2025 Contest Rules

National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest

Statement of Purpose

The National Right to Life Oratory Contest strives to promote the ability of high school juniors and seniors to share their pro-life views with others. Although speaking ability is important, this contest also seeks to help teens organize and express their pro-life views. We also strive to give the contestants an opportunity to meet other pro-life teens.

Contest Rules

1. High school juniors and seniors in that grade February 1 of the year of the national contest are eligible to compete. In case of advanced students, non-traditional students, or home-schooled students, the school must recognize the student as a junior or senior or the year the student will enter college will be used to determine eligibility.

2. Students who have competed in their junior year may compete the following year as seniors (with an entirely new speech) except if the student has won first place in the national contest. Second place winners may compete again.

3. Contestants are to research, write, and present an original pro-life speech on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia or stem cell research. The speech should address one of these topics directly.

4. The speech is to be 5 – 7 minutes in length. A contestant will be disqualified if the speech is timed to be under 4 minutes or over 8 minutes in length. Judges are instructed to use their judgment regarding under or over time limit speeches. It is at the judges’ discretion how the 4-5 minute and the 7-8 minute speech will reflect in the score.

5. Appropriate gestures are allowed. Props are not allowed.

6. Speech content may not be significantly changed as a contestant advances. Fine-tuning for minor corrections or to adjust time is allowed and encouraged. A written copy of the contestant’s speech must be forwarded to the national contest.

7. The contestant should use up-to-date factual information.

8. The style should be appropriate to the message of the speech. A dramatic presentation is not acceptable. A dramatic presentation is considered anything that is read or preformed that has been previously written by another author; a short story, a poem, etc. Although quotes to support a position or statement are appropriate, they may not dominate the speech, and should be appropriately citied. Dramatic presentations are also defined, for the purposes of this contest, to include acting as a thing or another person, such as acting out the life of an unborn baby. This rule is not to be interpreted to rule out the use of emotion.

9. The judges’ background and qualifications differ, although all are pro-life, the speech should appeal to a broad audience.

10. No copyrighted speeches shall be used in the contest.

11. The contest may be videotaped or recorded, if so, tape will remain the property of National Right to Life.

12. Contestants may use notes.