District 54 will conduct the International Speech Contest and the Tall Tales Speech Contest in 2026. All contests will be held in person.
Contests are a great opportunity for members of our clubs to showcase the best speakers as they compete, starting at the club level.
To be eligible to compete, a member must be a paid member of a club in the Area, Division, and District in which they are competing, and the club must be in good standing (minimum of 8 paid members). For the International Speech Contest, the contestant must also have completed Levels 1 and 2 in a Path or have earned a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award.
Contest dates will be posted below. If you would like to assist in any of these contests, please contact your Division or Area Director.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT UPCOMING CHIEF JUDGE TRAINING!!
***Clubs must complete their contests by February 15, 2026.***

Combined Area 10 & 14 Contest
March 14, 2026
Location and Time - TBD
Area 11 Contest
Date, Location and Time - TBD
Area 12 Contest
Date, Location and Time - TBD
Area 13 Contest
March 7, 2026
Messiah Lutheran Church (40 Houbolt Rd, Joliet IL) Briefings at 10:30 am and contest at 11 am.
Division A Contest
March 28, 2026
Location and Time TBD
Combined Areas 21 & 22 Contests
February 28, 2026
Spring Bay American Legion
500 Legion Ln, East Peoria, IL
Doors open at 9:30 with briefings starting at 10
contest starting at 10:30
Combined Areas 20, 23 & 24 Contests
March 7, 2026
American Legion Hall (207 W Hely St, Towanda)
Doors open at 1, briefings at 1:30,
Speech contests start at 2:00
Division B Contest
April 11, 2026
American Legion Hall (207 W Hely St, Towanda)
Doors open at 1, briefings at 1:30,
Speech contests start at 2:00
All the forms you need for any of the speech contests are right here at your fingertips! The below link goes to the TI website, where you can select and download the desired contest kit.
This rulebook contains contest rules and checklists for the Contest Chair, Chief Judge and Contestant.
This document is step by step plan for speech contests including before, during and after the event. It also includes guides for briefing contestants, judges and other functionaries, as well as tips for virtual contests.
Noel Ganay conducted a webinar in 2024 to help clubs understand how to conduct a quality speech contest. The PowerPoint he used in the webinar can be dowloaded below.
Christinae Evans presented a very informative webinar session on Chief Judge Training, including Hints and Tips from the Speech Contest Rulebook and Experienced Toastmasters. The PowerPoint she used in the webinar can be dowloaded below.