53 Youth Head to Indy for Legion’s Speech Competition

Carlissa Frederich of Paducah, Ky., won The American Legion’s 81st annual National Oratorical Contest in Indianapolis on Sunday, April 15, 2018. Photo by Clay Lomneth/The American Legion

Fifty-three high school orators are headed to Indianapolis April 6-8 to compete in The American Legion’s 82nd annual National Oratorical Contest to speak on the U.S. Constitution and compete for $48,000 in scholarships.

The competitors won their respective American Legion post, district and state-level Oratorical Contest to earn a spot at the national level.

The contest will get underway April 6 at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel with the young orators competing in the quarterfinals; the top nine contestants will advance to the semifinals. The contestants will present a rehearsed eight- to 10-minute oration on an aspect of the Constitution in front of judges, as well as a three- to five-minute speech on an assigned topic discourse — a phase of the Constitution selected from its Articles and Sections. The top three semifinal contestants will advance to the championship finals.

The championship finals will be held Sunday, April 7 at 10 a.m. EDT, and will be streamed on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/americanlegionhq.

Of the 53 competitors, eight are returning from 2018. They include Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and South Carolina.

See a list of the 53 contestants here.

 
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