American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest

Eligibility

Grade levels

High school

Citizenship

U.S. citizen or permanent resident

Application requirements

• Enter through the department where you live or attend school: You must be legally domiciled within, or attend school within, the department you compete in, and you may enter through only ONE department. Local deadlines vary by department, so contact your local American Legion. Early graduates may still compete if not enrolled in higher education at the time of the department finals. The three national finalists are ineligible to participate again at any level.
• Write and memorize your prepared oration (8-10 minutes): On some aspect of the Constitution, emphasizing a citizen's duties and obligations to our government. The same subject and oration used at the department contest must be used at nationals. No notes, amplification, lectern, props, or prompting of any kind. Quotations over 10 words need the author named in the manuscript AND cited orally. Singing is an immediate disqualification. Going over or under time costs one point per minute or fraction.
• Prepare for the assigned topic discourse (3-5 minutes): You learn the topic about five minutes before speaking, drawn from a card, then wait in supervised privacy with no text or notes on the subject; you may reference only the actual words on the card. The sponsor publishes the assigned topics in advance, so study them. You must deliver BOTH the prepared oration and the assigned topic discourse to receive any scholarship money.
• Arrange a chaperone and business attire for the national contest: A chaperone over 21 must accompany each contestant; the American Legion pays travel and lodging for department winners and their chaperones. Business attire is required: no uniforms, and no awards or medals from previous competitions.