Free MacBook Air, I-phone etc for debaters

For those of you not signed up to BD, here's a copy of the e-mail sent out by JLM recently:

Hey all - no gimmicks, that subject line really is accurate. Read on...

www.debatewise.com is a new internet start-up, which seeks to provide a forum for those interested in cotroversial issues to write up, ammend and discuss arguments without having the trawl through pages of biased websites, blogs, or forum discussion pages.

To achieve these goals, however, they need the initial outlines of more debates written for the website, and to encourage this, they are launching a competition. Full details are available at http://www.debatewise.com/competition - but in brief, you enter by writing the basic outlines of a debate on a topic of your choice with three arguments in favour, three arguments against, and rebuttals for each, with some explanation of each. You can enter as many debates as you want, and all of them should go up on the website and form the foundation blocks for the wider public to ammend, discuss and develop.

Of all the submissions, those that provoke good responses from visitors to the site will be put before a panel of judges including myself and reigning World Universities Debating Champion Samir Deger-Sen. The best debate wins a brand new MacBook Air. The second best debate receives a new iPhone. According to the number of debates entered into the competition, more iPhone second prizes are also likely to become available. Finally, there is a prize of a free iPhone for the individual who contributes the most debates that meet the website's guidelines.

I hope people don't need too much convincing that this site is a pretty good cause. And you all get the opportunity to win amazing prizes. So do all check out the website and the more detail competition guidelines and enter many many debates!

Hope you are all well,

Jonathan Leader Maynard