Okeechobee County Soil and Water Conservation District sponsors an annual speech contest, which is designed to develop leadership and stimulate interest in conserving natural resources.
DEADLINE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020
CONTEST DATE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020
Eligibility
- Contest is open to public, private, parochial or home school students from 6th through 12th grade in Okeechobee County.
- A signed entry/release form is also required.
- Provided enough participation, the District contest may be divided into two categories (6-8 & 9-12) with the highest overall scoring students from each category advancing to Area Contests.
Contest Rules
Contest Topic – Healthy Forests = Healthy Communities
- Speeches must be original, not previously used, and created by the contestant. Notes may be used while speaking, but audio and visual aids of any form are not permitted.
- Winner of the local competition will be entered in an area competition (multi District), and may then advance to the State competition. Highest scoring Area winner will advance to the State competition. Contestant may not wear attire that identifies them with any organization (e.g., FFA, 4-H, school logos).
- Time Limit – Speeches must be a minimum of five to seven minutes in length. Time under or over these limits, respectively, will result in two points deducted for each 15 second increment or part thereof.
- Judging – A standard score sheet will be used for all contestants. Three judges and one time keeper will be used at district, area, and state competitions. Judges should be experienced in public speaking and should not be elected supervisors or staff. Judges will score entries based on the following criteria:
| CATEGORY | ITEM | POINTS |
| CONTENT | Relevance to the given topic | 10 |
| Treatment (material used and accuracy of statements) | 20 | |
| Originality (subject matter and treatment) | 20 | |
| Total Content Points | 50 | |
| COMPOSITION | Organization, cohesiveness, grammar, style | 10 |
| Total Composition Points | 10 | |
| DELIVERY | Voice (enunciation, modulation) | 10 |
| Personal Appearance (neatness, posture) | 10 | |
| Communicative Expertise (sincerity, ability to convey thought and meaning) | 10 | |
| Stage Presence (gestures, visual contact) | 10 | |
| Total Delivery Points | 40 | |
| Total Possible Points | 100 |
Oral speeches will be presented on November 18, 2020 at UF/IFAS Extension Service Conference Room
*Note to Teachers: Participation in this event would directly relate to Sunshine Standards, Language Arts, LA.C.3.4.1 and LA.C.3.4.2.
Linked below is a PDF of the entry form and flier.
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