Pennsylvania High School Speech League

Key Announcements and Updates

Fall 2026

 

  • The 2027 PHSSL State Championships will be held on March 12th & 13th (Friday & Saturday), 2027. The deadline for registration is March 5th; changes may be made until March 11th.
  • Registration for the 2026-27 school year is now open. Please complete the online registration form (found below) in order to begin that process. The deadline for registration and dues payment is December 1.
  • Minutes from the fall meeting are attached here. (tech issues, please check back!)
  • Minutes from the summer meeting are attached here. 

 

  • Action Items! These include items from the June 2026 and the November 2026 meeting. (The bylaws will be updated in the next few weeks to reflect changes made in November. Please use the minutes, linked above, to get the actual wording of rule changes.)

    • Increase in membership fees ($65.00) and in tournament entry fees ($30.00/student, therefore $30.00 or $60.00 for entries)

    • The bid form is open to receive incoming bids; underclass competitors who advanced to finals (top 6 in speech, top 8 in debate) may claim their first bid now.

    • Changes have been made to some parts of Informative, Poetry, Prose, Congress, Parliamentary Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Extemp Debate, and Public Forum Debate. Details can be found in the minutes and will eventually be made in all PHSSL documents.

    • The use of AI is addressed in some of the changes mentioned above.

    • There will be a district chair meeting on December 8 to review the recent changes.

    • Deadlines for the Hall of Fame have been modified:
      Nominations must be submitted by 12/31, ballots will be mailed by 1/15 and are due by 1/31. The winner will be notified by 2/15. 

    • The maximum number of judges for hire at the State Tournament through PHSSL has been set at two.

    • In impromptu, electronics may no longer be used once a student has drawn their topic.

    • In POI, students must have the full text of their manuscript in their binder or folder.

 

Recommended steps to enroll your school in phssl

  1. Open the online Membership Application Form, complete and submit it. The deadline for application for any school year (without penalty) is December 1, or February 1 with a late fee applied.  If you are not sure if you have submitted an application form, please check the Dues subtab, which is under the Resources tab.  Completed applications are updated within 24 hours of your submission.
  2. Submit a request to your school’s business office for the registration fee and have it mailed to the address on the invoice.
  3. Submit a request to your school’s business office to complete the Insurance Requirements Form for participation in the PHSSL State Tournament. Upload that document here!
  4. Payments and submitted insurance forms will also be marked on the Dues subtab, but the processing of these items takes a bit longer. Please give the state office time to input any checks and forms that they receive. 
  5. Continue to look for emails from the state office and to watch this website for updates and news.
  6. Encourage the participation of many students instead of a few!

From the Director

Students and Coaches

Welcome to the Pennsylvania High School Speech League. We are a speech and debate organization that offers competition in multiple speech and debate events.

Schools throughout Pennsylvania are eligible to compete in the league’s competitions. These competitions include the District Championship Tournament, where students compete against competitors from schools in their region for the opportunity to compete at the PHSSL State Championship Tournament. The State Championship Tournament is the crowning event of our season. Here, the top students in the state compete for the State Championship in multiple events at Bloomsburg University.

All of the rules, guidelines, and regulations for PHSSL are located here on the PHSSL website. Check out the rules for joining the league, the competitive events we offer, the bid process for allowing students to qualify to the state tournament, and many other pieces of information by perusing the website. If you have any further questions, please contact one of the PHSSL Executive Board Members listed on the Contacts page.

Good luck throughout your competitive seasons and we look forward to seeing you at the PHSSL State Championship Tournament in March.

Keith Brosious
Executive Director
Pennsylvania High School Speech League

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