Sydney Girls High School has claimed the 2026 Premier's Debating Challenge state final, with two members of the winning team returning from the United States just days after international glory at a space design competition.

The state final saw Sydney Girls argue the affirmative case on the topic: "That sports federations should never enforce rules governing players' political expression," against North Sydney Girls on the negative.

The Sydney Girls team of Ashling Considine, Emily Hirschhorn, Zimo Kang and Jasmine Shadbolt argued that sporting organisations would enforce such rules poorly and inconsistently, prioritising profit over principle, and that sport is political by nature.

On the negative, North Sydney Girls argued that politicising sport risked alienating governing bodies and undermining sport's role as an escape from everyday pressures.

The adjudicating panel found it reasonable to constrain freedom of expression in some circumstances, concluding that sporting organisations could not always be relied upon to enforce such rules fairly.

The win extends a strong tradition for the school in the competition, which began in 1930 and attracted 188 teams in 2026.

Sydney Girls were defending champions, with Year 12 student Zimo Kang part of last year's winning side as well.

Reflecting on the victory, Ashling said preparation was key, despite a rather hectic period before the final.

"I think it's like having a good prep, like having it efficient and having it structured ... I think it's really good because all of us had had a lot of practice together. We know how each other's work style," she said.

The pair had learned they'd made the debating final while still in the US, where they had just been crowned overall winners of the 2026 International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC).

There, they created a nominal company that designed a space settlement concept, taking on the gamut of leadership roles within a private enterprise.

Some 18 countries took part in the competition, which included a 40-minute presentation and question session with an expert panel, before their team was declared the overall winner.

"The experience in itself has already taught us a lot of things, like in terms of communication and inter-department communication," Zimo said. "That was something I found, especially as an executive, quite hard to manage."

Balancing the win with their studies and exams has meant a delicate juggling act for the pair, though the bonds forged in the US have helped soften the load.

"We got so close while we were in America - there's a kind of team community there," Ashling said. "That's helpful when it's getting a bit difficult."

Both students say they hope to pursue further study: Zimo in finance, Year 11 student Ashling considering law, politics, philosophy or economics.