Speech Contest
Greetings and welcome to the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest for 2023-24.
We are excited to be returning for a third year as the District 5170 Speech Contest Leadership Team. We hope that we have been able to help our participating Clubs and youth have a quality speech contest experience over these past 2 years.
Last year’s contest which started in February produced four impressive finalists who competed for top honors at the District 5170 Conference on April 29. If you were not there, you missed some incredible speakers. It was a hard job for our judges and the scores were very close. We’re glad that we weren’t judging!
One of our goals was to increase the prize money at the Area and District level. We were able to do that by developing a program that allowed businesses to help sponsor the Area and District Contests, and have their business showcased in the program that was given to all in attendance. In addition, it provided space for all attendees to play “judge” along with the judges. We are pleased to report that our efforts and our sponsors' generous contributions allowed us to double the prize money.
Additionally, we were able to create a DYSC Fund account within the District 5170 Foundation which allowed us to increase the prize money again this year and continue to build this Foundation Fund during the year to further increase the prize money yearly. (CLICK HERE for more information about the increased prize awards.)
But, our #1 goal is to get as many clubs and students as possible to participate in the contest.
How can we do this? By providing YOU with the tools and support you need to plan and run a smooth and successful speech contest. (CLICK HERE to provide your Club’s Youth Speech Contest contact info.)
To do this effectively, we are looking to build a team of Rotarians equally committed to assisting our youth to share the many areas and tasks needed to produce a successful Speech Contest.
If you are interested or would like to find out more, you can contact us at: district5170speechcontest@gmail.com.
As always, you can also share any suggestions or ideas you may have to help improve the contest.
This year’s Speech Contest Finals is scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at the District 5170 Conference to be held at Hayes Mansion in San Jose. The theme is “CREATE HOPE in the WORLD.”
The full list of contest dates and the Handbook have been updated and posted. Please note, in the calendar, that the timeframes give the clubs more time to plan and run their contests. All of the remaining information on the DYSC website should be updated in October.
We both look forward to working with you all.
Debi Pavlecic-Bischoff, District 5170 Speech Contest Chair, 2023-24
Niles-Fremont Rotary Club
Mark Linsky, District 5170 Speech Contest Vice Chair, 2023-24
Pleasanton North Rotary Club