Oratorical Contest

The Oratorical Program is part of the American Legion's "Americanism Pillar." This program is a constitutional speech contest designed for high school students, offering scholarships of up to $25,000. Participants must deliver a prepared oration and also discuss a topic assigned on the day of the contest. The prepared oration should focus on an aspect of the Constitution, highlighting citizens’ duties and obligations to the government. Contestants must use the same oration in the national contest that they used in the department contest. The purpose of the assigned topic is to evaluate the speaker's knowledge of the subject, the depth of their research, and their ability to discuss the topic in relation to the fundamental principles of government as outlined in the Constitution.

The American Legion Oratorical Rules brochure for 2026 is now available on the Legion website at https://www.legion.org/get-involved/youth-programs/oratorical-contest/oratorical-contest-resources. The updated Rules brochure includes the assigned topics for 2026, which are also available at https://www.legion.org/get-involved/youth-programs/oratorical-contest/oratorical-contest-assigned-topics.

District 2 Oratorical Contest:

February 21, 2026

Tri-Star Career Center 

7655 State Route 703

Celina, Ohio 45822

District 2 Oratorical representative:

Tom Tierney

2ndDistrict2ndVice@ohiolegion.com

419-852-5268

All contestants must bring a printed copy of their selected oral presentation with them to the contest.