Global Speech Competition

Updated April 2025:

Congratulations to our 2025 Speech Competition Winners!

The 2025 Global Speech Competition, co-hosted by Nevus Outreach and Mark of Love, was packed with powerful voices, bold ideas, and inspiring messages. We're so proud of all seven participants for their bravery and creativity!

The competition was a huge success, showcasing the talent and resilience of seven brave speakers: Maylee Isbell (7), Fletcher Collins (8), Harley Phelps (9) Evelyn Behymer (10), Dhyana Hareshkumar Adhia (13), Trinity Isbell (15), and Deven Isbell (17).

Nevus Outreach and Mark of Love are delighted to announce the following awards for the 2025 competition:

1st place: Dhyana

2nd place: Harley

3rd place: Maylee

Most Creative: Deven

Most Impactful: Evelyn

Best Story: Maylee

Audience Favorite: Harley

We would like to extend a special thank you to Coach Susan Baek, and judges Steve Bouris (AWN), Megan Fields (AMW), and Robin Cowper (Nevus Mom), for volunteering their time and talents.

We’d also like to take a moment to thank our sponsors, who helped make this event possible: St. Mark's Episcopal Church via the Nichols family, Karen Zimmer, Robin Cowper, and Frank Corradetti.

Congratulations to the participants and winners!

Please note the information below reflects a past call for entries. We ask that you check back for future events.

Published December 2024:

Theme: Be Brave, Shape the Future

Every voice holds power, and every story deserves to shine. This is more than just a stage—it’s your opportunity to inspire courage, share hope, and speak with confidence.

We invite any youth ages 7-18 to share a speech about one the following themes:

Raise your voice for inclusion
Challenge injustice
Take a stand against bullying

You are highly encouraged to speak from the heart and include personal stories. This is your moment to transform language into power, and help build a more inclusive world!

Registration

Deadline: January 31, 2025

Preliminary Round: submit a registration form, including a personal self-introduction video (no longer than 30 seconds).

Selected submissions will be notified the week of February 3, 2025.

Requirements

Must be between the ages of 7-18.
Open to participants worldwide.
Final speech length requirement is 2-7 minutes.
The speech must be an original work of the contestant and be in English.
Contestants must submit a pre-recorded video prior to the event on March 22, 2025.
Participants will be highly encouraged to fundraise $150 by the final event date (Nevus Outreach will provide a fundraising toolkit in February 2025). Be Brave - help Shape the Future of Nevus Outreach!

Competition Details

The purpose of this event is to offer a platform for youth to share their story, while developing confidence in their public speaking abilities and presentation skills.

Finalists will have access to free online training led by members of Ivy League University debate teams, to support them in writing and presenting their speeches.

Final Event Details

Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Location: Virtual Gallery

Evaluation & Prizes

The competition will be judged by qualified community members with backgrounds in communications, Toastmasters, and public speaking.
Speeches will be evaluated with the following criteria:
- Content Quality (40%): Original and thought-provoking ideas with depth and detail. Clear connection to the theme with a well-structured and logical presentation.
- Language Delivery (35%): Competent pronunciation and grammar. Fluent, expressive, and engaging language.
- Presentation Skills (25%): Confident and composed stage presence. Effective use of gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Proper time management within the allocated speech duration.
All participants will receive an honorary certificate of participation.
Final winners from each age group will be eligible for a Mark of Love Scholarship from Nevus Outreach, in the amount of $300, $200, $100, or $50. This scholarship may be used toward educational purposes or enriching activities.
Winners will be announced by March 31, 2025.