Justification and Vision

The Ronald Reagan Oratory Competition aims to bring President Reagan’s words back to life through the youth of America. This initiative serves several important purposes:

1. Public Speak Skills: Developing crucial oratory and presentation abilities in our youth, critical to future success in education and the workplace.
2. Historical Education: Familiarizing students with the words of one of America’s most influential presidents.
3. Civic Engagement: Encouraging students to engage with political history and ideas through themes relevant to today.
4. Our vision is to inspire a new generation of articulate, confident speakers who understand-and can effectively communicate about-the important issues of our past and today.

Technical Description of the Competition

The Ronald Reagan Oratory Competition will be divided into two divisions: Middle School (5-8) and High School (9-12)

Competition Format:

1. Participants will be provided with excerpts of addresses given by President Reagan, selected by the Reagan Foundation.
2. Students can read off of notecards-just as President Reagan used to-and focus on emulating his distinctive speaking style.
3. Students will record their presentation and submit it through our Learning Management System (LMS).
4. Students will be judged on the following criteria:
   1. Presentation: capturing President Reagan’s warmth through strong eye contact, articulation, body language, appropriate tone, and a reasonable pacing
   2. Interpretation: faithfulness to source material, emotional connection, and an understanding of the message
   3. Impact: engagement, memorability, and overall presentation

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute team will review all eligible submissions and select top-performing students as winners.

Incentives for Participation:

To encourage widespread participation and recognize excellence, the Top 10 performing students in both middle school and high school divisions will receive a free trip to compete in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

• Middle School Students: The top 5 winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to California, along with a discount on Reagan Education Programs
• High School Students: The top 5 winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to California, with the chance to compete for a grand prize of $1000 (this award will be disbursed directly to the university of your choice upon graduation)

This unique experience will allow our winners to deepen their understanding of President Reagan’s legacy and inspire them to continue developing their public speaking skills.