The purpose of the contest is to foster and build public speaking skills in high school students, while promoting interest in Rotary and awareness of the Rotary Four-Way Test among students, teachers, and administrators.  The contest is administered at the District Level but conducted through individual Rotary Clubs. Club representatives contact high school teachers or guidance counselors who select, work with and train 4 to 5 qualified students to speak at a club-sponsored contest held either at a club meeting or at the school with Rotarians in attendance as judges. Speeches must be between 5 to 7 minutes in length and may cover a wide variety of topics.  All speeches should be original and describe how the Rotary Four-Way Test applies to the student’s chosen topic.

At the club contest, 3-5 persons serve as judges.  The judges evaluate the speeches and rank the contestants. The first-place finisher from the club contests (and some second-place finishers, if deemed outstanding) will then go on to participate in competitions at the Sub-Regional level, where a high placement will allow advancement to Regionals (“Semi-Finals”), and ultimately the District Finals. Each contest typically has 4-5 contestants.

Participating / sponsoring clubs are responsible for identifying contestants, organizing the first-round, and contributing to a prize money pool in later rounds.