District 69

Speech Contests

Speech contests are an educational and entertaining part of the Toastmasters experience for those members who choose to participate. Each year, over 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.

2020-21 Online Speech Contests

As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the Board of Directors has issued a directive that all Area, Division and District speech contests for the 2020-21 Toastmasters year are to conducted fully online.

District 69 has elected to conduct two contests beyond club level: the International, 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 two contests.

Clubs may conduct any of the other official speech contests as desired, but only the International and Humorous contest winners will proceed to the Area level.

Online Speech Contest Resources

The following resources are available to assist organisers of Area and Division online speech contests (in addition to the general resources mentioned above), and can be adjusted as needed:

As this is District 69’s first ever attempt at conducting a speech contest season online, it is strongly recommended that contest organisers undertake at least one technical rehearsal to ensure all participants are familiar with the online platform, the contest program, and how to address any issues which may arise on the day.