Brainiacs Talk

• Category 1: Grades 7 and 8
• Category 2: Grades 9 and 10
• Category 3: Grades 11 and 12

The Preliminary Round is one video submission responding to an assigned topic, 4-5 minutes long. The video must be a single unedited take of the candidate speaking: cuts, spliced retakes and added graphics or text are not permitted.

Results. The first round's results are published on September 21, 2026, the second round's on September 28, 2026.

Topics for the 2026 Preliminary Round. Category 1: "Technology has made quality education accessible to everyone, everywhere." Category 2: "Individual actions matter less than government regulations in solving the global climate crisis." Category 3: "Economic growth should no longer be the primary measure of a nation's success."

Scoring. Content and Insight 35, Structure and Argument 30, Delivery and Communication 35. Total 100 points. There is no live component at this stage, so Q&A Responsiveness does not apply. The Preliminary Round is a qualification gate: candidates are not ranked against one another and the score does not carry into the Global Round.

Recognition. 40-49 Honorable Mention Certificate, 50-74 Bronze Medal, 75-89 Silver Medal, 90-100 Gold Medal.

The Global Round is held at Xiamen University Malaysia from November 2 to 8, 2026. Registration deadline: October 10, 2026. It is delivered live over two consecutive days.

Day 1 — Prepared Speech. The topic is assigned after the Preliminary Round II results, giving candidates the maximum possible preparation time before arrival. The speech runs 5-6 minutes and is followed by 2-3 minutes of live judge questions. Scoring: Content and Insight 30, Structure and Argument 25, Delivery and Communication 25, Q&A Responsiveness 20.

Day 2 — Extemporaneous Speech. Topics are not known in advance. Each candidate draws three sealed envelopes, discards two and keeps one, then prepares for 60 minutes with pen and paper only — prepared notes, connected devices, telephones and AI assistants are not permitted. The speech runs 4-5 minutes with 1-2 minutes of questions. Scoring: Content and Insight 25, Structure and Argument 20, Delivery and Communication 30, Q&A Responsiveness 25.

Topics are open and may be drawn from any subject area — society, ethics, technology, culture, personal growth. No specialist or technical knowledge is expected: topics are designed to be answerable through reasoning and general awareness, and they invite a point of view rather than a single correct answer. A strong response takes a clear position, defends it with reasoning and example, and acknowledges the strongest case against it. Candidates are rewarded neither for agreeing with the claim nor for disagreeing with it.

Every candidate is scored by a panel of three judges and the three scores are averaged. Anchor examples are published for each score band before judging begins. Grammar and pronunciation are assessed only to the extent that they affect the listener's understanding: accent, first-language influence and non-native phrasing are not scored, and no candidate is marked down for not sounding like a native speaker.

A visible signal is given at the lower bound of each speech length and again at the upper bound, with a 30-second grace period beyond it. Judge questions are not counted against speech length.