Students in grades 9-12 eligible to win up to $1,000 in speech contest!
Rotary Club of Florence Seeking Contestants for this year’s 4-Way Test High School Speech Contest: Contest Winners Will Share $2,250 in Cash Prizes
Are you a Siuslaw or Mapleton-area high school student (public, private, or home-schooled) in grades 9-12 who cares about ethical standards and behavior in today’s world? If you are, the Rotary Club of Florence invites you to share a subject you care about by participating in the 2025 Rotary International 4-Way Test Speech Contest. Applications are due by noon on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, from students who wish to compete.
The contest will be held in-person at the Florence Events Center, 715 Quince Street, at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The top three finalists at the contest will present their speeches to a meeting of the Florence Rotary Club on Tuesday, April 7 at noon. First prize for the local contest is $1,000, second prize is $750, and third prize is $500.
The finalist from the event may also compete with contestants from other coastal Rotary clubs with the first place finisher at the second round competing in a “Speak Off” at the Rotary District 5110 Conference on Saturday, May 16 in Eugene. Additional cash prizes will be awarded at the District level.
All participants will be required to take the Rotary 4-Way Test and apply it to real life throughout their speeches. The 4-Way Test has four principles:
- Is it the TRUTH
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
The choices for topics are endless…would the Super Bowl pass the 4-Way Test? What about your homework assignments? How about TikTok?
All speeches must be original and entirely written by the student. Speeches should not be less than 5 minutes or more than 7 minutes and speeches should also be memorized, although speakers can refer to notes.
For information on participating, including an application and guidelines, visit theflorencerotary.org to download the application packet. Interested competitors then need to submit their applications by noon on March 18, 2026, to take part in the contest.
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