It’s contest time! This is part of the Toastmasters year where we challenge ourselves to step outside of our comfort zone and do something we’re not used to doing. Whether we act as a contestant or help out as a judge or contest officials, we can learn and grow in ways we don’t expect.

By the time you read this, club and area contests will be completed, and our focus now becomes Division and then District contests. As the number of participants dwindles, the competition becomes more intense. We watch as the “best of the best” emerge. Just as the number of competitors shrinks, so does the pool of available contest officials.

Once we move to the Division level and ultimately to the District, there are some restrictions to the eligibility of judges and contest officials which are in place that were not in place at previous contest levels. Here’s a look at what’s different at Division and District.

Who is not eligible to compete:

1. A presenter of an education session, a contest chair, a contest Toastmaster, or an event committee chair for the event at which the contest will be held, including Area, Division, and District events, as well as the International Convention.
2. Timer, ballot counter (counter), Sergeant at Arms, or other contest official role for the same contest (read Division and/or District) in which they would be competing (emphasis added).

What about contest judges and officials?

1. Candidates for elected District leader positions for the term beginning the subsequent July 1 are ineligible to serve as a contest official or as a test speaker at the Area, Division, or District level
2. At Division contests, there must be an equal number of voting judges from each Area in the Division, or a minimum of seven (7) voting judges. In addition to these voting judges, a contest chair, chief judge, tiebreaking judge, two (2) counters, and two (2) timers must be appointed. The chief judge, voting judges, and the tiebreaking judge must not be member of any club in which a contestant is a member. (emphasis added).
3. At District contests, there must be an equal number of voting judges from each Division in the District, or a minimum of seven (7) voting In addition to these voting judges, a contest chair, chief judge, tiebreaking judge, three (3) counters, and two (2) timers must be appointed. The chief judge, voting judge, or tiebreaking judge must not be a member of any club in which a contestant is a member. (emphasis added).

As we recruit volunteers to help conduct our contests, we need to pay attention to these and all the contest rules. It is important to determine both contestants and contest officials if they meet the eligibility requirements before the day of the contest. Everyone who participates in the speech contests in any capacity would benefit from a few minutes to become familiar with the contest rulebook.

We will crown another District 42 International Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest champion at our District Conference on May 3-5 in Regina. Soon we will know who is the “best of the best”.

Chuck LeBlanc, DTM
District Chief Judge 2023-24