The National Forensic League is one of two U.S. national organizations which direct high school or "prep" competitive speech events. (The other is the National Catholic Forensic League or NCFL.)
Founded May 25, 1925, the NFL hosted the first national high school speech tournament in 1930 with 49 schools from 17 states. By and large the rules that governed that tournament are still in effect today providing one of the longest running national competitions for high school students. Approximately 1 million high school students have been members of the NFL since 1925. Well over 30,000 high school students participate in NFL certified events every year.
The NFL hosts the U.S. national high school forensics tournament annually in the US, attracting over 3000 high school students to compete for national honors in a wide variety of events including
Duet Acting (not an NFL event, but practiced by some state organizations)
Original Advocacy (not an NFL event, but practiced by some state organizations like CHASA
"Barbara Jordan" debate for inner city youth
While the National Speech and Debate Tournament and the qualifying District Competitions are hosted by the NFL, most forensics tournaments during the school year operate under the auspices of other organizations. Chief among them are the state speech leagues, such as:
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