At the University of Sydney's Open Day, Smith's Hill High School and Pymble Ladies College went head to head in the grand final of the Centre's Debate the future of America competition. The topic for the final was "That America should block payments of ransom to ISIS from families of hostages."

This was a unique opportunity for students to debate real world issues and deepen their awareness of the strong links between the US and Australia. Sixteen teams competed for the grand prize of three 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Airs for their school.

High school students debated some of the major issues in the United States today. The competition was open to Year 11 NSW high school students.

2015 Debate the Future of America competition final