Ohio Right to Life’s 2024 Oratory Contest Guide
Dear Affiliated Leaders,
It is time to begin planning for the 2024 Youth Oratory Contest! Please consider hosting a contest this year for the youth in your community. The winner of the state contest, as always, will receive an all-expense paid trip to the national contest June 27th-28th in Crystal City, VA during the 2024 National Right to Life Convention.
Reasons to host a contest:
- Engage your local youth in the pro-life movement
- Create an opportunity for them to express their beliefs
- Train tomorrow’s leaders with the truth of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia
- Represent your county by sending a young pro-lifer to the state contest!
Hosting a contest is simple:
- Find a location to hold the contest (school classroom, church, hall)
- Decide on a date and time (between February and April)
- Promote! Get the word out to youth groups, local high schools and the members of your affiliate.
- Find three community members to judge your contest!
- Host the contest and send winner information to Ohio Right to Life!
Some dates to remember:
Monday, February 27: Let us know of your interest in participating.
Monday, March 20: Send Affiliate Coordinator form to ORTL.
Monday, May 1: Send affiliate winner form to ORTL.
Saturday, May 4: Statewide Contest in Columbus
If you have any questions about what hosting a contest entails, please email or call. I’d be happy to talk through ideas or connect you with another leader who has orchestrated a contest in the past.
Included are contest rules and an affiliate coordinator form.
Thank you!
Rachel del Guidice
Director of Communications
614-547-0099 x 304
Dates to Remember:
Monday, February 26, 2024:
Notify Ohio Right to Life of your interest in holding a youth pro-life oratory contest in 2022.
Monday, March 25, 2023:
Notify Ohio Right to Life that you are holding a contest by completing the Affiliate Coordinator Formby this date.
February-April 2024:
Host your affiliate’s Oratory Contest!
Monday, May 1, 2024:
Contact Ohio Right to Life (submit Contest Winner’s form) with the contact information for the winner ofthe local contest by this date for planning purposes.
Saturday, May 4, 2024:
The Ohio Right to Life Oratory Contest in Columbus. Details TBA.
Affiliate Coordinator Form
Yes, our affiliate will be participating in the 2024 Ohio Right to Life Oratory Contest:*
Affiliate Name:
Oratory Coordinator’s Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone: _ Email:
*Please complete entire form. Incomplete forms will not be accepted.
Please return this form no later than February 26, 2023 to:
Ohio Right to Life RE: Oratory Contest
65 East State Street, Suite 300
Columbus, OH 43215
Or return by email to: rdelguidice@ohiolife.org
Thank you!
2024 Ohio Right to Life Oratory Contest
Contestant Application Form
Right to Life County Affiliate:
Please Print
Contestant Name:
Address: City: , Ohio Zip
Telephone:
Email address: School Name: Grade Level:
Age:
SIGNATURES:
Contestant Signature: ParentName (please print): Parent Signature:
Submit this application by Friday, May 1st to: Rachel del Guidice at rdelguidice@ohiolife.org or
65 E. State St. Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio 43215
2024 Contest Rules
National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest
Statement of Purpose
The National Right to Life Oratory Contest strives to promote the ability of high school juniors and seniors to share their pro-life views with others. Although speaking ability is important, this contest also seeks to help teens organize and express their pro-life views. We also strive to give the contestants an opportunity to meet other pro-life teens.
Contest Rules
1. High school juniors and seniors in that grade February 1 of the year of the national contest are eligible to compete. In case of advanced students, non-traditional students, or home-schooled students, the school must recognize the student as a junior or senior or the year the student will enter college will be used to determine eligibility.
2. Students who have competed in their junior year may compete the following year as seniors (with an entirely new speech) except if the student has won first place in the national contest. Second place winners may compete again.
3. Contestants are to research, write, and present an original pro-life speech on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia or stem cell research. The speech should address one of these topics directly.
4. The speech is to be 5 – 7 minutes in length. A contestant will be disqualified if the speech is timed to be under 4 minutes or over 8 minutes in length. Judges are instructed to use their judgment regarding under or over time limit speeches. It is at the judges’ discretion how the 4-5 minute and the 7-8 minute speech will reflect in the score.
5. Appropriate gestures are allowed. Props are not allowed.
6. Speech content may not be significantly changed as a contestant advances. Fine-tuning for minor corrections or to adjust time is allowed and encouraged. A written copy of the contestant’s speech must be forwarded to the national contest.
7. The contestant should use up-to-date factual information.
8. The style should be appropriate to the message of the speech. A dramatic presentation is not acceptable. A dramatic presentation is considered anything that is read or preformed that has been previously written by another author; a short story, a poem, etc. Although quotes to support a position or statement are appropriate, they may not dominate the speech, and should be appropriately citied. Dramatic presentations are also defined, for the purposes of this contest, to include acting as a thing or another person, such as acting out the life of an unborn baby. This rule is not to be interpreted to rule out the use of emotion.
9. The judges’ background and qualifications differ, although all are pro-life, the speech should appeal to a broad audience.
10. No copyrighted speeches shall be used in the contest.
11. The contest may be videotaped or recorded, if so, tape will remain the property of National Right to Life.
12. Contestants may use notes.
13. The use of a podium is optional but it is possible that a podium will not be available. If there are not enough podiums for all of the contest rooms, podiums will not be available to any of the contestants.
14. The use of microphones will not be allowed. The Contest Director may make an exception if the contest room creates a necessity for the use of microphones.
15. The Contest will consist of several rounds. There will be at least one preliminary round depending on the number of contestants. For the preliminary round contestants will be assigned to rooms with 4-7 contestants to compete. The 2 contestants from each room with the highest scores will proceed to the next level until there are 4 contestants in the final round.
16. Each room will have 3 judges and a timekeeper.
17. Speaking order for the preliminary round will be determined before the contest by drawing. In following rounds speaking order will be determined by scores in the previous round.
18. The judges score the contestants in 4 areas; introduction, content, presentation, and conclusion. Contestants are given a score of 1-10 (10 being the best) in each area. The scores are added together (40 being perfect). The judges’ scores are added together for the grand total. The grand total will determine which contestants move to the next level.
19. The judges’ decision will be final.
20. All efforts are made for accuracy. In the event of a mistake, every effort will be made to correct it.
21. Ties will be handled by the Contest Director.
22. These rules apply only to the National Right to Life – Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest. No other rules from any national, state or local speech contest or groups apply.
23. Any concerns or issues shall be dealt with by the Contest Director.
24. The decision of the Contest Director concerning the application of these rules or the contest will be final.