NLSD 2026 | Motions

Novice Finals

1

This house believes that opposition parties in weak democracies should support anti-corruption purges initiated by newly elected administrations

2

This house believes that the "guarantee scheme" model in Karnataka does more harm than good to the working class

3

This house would impose a two-term limit on Chief Ministers across all Indian states

Novice Semifinals

1

This house believes that AI-generated art should not be eligible for copyright protection

2

This house believes that national museums should not commemorate art and symbols that depict or represent collective suffering

3

This house believes that the estates of deceased artists should not have control over how their works are used or modified.

Grand Final

1

This house prefers a world where individuals are "born into adulthood"

2

This house prefers a world where children are raised communally

3

This house prefers a world where humans periodically and involuntarily relive the memories of a randomly selected stranger as if they were their own

Semifinals

1

This house believes that opposition parties in weak democracies should support anti-corruption purges initiated by newly elected administrations

2

This house believes that the "guarantee scheme" model in Karnataka does more harm than good to the working class

3

This house would impose a two-term limit on Chief Ministers across all Indian states

Quarterfinals

1

This house prefers a standard of "balance of probabilities" over "beyond reasonable doubt" when assessing evidentiary burdens in sexual harassment cases

2

This house believes that the feminist movement should reject the introduction of laws regulating sexual violence, if they are framed as protecting women's modesty

3

This house believes that feminist movements in the Global South should prioritize structural liberation over individual choice

Round 5

1

This house believes that the United States should impose a moratorium on the development of AI data centers

2

This house prefers an open-source paradigm of AI development to a closed-source one

3

This house believes that technology companies in the AI sector should be prohibited from buying shares from their competitors

Round 4

1

This house regrets the decline in marrying young

2

This house believes that young adults should choose to pursue long-term romantic partnerships among their best available options, rather than risk lifelong pursuit of an ideal romantic match

3

This house, as a married individual with children, would prioritize being a good parent over being a good spouse when the two roles conflict

Round 3

1

This house believes that the current rise in oil prices will be good for the world 10 years from now

2

This house predicts a complete withdrawal of US military bases in the Middle East within the next 10 years

3

This house predicts that the Indian Subcontinent will become more, rather than less, democratic over the next decade

Round 2

1

This house regrets the glorification of Overseas Filipino Workers as heroes

2

This house believes that Asian immigrant communities should embrace the "model minority" stereotype

3

This house believes that developing countries with booming populations should prioritize incentivizing labor exportation over increasing employment locally

Round 1

1

This house prefers to be born as an average citizen in Shanghai as opposed to New York

2

This house believes that large-scale content creators should be subject to federal regulations similarly imposed on licensed broadcasters (examples include but are not limited to: mandatory disclosure of paid sponsorships, editorial correction standards for factual misinformation, and content restrictions for audiences including minors, among others)

3

This house prefers a world where expressing emotional vulnerability on social media is the dominant norm