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 2023 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 experienced Toastmasters. The International Speech competition has three additional levels: Region Quarter-finals, International semi-finals and the World Champion 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. The contest schedule from Club to District is as follows:
- October-January – Club contests (can be in-person, hybrid, or online)
- February-March – Area contests (online only)
- April – Division contests (hybrid)
- May – District contest (hybrid)
Below are links and important information for Contest organisers.
Must Reads / Viewing:
Contest and Roles Overview Tutorial (Video)
Best Practices for Online Speech Contests
Video Recording Guidelines for Online Contests
Contest Roles and Responsibilities
Table-Topics-Contest-Chair-Script-20221129
Evaluation-Contest-Chair-Script-20221129
International Speech – Contest Chair Script – 20230209
Contest-Chair-Briefing-Script-for-Contestants_20221129
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:
International Speech Contest Kit
Important Information for the 2022-23 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. - 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 international speech contest forms:
Judge’s Certification of Eligibility & Code of Ethics
Tiebreaking Judge’s Guide & 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
Training Documentation for Judges:
Judges Training Tutorial (Video)
The Judge’s Guide and Ballot Tutorial (Video)
Additional Contest resources
Please note that some of these documents were initially designed for in-person contests. They are currently being updated for online contests and will be reissued shortly.
How to be a Great Contest Judge (video of webinar with Ross Mackay, DTM, AS, PID)
Running Great Contests (PowerPoint)
Evaluation Contest Chair Script
