NISSDA Teams Shine at ICYD 2025

The Northern Ireland Schools Speech & Debate Association (NISSDA) proudly fielded two teams at the International Competitions for Young Debaters (ICYD) 2025, held at the University of Cambridge.

The teams achieved outstanding success, with Ruairí Gallagher and Tejas Pugalia finishing as Runners-up in the Open Grand Final, while Adaeze Okonkwo and Amaira Kapoor were crowned ESL (English as a Second Language) Champions.

There were also notable individual achievements. Ruairí Gallagher was awarded Best Novice Speaker, while Tejas Pugalia secured the position of 4th Best Speaker overall. In the ESL category, Adaeze Okonkwo was named Best ESL Speaker.

These remarkable achievements reflect the talent, dedication and hard work of the pupils, bringing great pride to NISSDA and Northern Ireland on the international stage.

The team was coached by Molly Callaghan, an Economics and History student at Harvard College, and Hadar Goldberg, a graduate of the Tel Aviv University.

NISSDA runs annual open trials to select and train teams for ICYD, the World Schools Debating Championships and other international tournaments. Schools interested in nominating pupils for future competitions are encouraged to get in touch through the contact page.

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