Laird Lewis Invitational
2023 — Charlotte, NC/US
Original Oratory
Event Description:
All oratory must be written by the contestant. Oratory is an event of polished speech art and persuasion. A
message should be conveyed by the speaker. Oratory for persuasion with a solution, such as that intended for
civic groups, is the intention of this contest. Judges will be instructed to favor the subtle approach. No visual
aids are permitted.
Not more than 150 words of the oration may be direct quotation from any other speech or writing and such
quotations must be identified in a printed copy of the oration supplied prior to registration. Extensive
paraphrasing from other sources is prohibited.
The orator's script must identify the quoted materials, state the number of quoted words, include a work cited
page in APA or MLA format, and both the orator and the coach must attest by signature that the oration is the
original work of the contestant. It is the responsibility of the contestant to have a script ready upon request
should the speech be challenged.
The speech must be memorized. It should not have been used by the contestant prior to the 2022-2023 school
year. The speech must be no more than ten minutes in length with a 30-second grace period for going over time