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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest

Goal

Strengthen students’ reading, writing and public speaking skills while encouraging them to learn about and support the dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Guidelines

Open to K-12 students.
One speech entry per grade-level category per school. Each school should establish a procedure to determine their entry for each grade level category.
Speeches must be written and delivered by the student speaker. Use of notes is optional.
Speeches are timed and must not exceed four minutes.
Students must use the theme: “A Look to the Future.”
“In order to look to the future, it is often necessary to get a clear picture of the past. In order to know where we are going, it is often necessary to see from whence we have come.”
Please refer to the transcript of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. speech at Highlander Folk School’s Twenty-fifth Anniversary Meeting in Monteagle, Tennessee, September 2, 1957.
"A Look to the Future," Address Delivered at Highlander Folk School's Twenty-fifth Anniversary Meeting | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
Student behavior should be attentive, courteous and supportive at all times.
Speakers are judged using the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest Judging Criteria.