Veterans Benefits Live

American Legion Post 67 Invites Cary Area Students
In Grades 9-12 to Compete in a National Oratorical Contest

Winners will earn scholarship money; chance to compete in state and national finals

High school and home-schooled students who live in Cary are invited by American Legion Post No. 67 to compete in the 2025-2026 American Legion National Oratorical Contest.

The contest is open to US citizens under the age of 20 and currently enrolled in grades 9-12. Contestants must be enrolled in a public or parochial school, trade school, or an  accredited home school. This speech contest is designed to provide contestants the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the US Constitution and to hone their public speaking skills, both of which will help them advance in their chosen profession.

The main component of the contest is a prepared oration in English that must be about some aspect of the Constitution, emphasizing the duties and obligations of a US citizen. The prepared oration must be the original product of the contestant and must be 8-10 minutes in length. In addition, each contestant will be required to give a three- to five-minute speech covering one of four topics selected by the contest official during the course of the contest itself.  Contestants will be provided a list of the four “assigned” topics well in advance to allow time for preparation, but they will not know until about five minutes prior to the time of delivery the exact topic chosen. All contestants will discourse on the same topic. The four topics will pertain to some section of the Constitution or its Amendments. The purpose of this phase of the contest is to gauge the speaker’s knowledge of the subject, the extent of his or her research, and his or her delivery skills.  Winners of the Department Contest receive scholarships: 1st place $2,500, 2nd $1,500, 3rd thru 5th place $1,000.  All District winners will receive $200.00 when they compete in the Division Contest.  `  

Young orators earn some of the most generous scholarships available to high school students. Recognition will be given to the winner of each level of competition.  The overall  national contest winner gets a $25,000 scholarship.  Second place takes home $22,500, and third gets $20,000.

Each department (state) winner who competes in the first round of the national contest will receive a $2,000 scholarship. Participants who advance to the second round who do not compete in the national final round will receive an additional $2,000 scholarship. The top three orators who have won all previous elimination rounds will vie for top honors in the national contest on a weekend in May, 2026, on the campus of Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan. The American Legion will pay the expenses of state winners who compete in the national finals, plus one chaperon. The American Legion’s national organization awards the scholarships, which can be used at any college or university in the United States.

The initial contest at the Post level will be scheduled on a Saturday between December 16, 2025, and February 6, 2026. The District level competition will be on February 7, 2026; the Division contest is scheduled for February 22; and the Department (state) on March 29, 2026.

Interested students may contact the Post 67 Oratorical Chairman, David Christiansen, at dchristi7@gmail.com or phone:  919-650-3848.  Please leave a message if you get a voicemail.

For additional information, please visit www.legion.org/oratorical

rental

There are some reserved dates and times when the Post will be holding events, but there are times the Post may be able to support your rental request.

The rental fee for the Post's 60' x 40' meeting hall, which holds up to 85 guests, is $75.00 per hour with a minimum of 4 hours. A security deposit of $250.00 is required and will be refunded after inspection.  

Please download and fill out the Rental Application. You can scan it and attach it to an email to Carypost67.rental@gmail.com, or mail it to Cary American Legion Post 67, Attn.: Rentals, 8523 Chapel Hill Rd., Cary, NC 27513. Thank you!