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.***

Area 10
March 14, 2026
Location and Time - TBD
Area 11
Date, Location and Time - TBD
Area 12
Date, Location and Time - TBD
Area 13
March 7, 2026
Location and Time - TBD
Area 14
Date, Location and Time - TBD
Division A Contest
March 28, 2026
Location and Time TBD
Combined Areas 21 & 22 Contests
February 28, 2026
Peoria Library, Peoria, IL
Times - TBD
Combined Areas 20, 23 & 24 Contests
March 7, 2026
Bloomington
Location and Times - TBD
Division B Contest
April 11, 2026
Bloomington
Location and Times - TBD
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.