Who: Students under the age of 16 years as of December 31 of the 2008-2009 school year (December 31, 2008) 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.

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, 2009. Optimist International does not set Club/Zone/Regional deadlines.

For an application with contest rules, Contact your teacher or Mr. Cravens

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 are 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 $1,500 scholarships or a first place scholarship of $1,500, a second place scholarship of $1,000, and a third place scholarship of $500.

The Regional Oratorical Contest will be held on Saturday, April 18th, at Pontiac Northern High School.  Monetta Foster, the president of the Pontiac club, is the chair and is ably assisted by Kathy Gaita of the Auburn Hills club.