PRIZES
Students will be scored against others in their respective areas, and the top three students will advance to an in-person area contest. Three prizes will be awarded to the top speeches. First prize winners will receive $500, with runner up prizes of $300 and $200.
The first place students in each New York County will be scored against one another, and the top two students will join the top Bermudian student for an in-person final round at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, June 29, where they will receive additional cash prizes!
REQUIREMENTS
There are only a small number of requirements for the speech contest in addition to the eligibility requirements for students. These rules are:
- Speeches must be an original work of scholarship.
- Speeches must be between five and seven minutes long.
- Speeches must include citations to their sources.
- Speeches must be delivered in the English language.
For more research tips, check out our Steps To Preparing Your Speech page. The full contest rules are available to download here.
ELIGIBILITY
High school students who live in or attend school in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester County, and Bermuda are eligible to participate in the Contest.
DEADLINE
The deadline to register is Friday, April 19, 2024. The deadline to submit videos of your speech is Friday, May 3, 2024.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is strictly forbidden and will result in the immediate removal of the offending speech from consideration for any prizes without notification to the student who submitted the speech. A student’s school may be contacted in the event of a suspected case of plagiarism.
Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional. To avoid it, be sure to clearly cite any sources you reference, paraphrase, or directly quote. A good definition of plagiarism can be found on the University of Cambridge’s website. Do not hesitate to contact a teacher or librarian if you are unsure about a section of your speech.
JUDGING
Speeches for the Contest will be judged by a panel of New York attorneys and judges, Rotarians and Toastmasters, and community members. Judges will be assigned a group of speeches at random and do not receive any identifying information about the speeches until the finalists have been selected.
Speeches will be judged on the following criteria:
- A clear, focused topic,
- Effective organization and support of main ideas,
- Strong literary voice and word choice, and
- Appropriate posture, gestures, and eye contact.
SUBMISSIONS
Submit your speech on our online portal. Video recordings should not be edited–you can record as many as you’d like and submit the best one!