Topic: "Cyber Communication: Progress
or Problem?"
Who: Students under the age of 16 years as
of December 31 of the 2009-2010 school year (December 31, 2009) and who
are educated in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean.
How To Enter: Interested students submit a
speech on the pre-assigned topic to their local Optimist Club. To find out
the contact in your area, please e-mail the Programs Department at programs@optimist.org.
When:
Students
The deadline to enter is determined by the sponsoring Optimist Club. All
Club-level contests are typically held by late March.
Clubs and Districts
The District deadline to submit winners to Optimist International is June
15, 2010. Optimist International does not set Club/Zone/Regional deadlines.
For an application with contest rules, click
here.
The Optimist Oratorical Contest gives youngsters the chance to speak to
the world. More than $150,000 in college scholarships funded by the Optimist
International Foundations is awarded annually from this program.
First conducted in 1928, this is the second most popular Optimist International
Program. Nearly 2,000 clubs participate in this program each year. The winners
at the Club level receive medallions and Zone winners receive a plaque.
Districts have the opportunity to provide two $2,500 scholarships or a first
place scholarship of $2,500, a second place scholarship of $1,500, and a
third place scholarship of $1,000.
Information for Optimist Members planning the
contest:
All Members can now view and conveniently print planning pages for any International
Program from your home computer. Click
here to view the 2009-2010 Club Oratorical Contest Planning Guide. Click
here to view the 2009-2010 District Oratorical Contest Planning Pages.
Click here for
information about the Kids Speak Out contest. To view the planning pages
for any of the International Programs and Community Activities, please visit
the forms and publications page.
Oratorical Contest Package - A Program Package for the contest is available by clicking here. Clubs can
find useful materials to help them get started with the scholarship contest.
Support merchandise for this program can be ordered through Shumsky Enterprises
in the United States toll free at (877) 678-2582 or from the Caribbean by
calling (937) 496-1373. In Canada call the Corall Group.
For additional information, please contact the Optimist International Programs
Department by e-mail at programs@optimist.org,
or call (800) 500-8130, ext. 235.
Publicize
the Oratorical Contest
Optimist International has developed a series of news releases that Clubs
and Districts can use in connection with their participation in international
programs. Below are sample news releases that Clubs and Districts can use
to promote the Oratorical Contest. Please note that the .doc version enables
users to type their information into fields*, while the .pdf files are for
viewing only.
*If your Optimist Club or District wishes to use
its own letterhead, you can remove the Optimist International logo in the
document by opening up the Word document, going to "View," then
"Toolbars" and selecting "Forms." When the "Forms"
toolbar appears, click on the padlock, then click on the Optimist logo and
delete it. For those using Microsoft Office 2007, click on the Microsoft
Office button in the upper left corner, go to "Word options" and
then select the box next to "Show the Developer tab in the Ribbon"
and click "OK." Above the document, click the "Developer"
tab and then click on the "Protect Document" drop-down menu. Click
on "Restrict Formatting and Editing." At the bottom of the new
window to the right, click the "Stop Protection" button.