How we compare
Two answers to the same conviction: that civil, structured argument makes public life better. Open to Debate produces world-class debates you can hear. SuperDebate runs debate nights you can join.
Deep respect
Formerly Intelligence Squared U.S., Open to Debate has spent nearly two decades proving that Americans will listen to serious, civil disagreement, and built the gold standard for produced debate.
Their stages host leading experts, journalists, and public figures arguing sharply framed motions with real preparation.
Audiences vote before and after each debate, so the side that moves the most minds wins. Persuasion is measured, honestly.
Distributed through NPR and PBS, their debates bring rigorous argument on hard questions to an audience of millions.
The same seriousness, at a table you can sit at.
What we build
A SuperDebate is a structured argument with assigned sides and equal time. Some events use judges or audience ballots; others focus on the exchange and feedback.
Side by side
| Criterion | Open to Debate | SuperDebate |
|---|---|---|
| Who debates | Invited experts and public figures, prepared for a produced event. | You, your friends, and the regulars at a weekly club night. First-timers debate the night they arrive. |
| The format | Oxford-style: a sharply framed motion, prepared sides, moderated rounds, audience votes before and after. | A designed round with assigned sides, equal time, cross-examination, judges scoring four criteria, and a room vote. |
| Where it happens | Produced stages and studios, carried on radio, podcast, and public television. | Bars, coworking spaces, and campuses in your city, plus live online video rooms anyone can launch. |
| Your role | Listener and, at live tapings, a voting audience member. | Debater, judge, or voting audience, and most people end up trying all three. |
| What repeats | A new produced debate on a new question, on their calendar. | A weekly night at your club, feeding city tournaments and championships you can climb. |
An honest answer
You want the strongest version of both sides of a hard public question, argued by people who have spent their careers on it. Their catalog is a masterclass.
You want the skills, and the night out. Listening teaches you what a good argument sounds like; a scored round teaches you to make one.
Common questions
We share the DNA: a real question, two prepared sides, and an audience verdict. SuperDebate adds judges scoring four criteria (arguments, evidence, clarity, persuasion, out of 20), cross-examination in every round, and a recurring club structure from 1v1 up to 5v5.
The topics are questions people already argue about, sides are assigned at the event, and you get a prep window before you speak. The format carries you; expertise grows with reps.
Featured debates are filmed and streamed, and online rounds run in live video rooms with real-time audience scoring. But the product is the room: the point is that you can be in it.
No. We admire their work; the missions rhyme. They produce debates for a national audience. We build the local league where anyone can practice the same craft.
Watch one round from a seat, vote on the winner, and take a side when you're ready. Your first night can be exactly as big as you want it to be.
More comparisons: Oxford-style debate vs SuperDebate, Jubilee vs SuperDebate, Toastmasters vs SuperDebate.
