027 only.
What the resolution asks
- The comparison is benefits versus harms, in the United States. It does not require the federal government to pass a particular law.
- “Big box retailers” needs a definition before either side starts weighing jobs, prices, or local stores.
How to start a brief
- Weigh on a shared impact, such as consumer prices or local employment, so the round has a clash instead of two unrelated advantages.
Sources checked: NSDA Topics · accessed 11 November 2026
Announced topics
The topics NSDA has already announced for 2026-27 are written up on the current topics page.