On behalf of the Speech and Debate Canada Foundation Board of Directors I would like to invite you to our  4th  Annual Persuasive Speech Competition. 

What is Speech and Debate Canada’s National Persuasive Speaking Competition?

Participants will create a 5-7 minute speech that identifies a problem they believe Canada is facing. Each speech must explain the nature and consequences of the selected issue and suggest strategies for overcoming this problem. All speeches performed must have been written by the presenting student; students are not permitted to reuse speeches from earlier tournaments.  Students are free to select an issue about which they are passionate. The selected problem can be one that impacts specific regions or communities or the country as a whole. It need not be a problem that is unique to Canada, but it must be an issue that impacts people living in Canada on some level. We also request that the competitors have not entered our competition in the past, and not have any national and/or international experience. For 2025, we are opening up our entries to both of Canada's Official Languages. The Speech and Debate Canada Foundation hopes this competition will include speeches written and presented in both of Canada's official languages.

Important Dates:

The event has been divided into two parts: for the preliminary rounds, participating students must register and submit no later than Sunday, January 12th, 2025. Currently, we are only taking 3 entries per category, per school. We expect school coaches to ensure their school regulates the 3 entries per category, per school. Early registration is strongly encouraged.

The finished persuasive speeches should be submitted in video format. All videos should be uploaded to the student’s Google Drive. The link should then be sent to ed@speechanddebatecanada.com. Speeches need to be submitted on or before Sunday, January 12th, 2025. All submission emails must contain the subject line:

National Persuasive Speaking Competition.

The competition’s finalists will be contacted via email on Monday, February 10th, 2025, with comments for preparing the final submissions. Finalists will then have an opportunity to use the feedback and present their final submission live on zoom.

The finals themselves are scheduled for Saturday, February 22nd, 2025.  They will take place online between 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm Pacific Time. The top three competitors from the junior and senior categories  in both official languages will be asked to present their speeches live over Zoom for a panel of celebrity judges and other guests.

The Categories

Junior Category: Students in middle school (defined here as Grades 6, 7, 8, or 9) will be placed here.

Senior Category: Students in high school (defined here as Grades 10, 11 or 12) will be placed here.

The Prizes

The winner in each of the four categories will receive a prize of $500. The Speech and Debate Canada Foundation will give $250 of this sum to each winning student in each category, while donating the other half of the award money to a non-profit of the student’s choosing. The non-profit must be a registered current charity within Canada. The selected non-profit should be working to alleviate the problem identified in the student’s speech.

Registration

There is no registration fee. If you would like to participate, please complete the form on this link here!

Registration must be received on or before Sunday, January 12th, 2025.

Please make sure that your parents/legal guardians are aware of our media release waiver on the registration.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/UCHmd9BmqFu1Zq4i7

Evaluation

Speeches will be evaluated on four criteria: research, persuasiveness, speaking style, as well as the clarity of the problem and solution(s) identified in the speech. Each category will be worth 25% of the student’s final score. Comments will be provided to all participants, however there will be no scores released. Our focus is on growing the love of this activity, rather than getting caught up in numbers.

Speech Structure

Students are free to experiment with their speech structure, but the speech must, at the very least, identify and explain a problem facing Canada.

Time Limits

Speeches should be 5-7 minutes in length in both the senior and junior categories, with a grace time of 15 seconds for speeches under 5 minutes or over 7 minutes. Speeches that fall more than fifteen seconds short or exceed the time limit by more than fifteen seconds will be penalized. 

Notes:

     The Categories:

English & French: We will have separate awards for both official languages

Junior Category: Students in middle school (defined here as Grades 6, 7, 8, or 9) were placed here.

Senior Category: Students in high school (defined here as Grades 10, 11 or 12) were placed here.

     The Prize:

The winner in each category received a prize of $500. The Speech and Debate Canada Foundation gave $250 of this sum to each winning student in each category, while donating the other half of the award money to a non-profit of the student’s choosing.  The selected non-profit was working to alleviate the problem identified in the student’s speech.

     Evaluation:

Speeches were evaluated on four criteria: research, persuasiveness, speaking style, as well as the clarity of the problem and solution(s) identified in the speech. Each category will be worth 25% of the student’s final score. Comments were provided to all participants, however no scores were released. Our focus is on growing the love of this activity, rather than getting caught up in numbers.

     Speech Structure:

Students were free to experiment with their speech structure, but the speech must, at the very least, identify and explain a problem facing Canada.

     Time Limits:

Speeches were 5-7 minutes in length in both the senior and junior categories, with a grace time of 15 seconds for speeches under 5 minutes or over 7 minutes. Speeches that fall more than fifteen seconds short or exceed the time limit by more than fifteen seconds will be penalized. 

Inquires please contact our Executive Director, Debra Miko at ED@speechanddebatecanada.com

The Speech & Debate Canada Foundation

Code of Conduct!