The John Smith Memorial Mace is one of the largest and most prestigious debating competitions in world, featuring over 200 teams across four national championships. Founded in 1954 the Mace is a UK and Ireland Championships, with England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland each holding competitions to choose a national winner, who then face each other in an International Grand Final.

Former winners include the late Donald Dewar, Charles Kennedy, Bob Marshall-Andrews MP, The Rt Hon the Lord Hunt of Wirral, Professor Anthony Clare, and the late Labour leader, John Smith, in whose honour the competition was renamed in 1995.

A full list of the winners of both the regional competitions and the International final can be found on the JSMM Wikipedia page.

The John Smith Memorial Mace in England is administered directly by ESU Speech and Debate. The Mace in Wales is administered by the Wales Debate Federation (contact welsh.mace@esu.org) and in Scotland by ESU Scotland. In Ireland the competition is run by a convenor who is contactable at irish.mace@esu.org.

Sponsors

Baillie Gifford is delighted to be sponsoring the English-Speaking Union’s John Smith Memorial Mace, helping to promote the effective use of English to assist in international communications, as well as helping to improve international understanding through improved understanding of current affairs and different cultural views.

In any team environment people will have different opinions and debating allows all options to be explored. Many companies look to recruit people with debating skills, the ability to construct a persuasive argument, the confidence to speak in front of others and the flexibility to be able to think on their feet.

This contest plays an important role in encouraging students to get involved in debating and the skills they learn could benefit them hugely in later life.

Baillie Gifford is an independent investment management firm currently managing over £45 billion worth of client funds. They manage investments globally for pension funds, institutions, charities and retail investors. The company is wholly owned by its 29 working partners and has significantly developed its business over the last number of years through organic growth without the need for merging or acquiring and is committed to remaining independent.