The Brewer Foundation and New York University recently announced the high school debate teams advancing to the Top 32 round of the 25th annual International Public Policy Forum (IPPF), and the Delbarton team of Andrew Kapp '27, Ryan Amin '27, Holden Leidl '27, John Dufner '28, Sebastian Thomas '28 made the cut.

Advancing teams remain eligible for an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City (even more appealing if you live in Turkey, Singapore or Vietnam, which several international teams do) and a $10,000 grand prize.

This year’s Top 32 -- click here for the current bracket-- were selected from the largest and most internationally diverse field in IPPF history: 332 teams from 30 U.S. states and 39 countries. After narrowing the field to the top 64 in November, the teams entered written single-elimination rounds, exchanging arguments via email to test their research and advocacy skills. This recent process whittled the field down to 32 teams representing schools in fourteen U.S. states and nine countries. 

The 2025–26 topic addresses the global education crisis: “Resolved: The Group of 20 Nations should levy a global education tax equal to 1% of each member country’s GDP to create an international organization supporting universal, free, quality primary and secondary education.”

Through successive written elimination rounds, the IPPF field will narrow to the Sweet Sixteen, then to the Elite Eight teams invited to New York City for the IPPF Finals at NYU School of Law on April 18.

Founded in 2001 by the Brewer Foundation and now jointly administrated with NYU, the IPPF is a global debate program open to all high schools and endorsed by major forensic organizations. The Brewer Foundation, a nonprofit supported by donors and Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, is widely recognized for its educational outreach initiatives.

We congratulate the Delbarton team of sophomore and junior debaters and wish them the best of luck as they continue to navigate the IPPF competitive process!