Join District 53 Chief Judge Beth Van Kempen as she goes through the rules and procedures for contests in 2023-2024.
Tag: contests
2023-2024 Speech Contest Training
District 53 Chief Judge Beth Van Kempen explains the rules and procedures for the 2023-2024 program year’s speech contests.
Clarification of Contest Rules for Areas and Divisions
District 53 is pleased to announce that the particular rules of the Contest season have been selected:
- Contests at the Area, Division, and District levels will be in-person.
- No hybrid or online contests will be held this year.
- Clubs are responsible for choosing their format for the contest, whether online, hybrid, or in-person.
- Contests beyond the club level will be held in-person. Both contestants and officials will be expected to be present at the contest’s physical location.
In Areas with Four or Fewer Clubs —
- Two contestants from each club contest may advance to the Area contest. These will be the winner and the first runner-up (or the second runner-up, or the third runner-up) in areas with four (4) or fewer clubs to advance to Area contests.
Similarly, in Divisions with Four or Fewer Areas —
- the top two finishers (or the first two available contestants who competed without disqualification) shall move on from from Area to Division (rule 3.B in the rulebook).
- In the event that the first place or second place finisher is unavailable to compete, the next available contestant (who was not disqualified on time) may advance to the Division contest..
As a reminder, clubs may send a contestant to the Area contests without holding a contest (and in Areas with four or fewer clubs, they may send two contestants to each contest). However, the rules specify that if the club decides to hold a speech contest, that contest must obey the Toastmasters Contest Rulebook for the current season.
This includes Pathways minimum requirements for some speech contests — please make sure your contestants meet all requirements before advancing them to the Area level, because if a disqualification based on eligibility is discovered at a later date, it is retroactive to all other contests in the same cycle.
Announcing Contest Season!
Mark your calendars because the Club Contest season is just around the corner, starting from October 15, 2023, and running through to December 10, 2023. This is your chance to showcase your communication and leadership skills on a club level. Our two contests this year are the International Speech Contest culminating at the World Championships of Public Speaking at the annual Toastmasters International Convention in August 2024; and the Evaluation Contest, culminating at our own District 53 stage.
Here are some important dates to keep in mind:
- Club Contests 🏆 (October 15, 2023 – December 10, 2023): Clubs will kick off the contest season, providing members with a platform to shine and compete.
- Area Contests 🌐 (December 11, 2023 – February 10, 2024): Winners from the club level will move on to compete at the area level, taking their speeches to a broader audience.
- Division Contests 🌟 (February 11, 2024 – March 31, 2024): The competition will intensify as the best from the areas face off. It’s all about leveling up!
- District Contests 🌍 (Date to be determined): The ultimate stage, where champions from each division will compete. Stay tuned for the date announcement, tentatively targeting the 3rd weekend in April!
You can follow the development of the contest season by bookmarking the Contest Schedule Page — and if you’d like to list your own club’s contest dates, please contact our webmaster!
We’ve adjusted the contest calendar to ensure that Division Contests are wrapped up before April 1st, avoiding any conflicts with dues renewals.
The Club Contest format is entirely up to each club’s discretion. You can choose to hold your contests online, in-person, or even opt for a hybrid format. Flexibility is key, so adapt to what works best for your club.
Please note that all Area, Division, and District Speech Contests will be held in-person.
Get ready to embark on this thrilling journey of self-improvement, competition, and growth. Stay tuned for more details and instructions on how to participate in these contests.
Results of the District 53 Contests 2023
District Program Quality Director Patti Walter is pleased to publish the results of the District 53 Contests for the 2022-2023 program year, held on May 6, 2023.
International
The International Speech Contest was held at 7:45 pm on 6 May 2023 at the Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place hotel during the District 53 Annual conference. Chad Babcock served as Contest Toastmaster and Mark Wing served as Chief Judge.
The placed winners were:
- 1. Michael Whitehouse
- 2. Donna Plen
- 3. Craig Moore
Tall Tales Contest
The Tall Tales Contest was held at 10:45 am on 6 May 2023 at the Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place hotel during the District 53 Annual Conference. Rick May served as Contest Toastmaster and Mark Wing served as Chief Judge.
The placed winners were:
- 1. Christine Austin
- 2. Poonam Hassija
- 3. Kevin Haven
Our thanks go out to all the contestants, timers, ballot counters, chief judges, voting judges, tie breaking judges, contest chairs, and contest Toastmasters, as well as to the audiences, at club, Area, Division and District levels, who made our hybrid program so successful this year.
Results of Area Contests 2023
District 53 and the webmaster have received the following results from Area-level contests in the International Speech and Tall Tales Speech contests:
Area Level Results: International
| Division A | Division B | Division C | Division D | Division E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 11 Greg Hirshorn | Area 21 Chad Betz | Area 31 Donna Plein | Area 41 Philip Pape | Area 51 Craig Moore |
| Area 12 Jeff Bradbury | Area 22 Heather Skaanning | Area 32 No Contestant | Area 42 Rose Day | Area 52 Nancy Baum Delain |
| Area 13 Oscar Romero | Area 23 Ann Canfield | Area 33 Chris Chessaro | Area 43 John Michaliszyn | Area 53 Linda Salzer |
| Area 14 No contestant | Area 24 Megan Scribner | Area 34 William Caro | Area 44 No contestant | Area 54 David Kolman |
| Area 15 Angel Mary | Area 25 Michael Whitehouse | Area 35 No Contestant | – N/A | Area 55 Terry Goodemote |
Area Level Results: Tall Tales
| Division A | Division B | Division C | Division D | Division E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 11 Poona Hassija | Area 21 Tom Farrelly | Area 31 Zita Bodonyi | Area 41 Yvette Fredericks | Area 51 Roderick Rattlecat Kerrigan |
| Area 12 Cheryn Morgenstern | Area 22 No Contestant | Area 32 Saicharan Sirangi | Area 42 Chelsea Rule | Area 52 Linda Gingold Seaman |
| Area 13 Chris Connor | Area 23 Christine Austin | Area 33 Kevin Haven | Area 43 Michelle DeDominicis | Area 53 LeLe Luan |
| Area 14 Christina LaPerie | Area 24 Jack Cunningham | Area 34 Divanny Pena | Area 44 Denise F. Mock | Area 54 Jim Brooks |
| Area 15 No Contestant | Area 25 Larry Zaccaro | Area 36 Joseph Carfago | – N/A | Area 55 No Contestant |
Chief Judge appointed; Rules Clarification
District 53 has appointed a Chief Judge for the 2022-2023 contest season.
Andrew B. Watt, DTM will serve in this role until and unless a member of his club disqualifies him from contest participation. Questions may be directed to him.
With regard to Rule 3.B.3 and 3.B.4 in the Toastmasters Contest Rulebook 2022-2023, the District has decided that only one (1) contestant from each contest at club, Area, or Division will advance to the next level of competition, regardless of whether that contestant is the winner or the runner-up.
All contests at Area level and above must be held, even if there is only one (1) contestant competing, in order to ensure that minimum and maximum time rules are respected.
District 53 announces Contests for 2022-23
District Director John J. Hogan and Program Quality Director Patti Walter have announced the following contest program for the 2022-2023 year:
- The International Contest, leading to the World Championship of Public Speaking
- The Tall Tales Contest, ending at the District 53 Conference in May
The contests for each level of competition must occur by the following dates:
- Club Contests must take place by January 15, 2023
- Area Contests will take place between January 16, 2023 and March 15, 2023
- Division Contests will take place between March 16, 2023 and April 16, 2023
- The District Contests will occur as part of the District Conference in May 2023
All contests at all levels must conform to the Toastmasters Contest Rulebook for the 2022-2023 program year. Questions should be directed to Patti Walter as the Program Quality Director.
Winners of the District International Speech Contest
District 53 held its International Speech contest on the morning of May 7, 2022 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.
Club Growth Director Patti Walter, Program Quality Director John J. Hogan, and District Director Akihiro Ishii, photographed on Zoom.
In the District International Speech contest, one contestant from each of our five Divisions in the District have a speaking period of five to seven minutes to deliver a speech on a topic of their choosing. Each contestant has advanced from a specific club in District 53, and arrives at the stage after competing at the Area level against 3-4 other clubs, and the Division level competing against contestants from four other Areas. The winner of the District International Speech contest then advances to the Region Quarterfinals, and possibly to the International Semifinals and the World Championship of Public Speaking (WCPS).
The winners of the contest were:
- First Place: Amrita Banerjee
- Second Place: Brian David Crawford
- Third Place: Kevin M. Finn
In the interviews following the contest, both the winners and other contestants thanked the judges, audience members and others for the opportunities to grow and learn as speakers and presenters. They reminded the audience that new Toastmasters should take every opportunity that they can get to speak, and that, under the pressure of preparing to speak for an audience, practice brings improvement and gracefulness.
Many thanks to all the contestants, representing the five divisions of District 53:
- Division A: Sandra Weiner, representing Greater Stamford Toastmasters, with a speech titled, “What Next?”
- Division B: Donna Peterson, representing New Dawn Toastmasters, with a speech titled “Lead With Your Heart.”
- Division C: Kevin M. Finn, representing Cedar Hill Toastmasters, with a speech titled, “M-O-M.”
- Division D: Brian David Crawford, representing Speechweavers, with a speech titled, “42.”
- Division E: Amrita Banerjee, representing Bethlehem Club, with a speech titled, “The Choice.”
Our Thanks also go out to our senior functionaries, the Program Quality Director John J. Hogan, and the Contest Chair, Contest Master and Chief Judge, who together assembled the team of more than fourteen functionaries, judges, and back-up leaders who managed the contest behind the scenes.
- Program Quality Director John J. Hogan
- Contest Chair Jennifer Cimilluca
- Contest Master Dave Pelland
- Chief Judge Elizabeth Keeling
and thanks again to all our contest functionaries, judges, and audience members.