99th Annual Oratorical Contest

Witte Museum (3801 Broadway)

  • Save To Calendar 02/23/2024 9:00 am America/Chicago 99th Annual Oratorical Contest

Theme

Chiseled in Stone - Iconic Texas Architecture

Contest History

Held annually since 1926, the Battle of Flowers® Oratorical Contest is the oldest continuous university and college-level forensic competition in the state of Texas. The competition’s purpose is to perpetuate appreciation of the history of Texas. Every year, the event awards generous monetary prizes to its five (5) top finalists and to the department of each top three (3) winners’ university advisor.

2024 Oratorical Contest

In accordance with the mission of the Battle of Flowers® Association, the 99th Annual Oratorical Contest Committee invites Texas collegiate students to select, research and prepare a speech on an iconic piece of Texas Architecture, in accordance with the Contest Rules & Topic Guidelines. The speeches will be presented on Friday, February 23, 2024 at the Witte Museum in San Antonio.

To participate in the Oratorical Contest is a prestigious honor for students, and it offers a great opportunity to celebrate the unique history and culture of Texas. More than $10,000 in monetary awards will be distributed among the top five (5) student finalists.

  • 1st Place: $5,000
  • 2nd Place: $2,500
  • 3rd Place: $1,500
  • 4th Place: $1,000
  • 5th Place: $750

In addition, the university department of each of the top three (3) winning students’ Faculty Advisor will receive monetary awards.   

  • 1st Place: $2,500
  • 2nd Place: $1,500
  • 3rd Place: $1,000

Other benefits include:

  • Contestants who have delivered their entire speech by memory during the preliminary round, but are not chosen for the final round will each receive an award of $250.
  • The contest winner will deliver his or her speech to an audience of 500 dignitaries and Association members at the Battle of Flowers Association Annual Luncheon to be held during Fiesta.
  • The contest winner will be a VIP Dignitary guest at the Battle of Flowers Band Festival to be held during Fiesta on the evening of Thursday, April 25, 2024.
  • The contest winner will ride in a special Dignitary vehicle in the Battle of Flowers Parade, one of the oldest parades in the nation, through downtown San Antonio on Friday, April 26, 2024. This is the second-oldest parade in the nation, the largest parade produced entirely by women, and is televised to over 1 million people.
  • Copies of the first and second place speeches will be archived in the Battle of Flowers Association’s permanent records.”

Interested students should complete the following Entry Form: 2024 Battle of Flowers Oratorical Contest Application Packet. Entries must be submitted on or before 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. We welcome your interest in our historic Oratorical Contest. For questions, please reach out to our main point of contact and University Liaison, Lisa Ray.

Donate

Your support of our contest enables us to make significant prize money available to our winning students. Please email here to get information on how to sponsor our contest or one of our winner’s scholarships.

Past Contests

Click here to view our 2022 winners.