District 5 Toastmasters Fall & Spring Speech Contests

Plan on competing in, volunteering for, or attending District 5's upcoming Area & Division Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests this fall. Two series of contests are held each fall and each spring. In the fall, Toastmasters may compete in the Humorous and/or Table Topics Contests. In the spring, members may compete in the International Speech and/or Evaluation Contests. See Toastmasters International 2009 Speech Contest Rule Book.

Toastmasters speech contests have three main purposes: 1) to provide an opportunity for proficient speakers and those Toastmasters who are interested in competitive speaking to gain contest experience; 2) to provide an interesting educational program for Toastmasters and the general public (contests can create a community awareness of the opportunities in the Toastmasters program); and 3) to provide an opportunity to those Toastmasters who are not participating in the the contest to learn by observing proficient speakers. They are also a great way to meet other Toastmasters outside of your club, to see the "bigger" picture and scope of Toastmasters, and above all - have fun!

Each of these contests begins with competitions at the club level. Club winners compete at the local Area Contest. Area Contest winners compete at the local Division Contests. Division Contest winners compete at the District Conference. District International and Humorous Speech contest winners compete at the Regional Conference. Winners of the regional International Speech Contest go on to represent the region at the International level.

Contestant Eligibility
In general, to be eligible for any contest, a contestant must be a member in good standing of a club in good standing (dues current). If a member belongs to more than one club, the member may enter the club contest for each club where he/she maintains good standing. However, a contestant may not represent more than one club at the Area level, even if the clubs are in different Areas or Divisions. District officers may not compete in any contest.

For the International Speech Contest, the contestant must have completed six speech projects from the basic Communication and Leadership Program manual.

Contest forms may not be posted on the District website in accordance with WHQ Trademarks & Copyrights page: "...speech contest judges guide and ballots, and other contest forms and materials may not be photocopied or posted on Web sites, nor may they be reprinted or excerpted in newsletters or handouts."

An updated copy of the 2009 Speech Contest Rulebook was recently sent to the club President. If you are unable to locate your club's, new copies may be purchased from Toastmasters International. See the link below:

Speech Contest Manual - Item #1173

Need guidelines & help to put on a Contest? Then click here for an amazing resource put together by Mark Kramer, DTM, Club Sponsor, Mentor & Coach Chair.
PDF version - Organizing Area & Division Contest Guidebook
Word document version - Organizing Area & Division Contest Guidebook

2008-2009 District 5 Dignitaries Check In Sheet for Contests

Central Division
Feb 21		Area 5 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, February 21, 2009 2-5 pm Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Feb 26		Areas 25 & 26 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Thursday, February 26, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Mar 17		Area 10 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Tuesday, March 17, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Apr 4		Area 16 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 4, 2009 8:30 am - 12 noon Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Apr 6		Area 27 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Monday, April 6, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Apr 25		Central Division International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 25, 2009 2-6 pm Location TBA POC: David Allen, Central Division Governor
Eastern Division
Feb 27		Area 21 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, February 27, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Mar 7		Area 2 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 7, 2009 1-4 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Mar 21		Area 4 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 21, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Mar 22		Area 24 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Monday, March 22, 2009 7-9 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Apr 3		Area 20 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, April 3, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Apr 4		Area 15 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 4, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Apr 25		Eastern Division International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 25, 2009 9 am - 1 pm Location TBA POC: Julia Taylor, Eastern Division Governor
Northern Division
Feb 21		Area 28 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, February 21, 2009 10 am - 1 pm Location TBA POC: Rhonda Walthall, Northern Division Governor
Mar 14		Areas 3 & 11 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 14, 2009 9 am - 12 noon Location TBA POC: Rhonda Walthall, Northern Division Governor
Mar 21		Area 18 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 21, 2009 2-5 pm Location TBA POC: Rhonda Walthall, Northern Division Governor
Apr 1		Area 23 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Wednesday, April 1, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Rhonda Walthall, Northern Division Governor
Apr 4		Northern Division International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 4, 2009 1-5 pm Location TBA POC: Rhonda Walthall, Northern Division Governor
Southern Division
Feb 20		Area 9 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, February 20, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Mar 13		Area 6 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, March 13, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Mar 20		Area 22 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, March 20, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Mar 21		Area 12 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 21, 2009 12 noon - 4 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Mar 28		Area 1 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 28, 2009 9 am - 12 noon Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Mar 30		Area 14 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Monday, March 30, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Apr 18		Southern Division International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, April 18, 2009 1-5 pm Location TBA POC: Malcolm Pusey, Southern Division Governor
Western Division
Mar 6		Area 17 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, March 6, 2009 6:30-9 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor
Mar 14		Area 7 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Saturday, March 14, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor
Mar 18		Area 13 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Wednesday, March 18, 2009 11 am - 1 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor
Mar 25		Area 8 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Wednesday, March 25, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor
Mar 27		Area 19 International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, March 27, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor
Apr 17		Western Division International Speech & Evaluation Contest Friday, April 17, 2009 6-9 pm Location TBA POC: Lila Defensor, Western Division Governor

Questions about contests? Judging? Want to help?
Contact: Lt. Governor Education & Training - Charley Patton

District 5 Mission
The Mission of the District is to enhance the performance and extend the network of Clubs, thereby offering greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from the Toastmasters educational program, by:

• Focusing on the critical success factors as specified by the District educational and membership goals.
• Ensuring that each Club effectively fulfills its responsibilities to its individual members.
• Providing effective training and leadership development opportunities for Club and District Officers.