MARYLAND ORATORICAL AND SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
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 Department of Maryland ​

Oratorical Scholarship

Competition





For high school students who want to compete in the

​Maryland American Legion Oratorical Contest.



​​Participation requires oration on some phase of the

Constitution of the United States.
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National and State Contest Dates

NATIONAL CONTESTS are April 21-23, 2023, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Maryland sends one contestant to the first of the three National rounds. The top three national finalists earn berths in Original Oratory at the National Speech & Debate national tournament. National winners also win a trip to the National Convention in August. 

The road to the National Contest looks like this: 
  1. Post Contests: January 2023. The American Legion Post is the primary entity of our organization. You will begin your competition here. Contestants should commit to and start to write, memorize, and practice their speeches by Thanksgiving or at least by the December school break time!
  2. District Contests: February 2023. There are eight Legion districts in Maryland. Each district is comprised of between 4-6 counties but you can usually expect 2-4 competitors at this level. 
  3. State Finals On Sunday, March 5, 2023.  The site of this year's contest is to be determined.  ​There may be up to eight competitors at this level. Not only does the winner of the state contest go to the national contest in April, but we look forward to you speaking at our state convention in Ocean City on July 12-13, 2023.
Get Details About the State/Department Contest

Contact Us! ​Contact the Department (state) Oratorical Chair directly or choose the district closest to the area in which you live or go to school:
​
Eastern Maryland Region
  • District 1 - Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties
​                   Doug Willey, Post #70, Easton, MD
  • District 2 - Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties
                    Ken Carter, Post #269, Mardela Springs, MD
Northern Maryland Region
  • District 3 - Anne Arundel County
                   (contact District 4)
  • District 4 - Howard , Harford, Baltimore City & County
                    Bob Berlett, Post #300, Columbia, MD
Southern Maryland Region
  • District 5 - Southern Montgomery, Anne Arundel, and North Prince Georges Counties
                    (contact District 6)
  • District 6 - Charles, St Mary's, Calvert, and South Prince Georges Counties
                    Renee Thompson-Flores, Post #170, Indian Head, MD
                    Glenda Sturdivant, Post #259, Clinton, MD
                    John and Joyce Baki, Post #274, Lusby, MD
Western Maryland Region 
  • District 7 - Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties
                     Pete Kelly, Post #13, Cumberland, MD
                     Ron Moats, Post #10, Boonsboro, MD
  • District 8 - Carroll, Frederick, and Northern Montgomery Counties
                    Wayne Kaikko, Post #11, Frederick MD
                    Matthew McCullough, Post #200, Williamsport, MD

                    Will and Anita Trotter, Post #171, Damascus, MD

​National American Legion, Oratorical Program

Department of Maryland Headquarters

Department Oratorical Chair, ​Will Trotter 
mdchaplain@comcast.net
​
Assistant Adjutant ​Steve Tatro 
steve@mdlegion.org

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