Bickel+and+Brewer+-+IPPF

= The Bickel & Brewer Foundation and New York University are pleased to announce the topic for the 2016-17 International Public Policy Forum (IPPF). =

[|http://www.bickelbrewer.com/#/thefoundation/elm/25]

Team Regulations:

a. All team members must attend the same school/organization and must be full-time high school (U.S. equivalent of grades 9-12) students.

b. For the first time, the IPPF will allow more than one entry per school.

c. It is the expectation of the International Public Policy Forum that each submitted paper will be the original work of the team members. Coaches may offer advice and suggestions, but should not create or substantially alter the work.

d. No derogatory remarks or harassment of any kind will be tolerated and may result in disqualification.

e. Throughout the course of the competition and in all media, proper conduct will be expected of all teams and their coaches.

f. All quoted material must be properly cited. The use of falsified or distorted material will result in disqualification. (For more information about citation, see Section V below.)

g. The contest director will interpret and enforce the rules of the contest. The decisions of the contest director are final.

OUTLINE OF ROUNDS OF COMPETITION

I. QUALIFYING ROUND - WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS

(All Registered Teams)

1. Any number of team members may participate in the Qualifying Round as long as they contribute in some way to the development of the essay.

2. Papers must follow the format guidelines for the contest (see Section V below).

3. Qualifying Round papers should be no more than 2,800 words, not including the title page, in-text citations, works-cited pages, or any charts and graphs included within the paper. Any text over 2,800 words will be deleted before papers are sent to the judges, beginning with word 2,801.

4. Qualifying Round submissions may be written from an affirmative or negative perspective.

5. The contest director will check papers for adherence to contest rules.

6. The Essay Review Committee will select the "Top 32" schools. These schools advance into the first elimination round and will take part in a single-elimination, written debate tournament. Schools will remain anonymous before the panel during the Qualifying Round process. The decision of the judges will be final.

II. FIRST TWO ELIMINATION ROUNDS - WRITTEN DEBATES

(Round of 32 and Sweet 16)

2. The teams selected for these rounds will exchange papers according to the Schedule of Events.
 * 1) During the Round of 32 and Sweet 16, each team will compete against the team with which it is paired on the official IPPF bracket, which will be updated after each round and posted at www.bickelbrewer.com/ippf. The contest director will assign sides (affirmative or negative)

3. Each debate will consist of four papers: Affirmative Constructive, Negative Constructive, Affirmative Rebuttal, Negative Rebuttal.

4. All papers must be submitted to ippf@bickelbrewer.com. The contest director will check papers for adherence to contest rules and guidelines, and then forward to opposing teams (see Section V below).

5. Affirmative/Negative Constructive papers should be no more than 2,800 words, not including the title page, in-text citations, works-cited pages, or any charts and graphs included within the paper. Any text over 2,800 words will be deleted before papers are sent to the judges, beginning with word 2,801.

6. A live panel of judges will determine the winner of each of the oral debates and which teams will qualify for the semifinals and finals.

7. The majority decision of the judges will be final.

(Final 4)

1. Before the teams travel to New York, each of the final eight teams will submit an affirmative constructive to the contest director according to the Schedule of Events. This can be either a completely new paper or one that has been revised from previous rounds. This paper will be used in the semifinal and final rounds.

2. Sides will be chosen by a blind draw. Each negative team will be given their opponent's affirmative paper that was submitted to the contest director.

3. Teams advancing to the semifinal rounds will have at least 45 minutes to prepare before the live oral debates begin. The two teams advancing to the final round will have at least two and a half hours to prepare before the start of the final debate.

4. The semifinal/final competitions are based solely on oral argument. Unlike in the quarterfinals, there is no writing component in the judges' consideration.

5. A live panel of judges will determine the winner of each semifinal round and of the finals. In one or both debates, an at-large vote of internet viewers may count equivalently to one live judge's ballot.

6. The majority decision of the judges will be final. The winner of the final debate will not be announced until the awards ceremony in the evening.

V. FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITTEN DEBATES

(Qualifying Round Essay and Essays in Subsequent Rounds)

2. One-inch margins should be used for all text pages. All text pages must have a header with consecutive-page numbering in the upper right-hand corner. The header must be flush with the right margin and one-half-inch down from the top margin. Do not include your school name with the page number. In order for the papers to remain anonymous before the judges, your school name should not be listed anywhere other than the title page.
 * 1) The IPPF has adopted the MLA (Modern Language Association) style guide as the standard for all written submissions throughout the competition. The last pages of your paper should contain the works cited, giving properly-formatted citations for every source cited in the paper. This is not a bibliography; no need to include merely related (but not cited) research. Please do not use footnotes. For more information about MLA style, consult www.mla.org or [|www.writinghelp-central.com].

3. Papers should be typed in Microsoft Word using 12-point Times New Roman font.

4. All papers must be written in English.

5. To ensure uniformity and anonymity among international competitors, spelling should conform to American conventions.

6. To preserve anonymity for the judges, refer to your opponent as "the affirmative" or "the negative." Do not refer to your opponent by school name.

7. Each paper must have a title page. The title page should include:

a. School name

b. School address (including ZIP code and country)

c. Names of each team member and coach

d. Detailed contact information (school phone, coach's cell phone and e-mail)

e. The name of the contest: "The International Public Policy Forum"

f. The topic statement: "Resolved: Human missions should be a significant focus of space exploration."

g. The following Honor Pledge: "On our honor, we pledge that we have received no unauthorized assistance on this work."

h. For essays written in the Top 32, Sweet 16, and Elite 8 rounds:

i. The title page should identify the two schools in the debate,

ii. The paper sequence (constructive or rebuttal), and

iii. The assigned side (affirmative or negative).

VII. AWARDS

1. Teams eliminated in the first elimination round of 32 will each receive $100.

2. Teams eliminated in the Sweet 16 round will each receive $250.

3. Teams eliminated in the Elite Eight will each receive $500.

4. Teams eliminated in the semifinals will each receive $1,000.

5. The runner-up will receive $3,500.

6. The first place team will receive a $10,000 prize ($5,000 to the school, $5,000 to be divided among the team members) and the "Bickel & Brewer Cup."