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.
