Oratorical Contest

The American Legion invites high school students to compete in a speech contest

Winners will earn scholarship money and a chance to compete in national finals.

High school students of the Plant City community have been invited by Norman McLeod American Legion Post 26 to compete in the 87th Annual American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program. The invitation to enter the competition was extended today by Post Commander Carl Brosky and Post Oratorical Chair, Mark Conner (adjutant@alpost26fl.org or phone 813-352-4891. The contest for Plant City students has been arranged with the full cooperation of local school officials of Plant City, Durant and Strawberry Crest High Schools faculty who will assist with the contest arrangements. This is a multi-level contest where students first compete at the Post level, then progress to the District, Area, and then State level. The State contest winner advances to the National Contest held in Indianapolis, IN in April of 2025. The contest is open to any student in grades 9 through 12, including home-schooled students. To compete, the student must prepare and deliver an original 8 to 10-minute memorized speech about some aspect of the Constitution, with an emphasis on a citizen’s duty to their country and government. In addition to the awards by winners of the various elimination rounds of competition, college scholarships of $25,000, $22,500, and $20,000 will be awarded to the first through third places in the national finals. Each state winner competing in the first round of the national contest will receive a $2,000 scholarship. Participants in the second round who do not advance to the national final round will receive an additional $2,000 scholarship. The top three youth orators who have won all previous elimination rounds of the contest will vie for top honors in the national contest in April in Indianapolis. The American Legion will pay the expenses of state winners at the national contest. High school students in (community or school) who are interested in entering the competition will find complete rules and contest information at www.floridalegion.org/oratorical.