Section l — General Rules 

1.  The Optimist International Oratorical Contest will be first conducted at the regional level – a Hong Kong Contest – and ends with contests at the 

     World Championships level.

2.  Contestants must register using the official application form from their school or center.

3.  The contests are combined gender contests.

Section II — Qualifications for Contestants 

1.  The Hong Kong Contest is open to contestants from ages 13 to 18 who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent.

2.  Each contestant shall prepare his or her own speech. The contestant may receive advice in the preparation of the speech and may make minor 

     changes or improvements in the speech at any time.

3.  All contestants must show proof of age before competing with a HKID card, passport or official school handbook.

4.  A printed copy of the speech must be furnished either before or after the speech. 

Section II — Contest Rules

1.  All contestants must speak on the official topic. 

2.  The speech must be delivered in English. 

3.  All contestants must state the official topic in the first sentence of the speech. 

4.  Timing will begin at the first word spoken. The timing will stop when the contestant finishes. 

5.  Any quotation, copyrighted, or largely paraphrased material used in the speech must be identified verbally during the presentation and in the written 

     copy of the speech with the original author’s name. The contestant shall be fully responsible for the use of any quoted material and Optimist 

     International shall assume no responsibility. 

6.  Notes and lecterns can be used.

Section III — Qualifications for Contestants

1.  The Hong Kong Contest is open to contestants from ages 13 to 18 who have not yet completed secondary school or its equivalent.

2.  Each contestant shall prepare his or her own speech. The contestant may receive advice in the preparation of the speech and may make minor 

     changes or improvements in the speech at any time.

3.  All contestants must show proof of age before competing with a HKID card, passport or official school handbook

4.  A printed copy of the speech must be furnished either before or after the speech.

5.  The contestant desires in the Hong Kong Contest.

6.  The time allowed will be not under 4 minutes and not over 5 minutes. Contestants going under or over will not be cautioned and will be penalized for

     doing so. This penalty will be determined by the official timekeeper.

7.  No reference can be made that identifies the contestant, parents, school, community or sponsoring Optimist Club. Contestants shall not be identified 

     by name or sponsoring Clubs until after the last oration has been presented and the judges and timekeeper have started deliberations. 

8.  Any protest in the conduct of this contest must be made immediately after the condition is noted. For the Hong Kong Contest, protests received 30 

     minutes (or more) after the contestant finishes will not be accepted under any circumstances.  

9.  The Contest Chairperson will decide all protests in accordance with the official rules. The decision of the Contest Chair is final and no higher appeals 

     will be recognized.

Section IV — Scoring Criteria

1. Poise – appearance, and personality: 10 points.

2. Content of Speech – subject adherence, theme, content, logic, and color: 40 point. 

3. Delivery & Presentation – voice, volume, pronunciation, gestures, eye contact, sincerity, and emphasis: 35 points.

4. Overall Effectiveness – appeal, impression, attitude, and effect: 15 points.

Section V — Scoring Penalties 

1. Failure to announce the official topic in the first sentence – 3 points 

2. Failure to identify non-original material – up to 10 points 

3. Use of props, costume, etc. - 10 points

4. Time penalties – 1 point for every 15 seconds or fraction of over or under the allotted time

5. Self-identification – up to 5 points 

6. Failure to complete speech – disqualification 

7. Use of audience prompters - disqualification 

Section VI — Awards 

1. Regional level winners – Trophy & certificate of participation inclusive of written feedback on the oratory piece. 

2. Regional level participants – Certificate of participation inclusive of written feedback on the oratory piece  

3. All scholarships will be administered by Optimist International.   Winners of an Optimist International scholarship must claim their scholarship on or 

    before the age of 25. 

4. World Championship Optimist Oratorical Contests – Plaque and Scholarship

5. Each winner of the World Regional level contest will receive a scholarship for use at a college, university or trade school only. There will be one winner 

    awarded a US$5000 scholarship at the World Regional Level. All winners of the World Regional Contests will be eligible to compete in the World 

    Championship Contest with awards for first, second, and third place of US$15,000, US$10,000, and US$5,000, respectively, at Saint Louis University in 

    St. Louis, Missouri.

6. All scholarships will be payable to the educational institution of the recipient’s choice, subject to the approval of Optimist International.  Institutions 

    outside the United States are eligible.

7. All scholarships will be administered by Optimist International. 

8. Winners of an Optimist International scholarship must claim their scholarship by the age of 25.