American Legion Department of North Carolina High School Oratorical Contest

Scholarship Description

The contest, open to US citizens or lawful residents under the age of 20 and currently enrolled in grade 9-12, is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the US Constitution and with public speaking skills that can help them with advancement in their chosen profession. Complete rules can be obtained by clicking the links below, contacting NC Department Headquarters or by visiting the National Headquarters Oratorical web page.

North Carolina students begin their advance toward the national finals at their local high school. Each contestant gives an 8 to 10 minute prepared speech on what it means to be a citizen under the US Constitution. Each student must also speak from 3 to 5 minutes on an “assigned topic” drawn at the contest from a list of 4 predefined topics. This topic will be the same for all contestants in the contest once drawn.

School winners have the opportunity to compete in and advance past county, district and division contests to reach the department contest. Department winners travel to The American Legion’s national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana where they can advance through 3 rounds of contests (quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals) to become the national champion.

For more info and to see contest updates, visit the program webpage. (https://nclegion.org/oratorical-contest/)

Eligibility Requirements

• Must currently be in high school
• Type of institution award is open to: two-year college
• Type of institution award is open to: trade/technical school
• Award is available to U.S. citizens

Application Requirements

• Application form required

How To Apply

Online Email