The National Speech and Debate Association held their annual middle school championship competition this past week in Richmond, Virginia, ending Friday, June 19, 2026. Local speaker Maahi Ailawadhi, 8th grade, of Alice B. Landrum Middle School won first place and is the Original Oratory National Champion; she also placed second in the nation in Program Oral Interpretation, and second in the nation in Humorous Interpretation. Two other LMS students finished top twenty in the nation in Congressional Debate, Sasha Qu Yan and Victoria Komaroff, also 8th graders, who will attend Ponte Vedra High School next year.
The 2026 Middle School National Tournament was held in person in Richmond, Virginia on June 16-19, 2026. This was an open invitational tournament, and all middle school NSDA members are welcome to compete for a chance to be named a middle school national champion!