Oratorical Contest

District Oratorical Contest Rules

1. Any Key Club wishing to enter one of its members into the Oratorical Contest must submit the below entry form no later than Friday, March 27, 2026 at 10:00 p.m. (opening night of DECON) using the online submission form linked below. Each Key Club may only enter once.

2. Oratorical contestants will audition on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at a time listed in the conference program. Contestants who will not be present at DECON may audition over that time period via Zoom. The District will not accept pre-recorded videos.

3. The topic of the District Oratorical Contest will be the same as the subject of the Key Club International Oratorical Contest.

4. Each orator must be a member of a Key Club in good standing with Key Club International.

5. Each orator will be allowed a maximum of five (5) minutes for their presentation. Exceeding the time limit by 10 seconds or more will result in a penalty unless extenuating circumstances exist.

6. The content and presentation of the oration must be original and completely developed by each orator. Content and presentation will be considered equally in judging.

7. Judges will use the same judging criteria set by Key Club International for the Key Club International Oratorical Contest (see below).

8. The first place winner will be invited to deliver their speech during the recognition session on the Saturday of DECON. The speech delivered must be the same as the audition speech.

2025-2026 Key Club International Oratorical Contest: Rules

Please note that Key Club International no longer limits its Oratorical Contest at Key Club International Convention to only first place winners from each district. Instead, any Key Club member in attendance at Key Club International Convention may enter the Key Club International Oratorical Contest. Below are the rules for the Key Club International Oratorical Contest.

1. The subject for all orations will be determined ahead of time and distributed to clubs via email and news stories on keyclub.org.

2. Each orator must be a member of a Key Club in good standing with Key Club International.

3. Each orator will be allowed a maximum of five (5) minutes for their presentation. Exceeding the time limit by 10 seconds or more will result in a penalty unless extenuating circumstances exist.

4. The content and presentation of the oration must be original and completely developed by each orator. Content and presentation will be considered equally in judging.

5. Orators must attend the international convention and submit the entry form signed by an advisor or administrator to participate in the international oratory contest.

6. At the Key Club International convention, elimination trials will be held among contestants. Judges may select no more than three orators to appear live before the entire convention.

7. Oratory finalists will receive suitable awards and recognition for their excellence in public speaking.

8. Winning orations in written and electronic form (video) will become the property of Key Club International. Key Club International reserves the right to publish winning orations in any medium, providing appropriate credit to the orator.

9. The decision of the judges is final, and no changes, alterations or regrading will take place after the results have been certified by the judges of this contest.

10. To be eligible for the international audition, the entry form below must be received on the first day of registration during the Key Club International Convention.

11. Judging and awarding points will be based on the following criteria:

    1. SPEECH–50 Points 

       1. Clarity of message and projection of ideas - 15 Points

       2. Structure, grammar, transitions and flow - 15 points

       3. Depth - 5 Points

       4. Originality - 15 Points 

    2. DELIVERY–50 Points 

       1. Presence, posture, gestures and ability to engage the audience - 15 Points 

       2. Voice, tone, diction, effectiveness, pronunciation - 15 Points 

       3. Ease of presentation and intimacy with audience - 15 Points 

       4. Attention to the audience - 5 Points 

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