Published : 12 Aug 2026, 06:09 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:32 AM
Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and the Bangladesh Debating Council (BDC) will host an all-women national debate tournament in Dhaka from Aug 28-30.
The three-day event, titled “Shevolution 2026”, will take place at the IUB campus under the theme “#HearHerRoar”, with IUB as the title sponsor, the university said in a statement.
The event will be presented as “IUB Presents BDC Shevolution 2026”.
More than 500 participants from across Bangladesh are expected to attend, including around 120 debaters, more than 50 adjudicators and over 100 organisers and volunteers, the statement read.
Every level of the tournament, from participation and adjudication to organisation and leadership, will be led by women.
The event will have a fully female organising committee and adjudication core, while the IUB Debating Club (IUBDC), the university's student debating society, will provide on-the-ground organisational support.
“Shevolution was built on a simple idea – that women should not only take part in debate but run every part of it,” said Salwaa Ara Khan, convenor of Shevolution 2026 and vice-chair for digital, equity and treasury at BDC.
“From the organising committee to the adjudication panel, this is a space women own end to end. We want every participant to leave knowing she can lead any room she walks into,” said Salwaa, a former executive board member of IUBDC.
The debate competition will be conducted in English in the British Parliamentary format.
It will feature four preliminary rounds, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a grand final.
The event will also feature art, slam poetry, public speaking and creative writing competitions, with around 100 participants expected across these segments.
Shevolution is BDC's flagship women-focused programme. It was first held in 2019 with an all-female organising committee, adjudication core and high-school participant pool, according to the statement.
The top 10 speakers from the 2019 edition received direct entry to BDC's National Camp that year and its Shevolution Academy, which provided training with internationally recognised debaters, it said.
Established in 2005, BDC is the national body for English-language debate in Bangladesh. It organises tournaments, workshops and training programmes aimed at developing the country's debating community.
