Bluffton University will hold its annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest at 7:30 p.m. on April 10 in Yoder Recital Hall. This event is free and open to the public. Participating students and their speeches MORE ▶︎

Micah Dodson ‘27, Wooster, Ohio, “Building Impossible Bridges in an Impossible World”

Madeline Franks ’26, Cardington, Ohio, “A Light in the Darkness: Peace Churches’ Humanitarian Role During the Ukraine-Russia War”

Coen North ’26, Denver, Colo., “Considering the Lilies: Making Peace Through Practices of Contentment”

Kennedy Parker ’25, Lima, Ohio, “Finding Your Identity in Christ, Not Competition.

Carter Ritchey ’25, Delphos, Ohio, “Fostering Social Cohesion Through AI-Driven Community Engagement in Peacebuilding.”

Zane Sarcheck ’25, Sunbury, Ohio, “Prosperity Leads to Peace”

Mya Vernon ’27, Toledo, Ohio, “Protecting Peace From ICE.”

Students selected to participate will prepare an oration, no more than ten minutes in length, that applies a peace-church perspective to an issue of contemporary concern. 

The student who is awarded first prize will receive $500. The second and third prize speakers will receive $400 and $200, respectively. Prizes have been substantially increased in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the contest. 

The first prize winner will advance to compete with winning students from other North American Mennonite colleges. The bi-national competition awards additional monetary prizes for the top three competitors. 

The contest is named in honor of C. Henry Smith, an early 20th-century Mennonite historian and a professor at Bluffton as well as at Goshen College.