Welcome to the Contests resource page. This page is designed to be a one-stop shop for all information concerning contests. If you do not find what you are looking for, please notify us by email, and we will add the missing information. Good luck with your 2024/25 contests and as always, have fun!
Contests are a Toastmasters tradition. Competition begins at the club level and winners continue competing through the area, division and district levels. All contests are judged by fellow Toastmasters. The International Speech competition has three additional levels: Region Quarter-finals, International semi-finals and the World Championship of Public Speaking final at the Toastmasters International Convention held in August each year.
This year, District 60 will run Table Topics, Evaluation and International Speech Contests, celebrating the three core components of the Toastmasters program. Please note that all the District contests (Area, Division and District) will be in-person only.
The contest schedule from Club to District is as follows:
Clubs can conduct any type of contest format as they see fit i.e. in-person, online, hybrid. Or a club can also simply nominate a member(s) to attend the Area Contest.
Below are links and important information for Contest organisers.
Must Reads / Viewing:
Speech Contest Tutorials (Video)
Table Topics – Contest Chair Script – 20240905
Evaluation – Contest Chair Script – 20240905
International Speech – Contest Chair Script – 20230925
Contest Chair Briefing Script for Contestants – 20240905
Sample Contest Agenda:
The sample agenda is meant to be printed double sided landscape flipped on the short side resulting in one page that is then folded to have four half pages of information.
Sample Combined Table Topics / Evaluation Contest Agenda
If your club plans on holding an online or hybrid contest, there are some best practices:
Best Practices for Online Speech Contests
How to Appear Your Best Online
Video Recording Guidelines for Online Contests
Online Contest Roles and Responsibilities
Virtual Speech Contest Contingencies
Plus it is key to check the eligibility of a speaker via this link:
The following is a complete set of forms required to run a successful contest including forms for the contestants, judges, timers and counters. Individual forms for each contest is further down on this page.
International Speech Contest Kit
Important Information for the 2024-25 Contest Season:
- If a club can’t hold a contest, they can appoint/nominate a contestant(s) to compete in the area contest.
The club contest is the only level where a contestant can be nominated to move on to the next level; areas and divisions must hold a contest in order to send a contestant to the next level even if they only have one contestant. In certain situations the club may be able to send two (2) contestants to the area contest (see item #3 below). - If a Toastmaster belongs to multiple clubs and competes and wins first place in multiple club contests, the contestant can only move forward to ONE area contest even if the clubs are in different districts.
The competitor will choose which club they are going to represent and compete in that area’s contest. The second (or subsequent) place winner in the other clubs move on to their respective area contests in their place. Contest Officials, see #5 below regarding notification of winners. - Eight weeks prior to the Area Contests if an area has four or fewer assigned clubs in good standing:
Clubs in that area can send the top two contestants to compete at the Area Speech Contest. - Eight weeks prior to the Division Contests if a division has four or fewer assigned areas:
Areas can send two contestants from the Area Speech Contests to compete in the Division Contest. - International Speech Contest contestant eligibility:
Contestants must have completed the first 2 levels (level 1 and level 2) of any path prior to the first contest (in many cases this will be the Club contest, but sometimes the Area contest if a Club decides not to hold a contest). Please note that the levels must have been approved in either Pathways (date will be on the Certificate of Completion) or in Club Central prior to the date of the first contest. This eligibility requirement only applies to the International Speech Contest and not to any other contest e.g. Table Topics, Evaluation, etc. - At ALL contest levels, when sending the notification of winners to the next contest level, be sure to list ALL of the contestants on the Notification of Winners form, not just the top three winners.
Life happens and some competitors may not be available to go to the next level contest. Please be kind enough to leave an option for the next contestant in line to compete should this circumstance occur. - Make sure you read the current Speech Contest Rulebook (first link in Must Reads). The rule book is a comprehensive guide to running a contest. Please ensure to pay particular attention to any text with a black diamond in the left margin as these represent changes in the rules from last year.
- Remember to have FUN! Cheer your fellow Toastmasters on as they compete!
Links to individual speech contest forms:
Judge’s Certification of Eligibility & Code of Ethics
International Speech Judge’s Guide & Ballot
International Speech Tiebreaking Judge’s Guide & Ballot
Table Topics Judge’s Guide and Ballot
Table Topics Tiebreaking Judge’s Guide and Ballot
Evaluation Judge’s Guide and Ballot
Evaluation Tiebreaking Judge’s Guide and Ballot
Contest Results Form – to be completed by the Chief Judge and handed to the Contest Chair for the announcement of the contest winners
Speaker’s Certification of Eligibility & Originality
Speech Contest Certificate Set
Timers’ Record Sheet and Instructions
Notification of Contest Winner
Additional Contest resources
Please note that some of these documents were designed for in-person contests. They do not reflect hybrid or online only contest procedures.
How to be a Great Contest Judge (video of webinar with Ross Mackay, DTM, AS, PID)
