2023 HARVEST FESTIVAL PREPARED PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST RULES

1. Entry Fee: $20 per contestant. Entries must be made on an official Prepared Public Speaking Entry form and signed by the AST/CEA overseeing the contestant and his/her speech.
2. Eligible Entries: Speeches must be the work of eligible exhibitors – limited to students eligible to participate in the Harvest Festival Livestock Show. Speeches must directly relate to a current agriculture issue. Only one speech will be accepted per contestant. 9th grade competitors are eligible to compete in the senior division if they desire. Contest participants should wear FFA Official Dress or business attire.
3. Junior Speech Rules: (Grades 3rd – 6th)
• The junior division speeches must be between 3 – 6 minutes.
• The contest will be comprised of the speech delivery and a 3 minute question period.
• Two copies of the speech manuscript must be turned in at check-in.
• The written speech must reflect the original work of the contestant.
• The written speech will not be scored, but will be used to develop questions
• Speeches must relate to a current agriculture topic.
4. Intermediate Speech Rules: (Grades 7th – 9th)
• The intermediate division speeches must be between 5 – 7 minutes.
• The contest will be comprised of the speech delivery and a 5 minute question period.
• Two copies of the speech manuscript must be turned in at check-in.
• The written speech must reflect the original work of the contestant.
• The written speech will not be scored, but will be used to develop questions.
• Speeches must relate to a current agriculture topic.
• There will be no speech topic divisions for the intermediate contest
5. Senior Speech Rules: (Grades 10th – 12th)
• The senior division speeches must be between 6 – 8 minutes.
• The contest will be comprised of the speech delivery and a 5 minute question period.
• Two copies of the speech manuscript must be turned in at check-in.
• The written speech must reflect the original work of the contestant.
• The written speech will not be scored, but will be used to develop questions.
• Speeches must relate to a current agriculture topic.
• There will be no speech topic divisions for the senior contest
6. Judging: All contestants will be judged and scored using the Prepared Public Speaking Rubric attached below. Score sheets will be given back to the contestants at the conclusion of the contest.
7. Awards: Contest placings will be announced at the conclusion of each division. The Champion and Reserve Champion of all divisions will be recognized and receive awards.