Maine 4-H State Public Speaking Tournament

Workshops | Qualifying | New “Impromptu” Category | Past Tournaments | Questions

icon of a 4-H Public Speaking blue ribbonSave the Date!

Our state public speaking tournament will be held on April 5, 2025 at DP Corbett Hall on the University of Maine campus. Youth must qualify for this event by achieving a score of 78 or higher at their county or regional tournament. Check with your county 4-H staff to find out when your county tournament will be held.

For an overview and photo gallery of the 2022 Maine State Public Speaking Tournament, view the page.

Public Speaking Workshops

Juniors Group with the certificates and ribbons won at the 4-H Public Speaking event 20222024 4-H Public Speaking Workshops

Go to your county web page or call your county office for exact locations and times.

Hancock County

Sunday, January 14, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

This workshop is open to enrolled 4-Hers and others who are interested in learning about 4-H Public Speaking. Limited to the first 16 youth to register.

Register Online

Penobscot County

Tuesday, January 16

Knox and Lincoln Counties

Saturday, January 27

Washington County

Saturday, January 27

Aroostook County

February – exact date TBD

Piscataquis County

Wednesday, February 21

This workshop is open to enrolled 4-Hers and others who are interested in learning about 4-H Public Speaking.

For More Information and To Register

Qualifying for the State Tournament

All youth in the junior and senior divisions (ages 9 to 18 in 4-H years) participating in a County Public Speaking Tournament – or as viewed and judged by their individual County Extension Office if no County Tournament is available and receiving an average score of 78 or higher, are invited to compete at the State Public Speaking Tournament. Contact your local County Extension Office for more information on County Tournaments.

Resources

New “Impromptu” Category

The Maine 4-H Public Speaking Committee is pleased to announce a new category at the State Tournament in April 2022!

Impromptu is a fun and exciting category that gives participants the opportunity to practice off-the-cuff presentations. Youth will be given three topics to choose from and then have several minutes to prepare a short presentation for an audience.

For this year, Impromptu will be a non-scored category. However, participants can expect to receive feedback from judges and peers. Youth who participate in-person at the Maine 4-H Public Speaking Tournament will also be able to participate in the Impromptu category as a bonus opportunity.

Watch a video to see an example of an Impromptu talk.

  • “Impromptu” Category Evaluation Sheet: PDF | Word
  • “Impromptu” Category Guidelines: PDF | Word

Past Tournaments

Questions About the 4-H Public Speaking Program?

Please contact Laura Personette at (207) 353-5550, laura.personette@maine.edu

If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please call or email Laura Personette at (207) 353-5550, or laura.personette@maine.edu to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations at least 14 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered.