ORATORY CONTEST

Grades 9-12

 

First Place $500

Second Place $400

Third Place $300

Fourth Place $200

Fifth Place $100

 

The highest ranking eligible contestant (high school junior or senior) will also be sent to the National Contest.

 

Speeches should address abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell experimentation, or the protection of human embryos. The speech should address one of these topics directly using other topics only as support.

 

1.) Speeches will be performed at the Rhode Island Right to Life Providence Headquarters.

 

2.) Essays must be 5 to 7 minutes in length. A contestant may be disqualified if the speech is timed to be more than 30 seconds under 5 minutes or more than 30 seconds over 7 minutes in length. In the case of a speech that is either under 5 minutes or over 7 minutes, but not enough to be disqualified, the contest director may, at his/her discretion, subtract points sufficient to move the contestant down one position in the preliminary and/or final rankings.

 

3.) A written copy of the contestant’s speech must be turned in at registration time.

 

4.) The speech should be prepared for a general and non-sectarian audience. Thus a “technical” statement of law, science, or religious doctrine should be accompanied by a brief explanation of its source, meaning and relevance. Moreover, quotations and significant statements of fact should be cited.

 

5.) By submitting an entry the contestant and parent agree:

a.) To allow Rhode Island Right to Life and National Right to Life to videotape or record the speech.

b.) That the speech is the original work of the student and not copyrighted.

c.) That the speech has not been submitted to any other state or national contest.

 

6.) Appropriate gestures are allowed. Props are not allowed. The use of the provided podium is optional.

 

7.) Contestants may use notes but should understand that relying too heavily on their written speech may result in a lower score.

 

8.) A dramatic presentation is not acceptable. A dramatic presentation is considered anything that is read or performed that has been previously written by another author, i.e., a short story, a poem, etc. Dramatic presentations are also considered to include acting as a thing or another person, such as acting out the life of a preborn baby. 

 

9.) The contest will consist of two preliminary rounds and a final round. Each contestant will deliver their speech during each of the two preliminary rounds before different panels of three judges and a timekeeper. The five contestants with the five highest cumulative preliminary round scores will proceed to the final round. The five contestants will deliver their speech during the final round for a panel of three judges and a timekeeper.

 

For more information, please call (401) 558-LIFE (5443) or email education@rirtl.org