2024-2025 Speech Topic
The Best Advice I Ever Received Was…
Our Youth Speech Competition provides an opportunity for students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 to speak publicly and freely on a designated topic of general interest.
The competition starts at the local club or school level and proceeds through several levels of competition ending several months later with a state wide competition. In between there are zone, region, and district levels of competitions where the winner of each level has the opportunity to proceed to the next level.
Eligibility
The competition is open to all students who reside within or attend school located within MD33, including foreign exchange, charter school, private school, home schooled, or independent study students in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12, provided they are sponsored by a Massachusetts Lions or Leo Club. Students must be enrolled in a high school grade equivalent when entering the competition at the club or school level in order to be eligible to compete in all levels of the competition.
A student can participate in only one club level competition in a school year. Each Club in the District may sponsor one student beyond the club level competition. A club may decide to sponsor students outside its geographical boundary.
Congratulations to 2023-2024 Best In State Sanya Nadeem of Walpole (33K). The Montrose School sophomore won the competition speaking on the topic “With Which Historical Figure Would You Most Like to Speak?” To hear Sanya’s speech and learn more about the competition, click here.
Prizes and Awards
There are prizes and/or awards for each contestant at every level of competition. The prizes at the State Competition are $1,500 to the winner and $500 to each runner up. Prizes at other level of competition are at the discretion of the Clubs or District Governor.
Best in the State
The competition culminates with five statewide district winners vying for the title of BEST IN THE STATE at the annual Lions State Convention.
Massachusetts (known as Lions Multiple District 33 or MD33) is divided into five separate Lions Districts.
- 33-Y – western Massachusetts
- 33-A – central Massachusetts
- 33-N – the northeast & North Shore of Massachusetts
- 33-K – the greater Boston area
- 33-S – the southeast, including Cape Cod and the islands
Each District has between 30 and 60 clubs, each of which is permitted to conduct a local Lions Youth Speech Competition. During each school year, we have approximately 400 students from across the state participate in our competition.
The levels of competition follow these guidelines:
| Competition | Participants | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Club competition | typically 4 to 6 participants | one qualifier per club |
| Zone competition | typically 4 to 6 clubs per zone | up to two qualifiers per zone |
| Region competition | typically 2 zones | one qualifier per region |
| District competition | typically 5 regions | one qualifier per district |
| State competition | 5 districts | one winner |
Youth Speech Documentation
2024-2025
Below are booklets, forms, and other information that you are welcome to download. If you do not have a PDF reader program on your computer, click here to download a free version of Adobe® Reader™. To facilitate the Youth Speech Contest during COVID19 the Committee has developed the following online documentation for running a contest virtually.
Electronic Forms
- Official Student Profile
- Official Release Form
- Judges Profile
- Judges Information and worksheet:
- Script Readers Information and Worksheet
- Timer Worksheet
- Teller Worksheet
- Official Competition Results
- Paul McElheney
- pmcelheney87@gmail.com 781-844-5570
WHO TO CONTACT?
Not sure which district you are in and who to contact?
Click on the buttons below each of the contact names to see a list of the Lions Clubs in each district.
- Steven R. Finck
- steven.finck@dot.state.ma.us 413-522-4585
- Emerson Wheeler
emewheels37@gmail.com
508-450-9650 (c)
- See State Committee Chairperson above
- Steve Small
- pklstevesmall@comcast.net 508-317-1604 (c)
- PDG Robert Coluci
- rcoluci@aol.com
781-754-0725 (h) 617-908-3756 (c)
Our state-wide Youth Speech Competition provides an opportunity for students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 to speak publicly and freely on a designated topic of general interest.
The competition starts at the local club or school level and proceeds through several levels of competition ending several months later with a state wide competition. In between there are zone, region, and district levels of competitions where the winner of each level has the opportunity to proceed to the next level.
As a guide, competitions are typically conducted within the following time frame:
| Competition | Time Frame |
|---|---|
| Club or School | November/December, 4 weeks prior to Zone |
| Zone | December/January, 2 weeks prior to Region |
| Region | December/January, 2 weeks prior to District |
| District | District Mid-Winter Conference (January/February) |
| State | State Convention (Late April/early May) |