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About The Contest
About The Contest
The American Legion’s National High School Oratorical Scholarship Program, also known as “A Constitutional Speech Contest,” aims to instill a more profound knowledge and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution in high school students. Through this program, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, preparing them for the responsibilities of American citizenship. Participants compete for scholarships at both the state and national levels, with the ultimate goal of fostering a well-informed and articulate youth.
CATHAY POST #186
CONSTITUTIONAL SPEECH CONTEST 2026
Cathay Post #186 has a mission of supporting our local community and its youth. One way we do this is by sponsoring up to four contestants to the Washington State Constitutional Speech Contest of 2026 for high school students. The competition will take place at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake on March 27-28, 2026. The four finalists will earn scholarships totaling $5,000 ($2,000/$1,500/$1,000/$500).
Eligibility and contest rules can be found on the Washington State American Legion website:
https://waconstitutionalspeechcontest.org/.
Interested high school students must submit their completed application form to Cathay Post #186 to the following email address: info@cathaypost186.org by February 1, 2026 along with a video of two speeches: their prepared 8 to 10 minute speech and the 3 to 5 minute speech on one of the assigned topics. Contact us to find out which assigned topic you will be given for your video. Cathay Post #186 as the sponsoring organization will pay the $150 sponsorship fee.
Your video will be evaluated using the Criteria for Certification form found on the Washington State American Legion website. If the video meets the criteria, your application will be forwarded to the Washington State American Legion. If, however, your video does not meet the necessary criteria, you will be given the opportunity to redo your video. The deadline for certification is February 15, 2026.
Contact us at info@cathaypost186.org if you any questions.
Cathay post's Orator is national champion
Cathay post's Orator is national champion
May 19, 2024 – Our high school contestant, Aubrey Jane Moore, has won the American Legion National Finals Oratorical contest, earning a $25,000 scholarship!
Everyone who competed in the national competition are winners, and we congratulate them all.
A.J. was proudly sponsored by American Legion Cathay Post 186 - Seattle, WA, and we couldn't be prouder. We're pretty sure this is the first time in our post's history that we have had a national winner!
Way to go, AJ!
CATHAY POST'S ORATOR IS STATE CHAMPION!
March 2023 – Emma Lo is the 2023 Washington State American Legion Oratorical Champion! Emma is sponsored by Cathay Post #186 and she won the state oratorical contest on March 11 at Moses Lake, Washington. Emma won a $2,000 scholarship by the Department of Washington and an expenses-paid trip to Indianapolis to compete in the National Oratorical Contest and share in the $203,000 scholarship pool to be awarded there in April.
In Her Own Words..... By Emma Lo
"My speech addresses the importance of the Federalist Papers in a proper understanding of the Constitution. Without the Federalist Papers, we cannot appreciate the reasoning and thought that went into the creation of the balance of power for the separate branches of the government as well as the relationship between the federal and state governments. In light of this, we need to ensure that our education systems are not ignoring these important documents in their curriculum for students.
I am heavily involved in NCFCA Speech and Debate and have been for five years. This season I am competing in Team Policy debate and four different speech events, and I also had the privilege to teach Lincoln-Douglas debate alongside another student for my club. Other than speech and debate, I played tennis on the Varsity Tennis team for my local highschool during my freshman year. During my sophomore year I taught formal logic to middle school students. For all of my highschool years I have worked as a tutor, tutoring students in math, science, logic and english. After highschool, I plan to attend college with the aim of entering the STEM field, most likely in the area of biotech.
I am so honored to be able to go to the National Competition to represent Washington state. The American Legion is a wonderful organization for creating a scholarship competition that encourages students to understand and appreciate America's foundation, and I'm thankful I get to be a part of it."
Congratulations Emma! We wish you the very best at Nationals!
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The purpose of The American Legion’s National High School Oratorical Contest is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part of high school students. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently, and the preparation for acceptance of the duties and responsibilities, the rights and privileges of American citizenship. For more information about the program go to:
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