The American Legion announced on May 12 that the finals of its high school speech contest on the U.S. Constitution will be live streamed on May 17 at 10 a.m. Eastern.
The annual event, known as the American Legion National Oratorical Contest: “A Constitutional Speech Contest,” brings together high school students who have advanced through local and state competitions to speak about the U.S. Constitution. The competition begins on Saturday, May 16, at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, with 53 participants from across the country.
Contestants are divided into nine groups for quarterfinal rounds held Saturday morning. Each participant delivers an eight to ten-minute oration on the Constitution and a three to five-minute speech on a specific section chosen from Articles and Sections of the document. The top eighteen competitors advance to semifinals later that day, where they present their speeches again before judges. From there, three finalists are selected for Sunday’s final round.
The final round will take place at 10 a.m. Eastern on May 17 and will be available for viewers via livestream. Scholarships are awarded at each stage: every department winner participating in the first round receives $2,000; semifinalists receive an additional $2,000; and finalists compete for scholarships of $25,000 for first place, $22,500 for second place, and $20,000 for third place.
According to The American Legion’s announcement, “The National Oratorical Contest winner will be honored alongside other Americanism youth champions at the 107th National Convention of The American Legion in Louisville, Ky., in late August.”