Speech Contest Eligibility

4. ELIGIBILITY

A) To be eligible to compete at any level of the International Speech Contest, an individual must:

1. Be a member in good standing of the Club in which he or she is competing. The Club also must be in good standing with World Headquarters.

2. Have completed at least six manual speeches in the Communication and Leadership Program manual prior to the Club contest. However, a charter member of a Club chartered since the previous July 1 may compete without having completed six manual speeches in the Communication and Leadership Program manual. The Club must be officially chartered before the Area contest.

3. Maintain eligibility at all levels of any contest. If at any level it is discovered that a contestant was ineligible to compete at any previous level, the contestant must be disqualified even if the ineligibility is not discovered until a later level and has been corrected.

B) The following are ineligible to compete in this contest:

1. incumbent International Officers and Directors; District Officers (Governor, any Lieutenant Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, Division Governor, or Area Governor) whose terms expire June 30; International Officer and Director candidates;

2. Immediate Past District Governors;

3. District Officers or announced candidates for the term beginning the upcoming July 1;

4. Presenters of educational sessions at the Area, Division, and District event at which the contest will be held;

5. Presenters of educational sessions at Regional Conferences and/or the International Convention.

6. An individual may not be a judge at any level for a contest in which they are still competing.

C) The winner of the contest finals held each August during the International Convention is not eligible to compete again at any level.

D) Toastmasters who are members in more than one Club and who meet all other eligibility requirements may compete in each Club contest in which membership in good standing is held. However, should they win more than one Club International Speech Contest, the contestant may represent only one of the Clubs at the Area level. No contestant can compete in more than one Area International Speech Contest, even if the two Areas are in different Divisions or different Districts.

E) A contestant must be a member in good standing of the Club, Area, Division, District, or Region being represented when competing in a speech contest at the next level.

F) Each contestant must complete the Speaker’s Certification of Eligibility and Originality (form 1183) and submit it to the chief judge prior to the contest.

G) Each contestant must be present to compete. Participation by audio and video tape and teleconference is not permitted.