Oratorical Contest

Since 1938, the contest has developed knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students.

Eighty sixth edition of
THE AMERICAN LEGION
High School Oratorical Scholarship Program
“A Constitutional Speech Contest”

Oratorical Registration Form

Events

DEPARTMENT CONTEST TIME SCHEDULE

POST LEVEL - to be completed by February 7, 2026 (results to the County Chairperson by February 14, 2026) 

COUNTY LEVEL - to be completed by February 21, 2026 (results to the District Chairperson by March 7, 2026) 

DISTRICT LEVEL -to be completed by March 14, 2026 (results to the Department and the Department Chairman immediately after contest completion) 

District 1 Competition - Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic

TBA

District 2 Competition – Morris, Sussex, Union, Warren

Date, Location and time - TBA

District 3 Competition - Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth

TBA

District 4 Competition – Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Ocean

TBA

District 5 Competition – Atlantic, Cape May Cumberland, Salem

Date, Location and time - TBA

Department Competition - DEPARTMENT FINALS will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026 (Joyce Kilmer Post 25-4 J.F. Kennedy Dr., Milltown, NJ 08850 at 9:00am). Snow date if needed (April 4, 2026)

National Competition – Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan May 15-17, 2026

Quarter – Finals and Semi-Finals May 16, 2026.

Finals will be held Sunday morning, May 17th, 2026. 

Contest

Eligibility

Eligible participants must be citizens of or lawful permanent residents of the United States. All 

contestants must be bona fide students herein described as any student under the age of 20 years on 

the date of the national contest who is presently enrolled in a high school or junior high school 

(public, parochial, military, private or home school). The curriculum of the school must be 

considered to be of high school level, commencing with grade 9 and terminating with grade 12. 

Students must be enrolled in high school or junior high school during the time of participation at 

any level of The American Legion National High School Oratorical Contest. Contestants must either 

be legally domiciled within or attend an educational institution within the department that they 

enter competition. Contestants can enter competition through only one department.

High school students that graduate early during the school year are eligible to compete if they are 

not enrolled in a college, university, trade school or other institution of higher learning at the 

time of the department finals contest.

The three finalists of the national contest are ineligible for further participation at any level.

Regulations

The official in charge of the contest conducts a drawing to determine the order by which 

contestants will appear. The contest chairman introduces each contestant, then announces the title 

of the contestant's prepared oration. The audience must refrain from applause until the judges make 

a decision.

A raised platform is not mandatory; however, it is strongly recommended. The use of notes, 

amplification, lectern or speaker's stand or any manner of prompting is not permitted. Props are 

not permitted.

Contestants and audience members may not use any form of electronic/digital data gathering, 

receiving and/or transmitting equipment.

Contestants must deliver their prepared oration in no fewer than eight minutes and no more than 10 

minutes. The assigned topic runs no fewer than three minutes and no more than five minutes.

The contest chairman names an official timer who keeps an accurate time record of each contestant. 

The timer is located on the main floor in full view of the contestants and will begin timing each 

contestant at the start of the prepared oration. The timer should have a stopwatch and timecards 

displaying the numbers 8, 9 and 10 for the prepared oration. When eight minutes have gone by, the 

time warning card with the number 8 is placed in full view of the speaker, followed by 9 and 10 

accordingly. The same procedure is used during the assigned topic discourse with cards bearing 3, 4 

and 5. The contest chairman will announce the time each contestant uses for the prepared oration and 

the assigned topic immediately after each contestant speaks in front of the judges.

Until their turn to speak, contestants must remain in a private room where other speakers' 

discourses cannot be heard. The contest chairman will appoint an individual to supervise each 

contestant. As the contestants conclude their prepared orations, they must return to a soundproof 

waiting room. Speakers who conclude their assigned topic discourse may not associate with 

contestants who have not finished speaking.

Approximately five minutes before the start of the assigned topic discourse, the first contestant 

will be informed of the assigned topic drawn. He or she retires to privacy under the direction of 

an individual appointed by the contest chairman; it's this individual's duty to see that the 

contestant doesn't consult any text matter or notes with any connection to the subject. Contestants 

may only reference the actual words of the topic provided on the card drawn.

Each succeeding contestant will be called upon in the order that he or she previously appeared. He 

or she will also, in turn, be informed of the topic of the assigned topic discourse and shall then 

be escorted to the same privacy provided for the first contestant.

Contestants must give their prepared oration and the assigned topic discourse to

receive the scholarship monies to which they are entitled.

What to wear

Uniforms are not permitted. Appropriate business attire is required for all contestants. 

Contestants may not wear awards and medals from previous competitions.

Travel expenses

The American Legion pays travel and lodging expenses for department winners and their chaperones. A 

chaperone over 21 years of age must accompany each contestant.

The American Legion does not assume liability for personal injury, property damage or loss 

sustained by any contestant or chaperone en route to or from the contest; however, The American 

Legion does carry a nominal group accident insurance policy on contestants accepted into the 

national competition. The American Legion selects an air carrier for contestants' travel.

Tabulators

The contest chairman will appoint no fewer than three tabulators for the department finals contest. 

It's their responsibility to review the judges' scorecards to be certain they are fully tabulated 

and signed before being submitted for final tabulation.

Judges' scorecards for department finals and the national contest will not be divulged to anyone at 

the site of the contest. All national contest judges' scorecards become property of The American 

Legion National Headquarters.

Judges

Judges are an important part of the oratorical contest. Their qualifications are carefully 

considered, as their decisions are final and must be reached without bias. Impartial judging is the 

key to fairness and success of the program, which selects a national champion.

All department finals and the national contest have five judges, who are not allowed to receive any 

publicity before the event. During the contest, judges sit in different locations, and each renders 

his or her final decision without any sort of consultation.

Judges are advised to downgrade contestants who fail to emphasize the prepared oration and the assigned topic discourse on a citizen's duties and obligations to our government. Judges can downgrade a contestant up to 10 points for failure to speak about the Constitution. The contest chairman will announce any time violations for contestants. A penalty of one point for each minute, or fraction thereof, shall be assessed toward the contestant's total score. Following the last assigned topic discourse, the judges, timekeepers, tabulators and contest chairman may proceed to a private room for final review and tabulation.

The Prepared Oration

The oration must be on some aspect of the Constitution, with emphasis on a citizen’s duties and obligations to our government. The same subject and oration used in the department contest must be used in the national contest.

Contestants may have a copy of their prepared oration while waiting in the first holding room. They may consult the copy until they exit to begin the contest. The copy will then be surrendered to the contest official monitoring the first holding room.

Quotations must always be indicated as such. Where quotations are more than 10 words in length, the author’s name must be given in the manuscript and cited orally.

It is acceptable to utilize or incorporate short phrases in a foreign language to develop the argument, establish a point, etc. It should be understood that the vast majority of the prepared oration and/or assigned topic must still be delivered in English. Singing is not permitted and will result in immediate disqualification. The contestant may, however, quote a verse(s) of a song(s) provided proper attribution is made.

Assigned Topic Discourse

The assigned topic discourse must not consume less than three (3) minutes or more than five (5) minutes for delivery. The purpose of the assigned topic discourse is to test the speaker's knowledge of the subject, the extent of his or her research, and the ability to discuss the topic as related to the basic principles of government under the Constitution.

The assigned topic shall be drawn by the contest official in full view of the audience immediately before the last speaker begins delivery of his or her prepared oration and will be made known to the audience and each contestant approximately five (5) minutes prior to the time of delivery. The topic will be on some phase of the U.S. Constitution, selected from Articles and Sections as listed under assigned topics for the current year's contest in this brochure.

All contestants at each contest level are required to speak in the English language on the same assigned topic.

Assigned Topics for 2026 Oratorical Contest

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Article III
Section 3. Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

Article IV
Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.



Article VI
Clause 3. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.