Welcome to State 2026

Congratulations on qualifying for the 67th California High School Speech Association State Championship!

CHSSA State is one of the largest and most respected state championships in the country. Students do not arrive here by accident. They earn their place through preparation, resilience, and real competitive excellence.

That accomplishment reflects the work happening in your classrooms and communities all year long.

State is where preparation meets opportunity. It is also where we model the kind of competitive space we want our students to inherit: organized, fair, rooted in access, and centered on student experience.

Below you will find the key information needed to register and prepare.

We cannot wait to welcome you to James Logan for a weekend that reflects the very best of California and the very best of speech and debate nationwide.

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Who Can Attend?

Only students who qualified through their local State Qualifying Tournament can compete at CHSSA State 2026. If you’re unsure whether your student is eligible, reach out to your League President for clarification.

A quick but important reminder:

• ✓ Only the coach of record listed on the CHSSA membership form can register students
• X Students cannot enter themselves
• X Independent (non-school site) entries are not allowed

If a student or anyone other than the official coach submits an entry, it will be removed.

Looking for the CHSSA Middle School State Championship?
Click here for the middle school registration page.

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Tournament Location

James Logan High School
1800 H St
Union City, CA 94587

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Important Items to Note

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Congress Legislation Submission Required

Schools competing in Congressional Debate or Presiding Officer at the CHSSA State Tournament must submit one piece of legislation per team for consideration in the State docket.

Deadline: Friday, March 13 at 5:00 PM

Full details, submission requirements, and the legislation submission link are available here:
https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/index.mhtml?webpage_id=38274&tourn_id=36784

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Presiding Officer Training Saturday Morning

All Presiding Officer competitors must attend a short training and rules refresher following the mandatory Congress meeting. Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 AM

Please ensure Presiding Officer competitors plan travel schedules accordingly.

Full details:https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/index.mhtml?webpage_id=38274&tourn_id=36784

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State Dinner Dance - Details Coming Soon

We are thrilled to bring back the State Dinner Dance on Sunday evening after the Awards Ceremony.

We are putting the finishing touches on the details with our host site so we can share something thoughtful and well-planned. Our goal is simple: a joyful way for students to celebrate the weekend together.

Full information and ticket pricing will be released very soon. Stay tuned.

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Official State T-Shirts

This year’s State Championship T-shirt design is nearly complete and we cannot wait to share it. We have been collaborating with our designer to create something that truly captures the energy of State and the pride of qualifying.

Preview images and ordering details will be posted soon including a discounted pre-sale opportunity before the tournament.

If you have been to State before, you already know these do not sit around for long.

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Registration and Optional In-Person Check-In

Optional In-Person Registration

Friday | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM | James Logan High School

Coaches may:

• Pick up commemorative plaques
• Collect name badges
• Receive Food Insecurity Program funds

If you cannot attend, everything will be available at the Help Desk throughout the weekend.

More details will come closer to the tournament.

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Payments and Judge Bond

Payment

Please use Square.CHSSA.org whenever possible. It is faster and easier than mailing checks.

If mailing a check:

• You must send it with tracking (if you don't include tracking and it is late or lost you will be required to pay a fee and that is no fun)
• Mail directly to the Treasurer
• Do not send to Area Chairs

Judge Bond Reminder

The judge bond is $150 per school.

Bonds will automatically roll over to cover 2026-2027 CHSSA Membership Dues unless you fill out the Refund Request Form from Tabroom and upload it back in through Tabroom.

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Programs Supporting Students

Food Insecurity Program

No champion should have to choose between competing and eating. We are thrilled to once again offer our Food Insecurity Program at State 2026. This program is open to any student who needs some assistance in paying for meals while competing at the State Tournament. Any coach, parent, or student can nominate a State 2026 competitor who has this need.

Learn more: Food Insecurity Program

All fines collected by CHSSA at State and throughout the year directly support this program. If you are interested in making a direct donation, please feel free to email Director@CHSSA.org.

The Stockton Exchange

We’re excited to bring back for our second year The Stockton Exchange, a free professional clothing closet open during the tournament.

• Great for anyone who forgets, rips, or doesn’t have access to competition attire
• No questions asked. Take what’s needed and keep it
• Sunday, coaches are encouraged to take leftover items to start local lending closets in their leagues or on their teams

This initiative honors Bob Stockton, CHSSA Hall of Famer and “Mr. Congress,” whose legacy of mentorship and inclusion continues to inspire our work.

Want to learn more? tinyurl.com/stocktonexchange

Commemorative Plaques

Every school team that qualifies to the CHSSA State Championship may request to receive a personalized, commemorative, wooden plaque (that has a place for a team photo!) at no cost. These are a wonderful addition to team classrooms, trophy cases, school front offices, or a gift to a very supportive administrator.

If you order one, your plaque will be available for pickup at registration or the tournament Help Desk Friday and Saturday during the tournament. Only the Coach of Record for the team may pick up the plaque.

In order to reduce waste and excess cost, we are ordering these on an on-demand basis. If your team would like to receive one, please fill out this Google Form by March 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. Unfortunately, due to necessary production lead time, we will not be able to honor any requests made after that date.

Order here: Commemorative Plaques Request

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Judge Obligations

Debate
Friday and Saturday: 1 judge per 2 entries
Sunday: 1 judge per 3 entries

Speech
Prelims: 1 judge per 4 entries
Elims: 1 judge per 5 entries

Congress
1 judge per 3 entries or fraction thereof

Important things to note:

• Judges are committed through the end of the tournament. While we understand this may be different from what many are used to at invitationals and other tournaments, this is the standard expectation at culminating, large-format championship tournaments.
• We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in making this event a success. Ensuring that every round is judged fairly and effectively is what allows students to have the best possible experience.
• We do allow single-day judges, but they must be available for all rounds on the day(s) they are signed up for.
• First-year out (class of 2025) judges are NOT allowed.

There is no judge buyout option (we need your judges, not your money). Teams must provide their full judge obligation. That said, if you need help finding a judge to hire, please email me at Director@CHSSA.org and I can try to help get you connected to someone available to judge.

Judge Background Information

We’re asking coaches to provide a bit of background on their judges and rate them based on experience when registering. This helps our tab staff place judges more effectively. This includes coaches giving us a judge ranking from the scale below, but we also ask that you include some written notes about your judges (this doesn’t need to be super detailed, just enough to give us a sense of who’s judging and how we can best use them).

Neutral Judges

Neutral Judges are judges who are entered by a school to fulfill its obligation but have no direct affiliation with the team.

A Neutral Judge is someone who:

• ✓ Has no prior connection to your team
• ✓ Does not know your students and could not identify them
• ✓ Has never coached, worked with, or interacted with your students in any meaningful way

Example: If you hired a college debater you've never met to cover your obligation, and they have never worked with your team, trained your students, or even interacted with them, they can likely be classified as neutral and judge your team’s entries.

How to indicate a Neutral Judge:
During registration, you can mark a judge as "Neutral" if they meet the above criteria. This helps us with fair judge placement and ensures the tournament runs smoothly.

If you have any questions about whether a judge qualifies as neutral, feel free to reach out!

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Rules and Health

Rules and Policies

All participants must follow CHSSA’s tournament rules. Click here to review the official tournament rules.

Health and Safety Protocols

• CHSSA encourages teams to follow local and state health guidelines.
• Judges may not penalize competitors for wearing medical face masks.

At this tournament, there is no vaccine mandate, but we strongly encourage vaccination based on medical guidance.

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We are so excited to welcome you to the 67th CHSSA State Championship! This event is about more than just competition. It is a chance to celebrate the hard work of students, coaches, and judges.

If you have any questions, reach out to your League President or Area Chair.

See you at James Logan!

Helpful Links

• CHSSA W-9
• Tournament Schedule
• Hotel Blocks
• Food Insecurity Program
• Commemorative Plaques Request
• Official Tournament Rules