Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter And Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund, Inc.
2018 MLK Oratorical Contest Guidelines and Application Form
Dear Friends,
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Xi Alpha Lambda Prince William County Chapter and the Ira Dorsey Scholarship Endowment Fund proudly present the 3rd Annual Bro. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratorical Contest on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at the Waterford Springfield, 6715 Commerce Street, Springfield, VA 22150. This year the theme of the contest is: “A Mountaintop View.” The Oratorical Contest is open to students ages 14 through 18. Please see below the oratorical contest guidelines. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: Sidney Evans, (571) 264-3910, [email protected]; or Ron Atwater, (909)743- 3892, [email protected].
Contest Guidelines We invite students from DMV area high schools to participate by creating an original speech based on this year’s theme. Four finalists will be selected. The finalists must deliver their speeches to a public audience, with minimal reference to notes, for the competition. Prior to the competition, the finalists will participate in preliminary speech reviews. Finalists will also be given an opportunity to receive coaching by an assigned mentor who will assist strengthening speech content and honing presentation skills. All speeches must have original content and be no more than 1,000 words in length (5-7 minutes).
On the day of the event, finalists will be expected to arrive at the Waterford at Springfield no later than 9:15 AM. A copy of the essay or speech, typed and double-spaced, must be presented to the Chief Judge upon arrival. A parent or guardian must accompany each finalist. Finalists are encouraged to extend invitations to members of their family, classmates, teachers, churches and friends.
Students interested in competing may register by completing the enclosed registration form, which includes a copy of the rules, requirements, and judging criteria.
Essay Question: Dr. King’s "I Have Been to the Mountaintop" speech, delivered in Memphis, Tennessee the night before he was assassinated, was selected by American Rhetoric as the 15th best American political speech of the 20th Century (Lucas & Medhurst, 2008). Dr. King began his speech by stating that “something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.” Dr. King imagined a conversation with the Almighty in which when asked to be able to live his life in any time in history, he still chose the second half of the 20th century because all of the societal changes occurring in America and the world. In planning for a march in Memphis in support of sanitation workers, Dr. King acknowledged that the struggle for civil rights was not just about voting rights, and access to public accommodations and equal education for African- Americans. Dr. King only mentioned the mountaintop once: in the final minute of the speech. He said he looked over and saw the Promised Land, and he prophetically (and sadly) acknowledged that he may not get there, but that “we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”
The “mountaintop” speech can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ixfwGLxRJU8, and a transcript is available at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm. Please review both, consider the historical context in which Dr. King operated in the 1950s and 1960s, along with events that have occurred in the 50 years since Dr. King’s death to address the following key points/questions in your speech:
Describe the promised land Dr. King saw on the other side of the mountaintop. Over the 50 years since the speech, describe the progress American society has made toward fulfilling Dr. King’s vision. As a young adult in 2017-18, what does the view from the mountaintop look like, and what can you and others of your generation do to get us to the Promised Land?
Essay Criteria: The essay must be 800 to 1,000 words in length, should be delivered in eight to ten minutes, and should contain the following:
An introduction, which identifies the subject and contains an explanation of the writer’s position. The objective is to demonstrate an understanding of the essay question and show that a response (position) has been formed.
A body, which develops the argument from the writer’s point of view. This part of the essay should clearly articulate the position of the writer and reasons for that position.
A conclusion, which summarizes the essay and restates the writer’s position.
Evaluation of Essays: The top four essay finalists will be selected from the field of applicants and required to present their essays competitively during the MLK Oratorical Contest on January 13, 2018 at the Waterford Events Center in Springfield, Virginia. Finalists will be evaluated by a panel of judges using the following criteria:
Focus: Examines how well the essay responds to the various parts of the question. Organization: Looks at the structure of the essay and the strength of the position taken.
Conclusions: Examines how well the essay is summarized and closing thoughts presented.
Voice: Considers how well the essay engages the reader. Does the essay fully capture the reader’s attention?
Style and Mechanics: Examines how well the essay is written in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation, word-use and sentence structure.
Oral Presentation: Examines how well the orator presents their essay to an audience.
Deadline for submission: A typed copy of the written speech and the Oratorical Contest entry form must be mailed and postmarked or email stamped to [email protected] no later than December 20, 2017. The entry form must be completed and signed by parent(s) and mailed no later than the same date in order to be eligible.
Contest Awards/Recognition: Upon completion of essay presentations at the MLK Oratorical Contest, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and given monetary awards valued at $500, $300, and $200 respectively.
*Entry Form Below* Speech Contestant Information
Name______
Parent’s Name______
Age______School______Grade______
Home Address
______
______
Telephone Number______
Email Address______
Parent Signature______
Please send a typed copy of your essay AND the Speech Contestant Information page to:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Xi Alpha Lambda Chapter Attn: MLK Oratorical Contest Committee P.O. Box 10371 Alexandria, VA 22310
or