Five Islands Postgraduate Debaters Secure Historic Second-Place Finish in Jamaica

The University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus is celebrating a milestone achievement after its Postgraduate Debate Team captured second place at the 2026 UWI Inter-Campus Postgraduate Debate Competition in Jamaica. The February 20–21 event, hosted at the UWI Mona Campus, marked the first time the Five Islands Association of Postgraduate Students (F.I.C.A.P.S.) entered the prestigious regional contest.

Representing the Antigua-based campus were postgraduate students Jake Taylor, Cedric Park and Michelle Paige, supported by Postgraduate Representative Kimon Drigo and Debate Coach Odaissia Nichols. As debutants on the regional stage, the team approached the competition determined to make a strong first impression.

They quickly proved their readiness in the preliminary round, defeating the UWI Global Campus while arguing in favour of the moot: “This House would allow CARICOM to impose economic sanctions on member states that fail to implement agreed regional policies.” Observers described their delivery as confident and tightly structured, with each speaker building strategically on the other’s arguments.

Cedric Park emerged as a standout on the opening day, earning the title of Best Debater. His recognition signaled that the Five Islands team was not only competitive, but capable of matching the region’s most seasoned debaters.

In Saturday’s finals, the Antiguan team faced host campus Mona, widely regarded as a debating powerhouse. The championship motion, “This House will support foreign military intervention to remove a sitting head of state whether or not international legal mechanisms have failed,” tested both teams on complex geopolitical and legal principles. Though Mona secured the win, Five Islands delivered a composed and formidable performance to claim second place overall, finishing ahead of the UWI Cave Hill Campus. The UWI St. Augustine Campus did not compete this year.

Head Judge Germaine Barrett praised the debuting team for rising to the occasion and pushing Mona in the finals, while Omolora Wilson acknowledged that Five Islands brought “real competition” to the stage. For the Five Islands Campus, the second-place finish marks not just a successful debut, but a clear statement that Antigua and Barbuda is ready to compete and excel in the region’s intellectual arena.