Right to Life of Michigan annual high school oratory contest

Right to Life of Michigan's annual high school oratory contests are open to all prolife high school students in Michigan. Contestants will give a 5-7 minute speech on one of several prolife topics. Contests are sponsored by affiliates across the state. The winners of the local affiliate contests will compete in the statewide annual High School Oratory Contest in May. The winner of the state competition will advance to the National Right to Life Oratory Contest.

2011 Contest

The 22nd Annual High School Oratory Contest wil be held on Saturday, May 14 in Lansing. Local contests are typically held in February and March, and paticipating affiliates will be announced here in January. If you are a student interested in competing, please contact your local RLM affiliate or field represenative. If you don't know how to contact your local affiliate, please contact State Oratory Coordinator Chris Gast at cgast@rtl.org.

2010 contest results

The 21st Annual High School Oratory Contest featured 23 contestants in Holt, MI on May 8. Contestants each presented five to seven minute speeches concerning one of several prolife issues including abortion, infanticide, cloning and embryonic stem cell research.

Casey Miller from Tri-Cities Right to Life claimed first place. Casey, a sophomore at Grand Haven High School, spoke about the harmful effects of abortion on women. Sarah Michalek from Sanilac County Right to Life came in second. Sarah, a senior at Deckerville High School, spoke about the dangers of human cloning. Katerina Parsons from Jackson Right to Life came in third. Katerina, a home-schooled junior, argued that abortion is wrong because every unborn child is a "person" with rights.

Congratulations to our winners and all of the contestants for their excellent speeches!

Because only juniors and seniors may advance, Sarah Michalek represented Michigan in the National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest on June 26 in Pittsburgh.

Sarah did not place, but she said she had a great time competing and learned a lot while attending the conference. Clay Smith from Tennessee won the national contest. We are very proud of Sarah's hard work and accomplishments as a finalist among hundreds of excellent young prolife speakers from across the nation.

Oratory Contest Hall of Fame

Results and winner speech

Past state and national winners

Oratory homepage

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2011 Contest Rules and Forms for Affiliates:

Oratory contest instructions and frequently asked questions - PDF

Affiliate contest sponsorship form - PDF

Student application form - PDF

Sample judge ballot - PDF

Promotional flier - PDF

Sample promotional letter - HTML