Oratorical Public Speaking Contest for $2500 Scholarship
Here’s your chance to practice (and to win great prizes like cash and scholarships!)
2025-2026 Topic: “The Moment I Realized I Belonged — My Definition of Community”.
Thursday April 9, 2026, 6:25 p.m.
Craft Room, Brooklin Library & Community Centre, 8 Vipond Rd, Brooklin, ON
The contest is open to contestants under the age of 19 as of October 1st of the current Optimist International contest year (October 1 – September 30) and who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent
Students will prepare a 4-5 minute speech on the topic announce in January. Strict rules apply to make the competition fair for all contestants. At the club level, judges from the community use the marking scheme published by Optimist International to score points for the best speaker. The will will move on to higher level competition with additional prizes.
For an application and complete contest rules, please CLICK HERE for PDF flyer.
Prizes: Club Level:
1st Place $300 PLUS the chance to advance to the next levels where you could win a $2,500 Scholarship (Sunday May 3, 2026 )
2nd Place $200
3rd Place $100
Zone Level: (contest)
To be determined
District Level: (contest)
1st Place – $2,500 Scholarship
2nd Place – $1,500 Scholarship
3rd Place – $1,000 Scholarship
International Level: (contest)
Club winner can advance to regional and District contests. District winner can compete at the World Competition at:
July 16-17, 2026
Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Scholarships start at District level and above.
The first Optimist Oratorical World Championships was June 2017. Each Optimist District will have the exciting opportunity to send one of their District Oratorical winners to St. Louis to compete with the winners of the Districts in their Region for a scholarship valued at $5000 or more. The winner of each Region (eight winners total) will compete with the winner from St. Louis University’s Global Region for a $15,000, $10,000 or $5,000, World Championship scholarship. There is the potential for a student to win $22,500 or more in scholarships!
How to Enter:
1. Read contest rules and fill out the registration form
2. Secure your spot* by emailing Bwick@brooklinoptimist.org with the filled in registration form
3. Prepare a 4-5 minute speech on the topic.
*Pre-registration is required by March 14.
Application for 2025-2026 Optimist International Oratorical Contest, please CLICK HERE for PDF flyer.
Key Dates:
Deadline: Submit completed application to:
bwick@brooklinoptimist.org by April 1, 2026
Contest date: April 9, 2026 6:25 PM
Contact Info:
Contact Brian Wick bwick@brooklinoptimist.org for more information. (Text: 905-922-5678 )