Rules

Rules and Regulations

1. Students in seventh and eighth grade are eligible to participate.

2. Each school/parish may send 6 entries – three boys and three girls, regardless of 7th or 8th grade.  Students will compete against their own gender.

3. Each contestant will deliver, from memory, a speech no longer than 7 minutes, and no shorter than 4 minutes.  Original speeches may be longer than 7 minutes, and only a portion of the original speech delivered.

4. The competition will consist of two rounds.  Before the competition begins, each contestant will draw a number to determine the order in which they will compete.

5. Declamation does not include either poetry or dramatic readings. To clarify: Declamation is an historical speech written and delivered by the original author.  On the entry sheet for Diocesan Competition, there will be a space for title, author, and date, if known – when and where the speech was given.

6. Scoring will be based on balloting by at least 4, no more than 6 judges. The host district will provide the judges.

7. Awards will be given to the top three boys and the top three girls.

8. At the district level, the judges must make sure that the speech to be presented by each contestant fits the category of DECLAMATION.

9. On the parish or school level, if there is any uncertainty about the eligibility of a speech, contact the District Coordinator prior to the District Competition.

10. The same speech used for the District Competition must be used for the Diocesan Competition.