Speech contests are an educational and entertaining part of the Toastmasters experience for those members who choose to participate. Each year, thousands of members worldwide compete across a range of contest categories, with one eventually being crowned at the International Convention as the World Champion of Public Speaking.
Contest Resources
If you are organising or participating in a contest, World Headquarters provides a range of resources to assist you with your role on the day.
- Speech Contest Rulebook – this is the official reference document for any member organising, or participating in, speech contests. Be sure to download the latest version as the rules get updated every year.
- Speech Contest FAQs – these contain answers to commonly asked questions about speech contests.
- Speech Contest Tutorials – these contain useful information about how to organise a speech contest, the responsibilities of the various roles, and how to be an effective contest judge.
- Speech Contest Resources – this is where you can find the latest versions of all speech contest forms and certificates.
2021-2022 Speech Contests
District 69 Executive Committee decided in July 2021 to hold face-to-face speech contests at the Area, Division, and District level for the 2021-2022 Toastmasters year.
District 69 Executive Committee decided in July 2021 to conduct four contests beyond club level: the International, Evaluation, Table Topics, and Humorous speech contests. Additionally, the District has elected that only one contestant will proceed from club to Area level, and Area to Division level, in each of these contests.
The above decisions are not binding on Clubs. Clubs are still allowed to hold speech contests as they choose, whether face-to-face, fully online, hybrid, or simply nominate a representative to the Area Contest without holding a club speech contest at all. Clubs may also conduct any type of speech contests they wish, including Novice, Tall Tales, Interpretive Reading, or contests in languages other than English (such as Pidgin in Papua New Guinea or Fijian or Hindi in Fiji). However, only the above-mentioned 4 types of contests will proceed beyond the club level, and all of those are conducted in English.
Zoom Tech Support Training
Anyone wishing to increase their abilities with Zoom Technical Support, please refer to special training being advertised on the Club Officer Training page of the District 69 website.