Events

Event Description

Since the earliest days of the College, students have been asked to develop their ability to communicate eloquently in a variety of contexts. Today, the Public Speaking Competition provides an opportunity for students to both hone and demonstrate those abilities while competing for more than $18,000 in prizes.

The McKinney Prize is offered to one student in each class year for a persuasive speech. Typically, students compete within their own class year, though sometimes class years are combined if there is a limited pool of competitors.

The Clark Prize is limited to seniors and requires students to respond to a specific prompt in a persuasive speech.

The Warren E. Wright Prize is limited to students who have taken a public speaking course; currently, Genres of Oral Communication qualifies. Students present an informative speech on the topic of their choosing and are challenged to respond to questions posed at the end of their speeches.