All High School Students - Rotary Speech Contest wants you!

Have a way with words and love helping others? Enter the Rotary Club Speech Contest.

Contestants must give a five- to eight-minute speech on “Peace Through Service,” Rotary International’s 2012-13 theme. Notes are allowed at the club and semifinal level but not at the finals contest.

The deadline to enter is Jan. 30. The Rotary Club of El Dorado Hills will host its contest on Feb. 20. The winner will move up to the next round — a regional semifinal in March or April.

Club level prizes are $200 for first place, $100 for second and $50 for third. At the semifinals first place wins $250, second receives $100 and third earns $50. Four finalists will compete at the district finals at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Incline Village on May 11, 2013. Prizes are $1,000 for first place, $700 for second, $400 for third and $200 for fourth.

Local students wishing to compete should contact Mrs. Lasko, who will provide an application and contest rules, at the Oak Ridge High School Career Center, 1120 Harvard Way in El Dorado Hills. She may also be reached by phone at (916) 941-2022.

Contest Date

February 20, 2013
The deadline to enter is Jan. 30.

Contest Rules

• Speeches are to be 5-8 minutes long. Penalties are assessed if this time window is broken.
• All High School Students are eligible
• Speeches are to be memorized, notes may not be used at any contest level. 
• Winners of each Contest Division advance to next division level. There will be speeches at the club level and three advanced levels. Prize values increase as the winners advance. 
• Judging criteria include delivery, originality and content.

Students are to prepare their speech by discussing how peace can be accomplished through service. This can be applied to the student's personal observations and experiences or to Rotary or other organizations. Peace through Service can be on a local, national or international level.

Student contestants are to research and offer their own personal insights and perspectives on this year's topic. Speeches may reference Rotary and/or its purpose and past accomplishments, but the real objective for each speech is for each contestant to address the topic on a personal level. Participants should ask theirselves what this theme means to them and how they see it being fulfilled?