The Last Word
A debate tournament, spoken out loud.
Make your case on video, and the judges weigh every word.
Winner takes ₦200,000
For questions and clarifications, join our WhatsApp group
The Last Word Champion
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The Last Word · play along
Pick the winners
- Tap who you think will win each match.
- Change your mind until judging starts.
- See how you rank on the leaderboard.
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Picking is free. Words can’t be exchanged for cash.
Enter Your Access Code
Submit Your Video Link
Paste the link to your Instagram video. Make sure you added @oozezicc as a collaborator on the post before submitting. Check the link first: an argument can't be changed once it's in.
A few points are deducted for cuts, so film each argument in one continuous take.
Opening argument ()
Final argument ()
The Last Word (aim for 60 seconds or less)
Once your match is decided, you can read the judges' feedback on your arguments here with the same code.
Rate This Submission
Score each part out of 10 with its slider. Your score is the weighted average: the percentage next to each part is how much it counts.
Feedback for this debater (optional)
Only this debater sees it, signed as an anonymous judge, once the match is decided. You can change it until then.
Don't forget the other debater
Your Judge Feedback
Register to Debate
Used to reach you if you win, keep it accurate.
Tell us why you want to be part of The Last Word and what you think about debating. 20 seconds to 1 minute, not longer or shorter. This is how we check you can hold a thought before a slot gets spent on you, not after. Post it wherever's easiest (Instagram, YouTube, Drive) and paste the link here.
Google Drive links only work for reviewers if sharing is set to "Anyone with the link" (Drive defaults to Restricted). Right-click the file in Drive → Share → change "Restricted" to "Anyone with the link", or your submission can't be reviewed.
Submission Received
Your video is under review. If it checks out, you'll receive your access code by email, that's your real confirmation you're in, not this message.
How The Last Word Works
The Last Word is a knockout style debate tournament where every argument is spoken and filmed, not written. Debaters register, get paired against each other, and are assigned a motion to argue. One debater argues for the motion and the other argues against it. Each match runs on a fixed 3-day schedule, ending with judges scoring both debaters as a whole. Whoever scores higher advances to the next round, and the tournament continues until only one debater remains.
How to register
- Look for the registration button above. It will only be available once registration has officially opened for the current season.
- Enter your name, Instagram handle and email, plus a link to a short video (20 seconds to 1 minute) telling us why you want to be part of The Last Word and what you think about debating.
- An editor watches your video. If it checks out, you'll get your personal access code by email. Keep it safe and don't share it, you'll need it later to submit your arguments.
- If a slot limit has been set, you will also see how many spots remain. Registration closes automatically once all spots are filled.
Once you are paired
When the bracket is set up, you will be paired against another debater and assigned a motion to argue, along with which side you are on, for the motion or against it. Both details will be visible on your card in the bracket. Each match then runs on the same 3-day schedule, all times West Africa Time (WAT):
- Day 1: one debater posts their opening argument by 5pm WAT.
- Day 2: the other debater posts their opening argument by 5pm WAT.
- Day 3: both debaters post a final argument by 5pm WAT, responding to what's already been said.
The days above are guidelines, not hard deadlines. If an argument is ready early, you're welcome to post it early. The only hard deadline is 5pm WAT on Day 3. That's when submitting closes for both debaters and judging begins, so anything not in by then can't be submitted.
If the deadline passes and only one of you has posted anything, that debater goes through without judging. If neither of you has, the match ends with no winner, you're both out, and whoever you would have met next goes straight through. One More Word works the same way: if only one rebuttal is in, that debater goes through, and if neither is, the match goes to the audience vote.
Filming and submitting your argument
- Film yourself making your argument for or against the motion you were assigned. Aim for 2-3 minutes per video.
- Post the video to Instagram and tag Oozezi Creative Collective as a collaborator on the post.
- Return to this page, find your card in the bracket, and click it. Enter your personal access code when prompted.
- Paste the link to your Instagram post into the matching box (opening or final argument) and submit it. You can submit either one whenever it's ready, they don't have to go in at the same time.
- Check the link before you submit. Once an argument is in, it can't be changed or replaced.
Judging and scoring
Judges don't score anything until every argument is in, they review a debater's opening and final argument together and score the debate as a whole, rather than judging each video in isolation. Every judge scores each debater out of 10 using the scoring guide.
The full scoring rubric, what each part of the scoring guide is and how much it counts, is released once the whole competition is over.
A debater's score is the average of every judge's score. Judging is normally due to open at 5pm WAT on Day 3, but if both debaters finish everything earlier than that, judging opens immediately, there's no reason to make anyone wait once there's nothing left to submit. Once judging opens, it stays open until every judge has scored. Once every judge has scored both debaters, the match closes and the higher scoring debater advances automatically. Anyone visiting this page can see current scores and follow along.
What happens if it's a tie?
If the scores end up exactly tied, the match moves into One More Word, a sudden-death round. Both debaters get a single day to film and post one rebuttal each, directly answering the other's arguments, by 5pm WAT, keep it to 60 seconds or less. Judging opens at 5pm WAT that day, or as soon as both rebuttals are in, and judges score just the rebuttals to settle it. If that also ties, the match is put to the audience, both rebuttals are shared for a public vote, and the outcome decides who advances.
Judge feedback
Judges can leave written feedback along with each score. It's private: only you can read the feedback about you, and judges appear anonymously as Judge 1, Judge 2 and so on, next to the score each one gave you. Feedback is released once your match is decided. To read it, tap your name on the bracket, choose View Your Judge Feedback, and enter your debater code. You'll see your overall score and each judge's score, and you can download a scorecard of your overall score to share, if you want to. Your full score rubric, how each judge scored every part of the scoring guide, is released once the whole competition is over: tap See your full score rubric in the same place then, to see it and download a full scorecard. Scorecards show your scores only, never the judges' written feedback.
Watching arguments
Every submitted video can be watched directly from this page. Look for the Watch buttons on any debater's card, opening argument, final argument, and rebuttal (if the match reaches One More Word) each have their own. If a debater has not submitted a video yet, the card will say so instead.
Following the bracket
The bracket is shown as a tree with the final match in the center and every earlier round spreading outward from it. Lines connect each match to the one it feeds into, so you can trace how any debater's path to the final unfolds, or how far a particular debater made it before being eliminated. Eliminated debaters are greyed out and clearly marked.
Still have questions?
The Last Word is new, so it's normal to feel a bit lost. Join our WhatsApp group to ask anything about registering, your access code, filming, submitting or judging, and get an answer from the team or other debaters.
Rules & Disqualification
- Videos must be posted to Instagram and tag @oozezicc as a collaborator.
- Debaters must argue the side (For or Against) they are assigned, regardless of personal opinion.
- Attack the argument, not the person. No personal insults, name-calling, or attacks directed at your opponent, in any submission.
- Submission windows are final once judging opens, no exceptions.
- Access codes are personal. Do not share your code with anyone.
- Submitting a script or performance that is not their own original work
- Missing every submission window for a match with no argument submitted at all
- Sharing an access code with someone else, or submitting on someone else\'s behalf
- Personal insults or attacks directed at another debater instead of their argument
- Hateful, harassing, or otherwise offensive content in a submission
- Attempting to manipulate scoring or contact judges directly about a score
- Reusing a previous submission word for word instead of arguing the assigned motion
- Scores stay hidden on the bracket, from judges too, until every judge has scored, so no judge sees another's score before giving their own.
- Once your match is decided, you can see your overall score, each judge's score and their written feedback, and download a scorecard of your overall score to share.
- Your full score rubric, how each judge scored every part of the scoring guide, is released once the whole competition is over. Until then it isn't shown to any debater, including you.
- Written feedback is private to you, and judges are shown anonymously as Judge 1, Judge 2 and so on.
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