February 11 at 1145 a.m. at  Lima Noon Optimist Club Meeting, 711 S Shore Dr. , Lima

MEDIA RELEASE__Since its start in 1928, the Optimist Oratorical Contest has become the longest-running program sponsored by Optimist International. This contest is aimed at helping participants develop essential skills for personal and professional growth. It is an excellent opportunity for students  to:  

1. Gain Experience in Public Speaking: Participants will learn how to present their thoughts clearly and effectively, a skill valuable in both academic and professional settings. 

2. Perfect Self-Expression: This program encourages participants to refine how they communicate their ideas, helping them become more confident and articulate speakers. 3. Build Self-Assurance: As students practice and perform in front of an audience, they develop greater self-confidence in their abilities and comfort with public speaking. 4. Improve Communication Skills: A key goal of the program is to enhance participants' overall communication, ensuring they can engage with others effectively and express themselves with clarity. 

5. Compete for a College Scholarship: The program offers the added incentive of a college scholarship, which can provide significant financial support for students continuing their education.  

Both the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) endorse the Optimist Oratorical program for its value in educational and professional development of young people. 

How to Enter  
Interested youth should prepare a 4 to 5 minute speech on the assigned topic to be presented at their local Optimist Club’s contest. The speeches are judged at the Club level, Zone level, and then at the District level prior to the Optimist International Oratorical World Championships.  Space is limited to no more than 20 contestants per contest. Participation must be reserved through the Contest Chairperson.  

District Contest 
Each winner of the District level contest will receive a scholarship for use at a college, university  or trade school only. There will be three winners awarded scholarships of $2,500, $1,500 and  $1,000 respectively for first, second and third place. The District contest will take place on  Saturday, May 16, 2026. 

The World Championship Oratorical Contest  
Districts may enter one contestant into the World Regional and World Championship Contests held in July 2026 at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. All District winners are encouraged to compete at the World Oratorical Championships in person. 

Eligibility Qualifications for Contestants  

1. The contest is open to contestants under the age of 19 as of October 1st of the current  Optimist International contest year (October 1 – September 30) and who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent. There is no minimum age.  

2. A contestant is eligible to enter/compete in only one Optimist Oratorical contest during a contest year (October 1 to September 30).  

3. Once a contestant wins first place at the Regional level of the Optimist International  Oratorical World Championships, they are ineligible to compete in the Optimist International  Oratorical Contest at any level again.  

4. Each contestant shall prepare his or her own speech and submit a written copy. The  contestant may receive advice in the preparation of the speech and may make minor  changes or improvements in the speech at any time.  

5. Each contestant entered in the contest must present one typewritten copy of their speech,  double-spaced and identified with the contestant’s name and sponsoring Optimist Club. This copy must be attached to the official entry form with the contestant’s birth certificate,  passport, or driver’s license before competing in the contest. Contestant must sign the form.  

Contest Rules  

1. All contestants must receive a copy of the official rules and be instructed to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the rules.  

2. The Contest Chair, prior to the beginning of the contest, shall conduct a drawing for the speaking order. All contestants will then be introduced as “Speaker A,” “Speaker B,” etc.  3. All contestants must speak on the official topic in the first sentence of the speech.  4. In the USA, the speech must be delivered in English.  

5. Timing will begin with the first spoken word. 

General Rules  

1. Contestants must enter through a local Optimist Club.  

2. The official application must be completed by each contestant and submitted to the sponsoring Club’s Contest Chair.  

3. No Zone, District Regional or District-level contest shall have fewer than 3 or more than 20 contestants competing. In cases where the minimum number of 3 contestants at the Zone or  District Regional contest cannot be met, there are two options:  

• Send winners directly to the next level of the contest.  
• Combine Zone or Regional level contests.  

4. Optimist International has the right to edit, publish and record any speech used in any contest without payment to the author.  

5. A 3-point penalty is automatically assessed by the timekeeper for failure to state the official topic in the first sentence. 

6. Any quotation or copyrighted material used in the speech must be identified verbally during the presentation and in the written copy of the speech with the original author’s name. The contestant shall be fully responsible for the use of any quoted material and Optimist International shall assume no responsibility. Failure to identify non-original material will result in up to 10 penalty points.  

7. The use of props, special costumes or clothing will not be permitted (10 penalty pts).  8. Contestants may use notes and lecterns.  

9. The time allowed will not be under 4 minutes or over 5 minutes. Contestants going over or under will not be cautioned and will be penalized one point for each 15 seconds or fraction of over or under the allotted time. These penalties are determined by the official timekeeper.  

10. An interval of at least one minute shall be allowed between contestants.  11. No spectator may enter or leave the audience while a contestant is speaking. The audience must be alerted to these rules before the competition begins, and at various intervals by the  Contest Chair. The club Sergeant-at-Arms will enforce these rules.  

12. Contestants shall not be identified by name or sponsoring Clubs until after the last oration has been presented and the judges and timekeeper have started deliberations.  13. No contest shall have more than 20 contestants competing. When a contest has more than  20 contestants, preliminary contests, in turn, shall have no more than 20 contestants. In the event that a first-place winner in a Club or Zone contest cannot compete in a subsequent contest for any reason, the second-place winner shall be declared as an alternate contestant.  14. Any protest in the conduct at any level of this contest must be made immediately after the condition is noted. Protests received after the next contestant has been introduced, or in the  case of the last contestant, after the judges leave to total the scores, will not be accepted  under any circumstances.  

15. The Contest Chair will decide all protests in accordance the official rules. The decision of the  Contest Chair is final and no higher appeals will be recognized. In the case of Club contests,  the Club Contest Chair has this authority. In the case of Zone and District contests, the final authority is vested in the District Contest Chair. The Zone Chair has the authority to handle protests that may arise during the Zone competition with the District Chair having the final authority.

Judging and Timing  

1. Each contest shall have three qualified judges and one timekeeper. At the Club level, judges may be Optimist Members. At all other levels of the competition, judges must be non Optimists. Judges must not be acquainted with the contestants.  

2. The judges and the timekeepers cannot be identified at the time of the contest or by  advance publicity, but only after the last oration has been presented.  

3. Judges and the timekeeper must use the official score sheets provided in this guide.  4. During the contest, the judges and timekeeper shall each be in different locations within the  room.  

5. The timekeeper shall be provided with a stopwatch or equivalent timing device.  6. Each judge must render a final decision on all contestants without consultation with other judges or any other person. Each judge and timekeeper must sign his/her official score sheet.  

7. The result of a judge’s decision must be kept confidential. No one shall attempt to discuss a contestant’s score with a judge.  

8. After the judges have totaled their scores for each contestant, deducted penalty points and ranked each contestant, the judges shall sign their score sheets and give them to the  Contest Chair. Each judge’s score and rank for each contestant shall then be entered and tabulated on the Official Contest Report Form. From this form, the winner will be determined.  

9. In all Club and Zone contests, the first, second and third runner-up contestants shall be determined and announced.  

Scoring  

Scoring in all contests will conform to the following criteria:  

1. Poise – appearance and personality: 10 points  

2. Content of Speech – subject adherence, theme, content, logic and color: 40 points  3. Delivery & Presentation – voice, volume, pronunciation, gestures, eye contact, sincerity and  emphasis: 35 points  

4. Overall Effectiveness – appeal, impression, attitude and effect: 15 points  

Penalties  

1. Failure to announce the official topic in the first sentence - 3 points  

2. Failure to identify non-original material - up to 10 points  

3. Use of props, costume, etc. – 10 points  

4. Time penalties – 1 point for each 15 seconds or fraction of over or under the allotted time  5. Self-identification – up to 5 points  

6. Failure to complete speech – disqualification  

7. Use of audience prompters – disqualification  

Secure your position today by contacting Contest Chairperson, Cindy Nelson, at  419-230-9361. If you're looking for more specific details or have questions, feel  free to reach out to the club at [email protected]

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