What are the eligibility requirements?

• To be eligible to compete in any official Toastmasters speech contest, a member must:

  • Be a paid member of a club in the Area, Division, and District in which they are competing.

    • The club must also be in good standing

    • A new, dual, or reinstated member must have dues and membership application current with World Headquarters.

  • Maintain eligibility at all levels of any contest. If at any level it is determined that a contestant was ineligible to compete at any previous level, the contestant must be disqualified. This disqualification must occur even if the ineligibility is discovered at a later level and has been corrected.

• In addition, to be eligible to compete in the International Speech Contest, a member must:

  • Have earned certificates of completion in Levels 1 and 2 of any path in the Toastmasters Pathways learning experience or earned a Distinguished Toastmaster award.

    • If a club chartered less than one (1) year before the club contest, charter members are permitted to compete without having completed this requirement. The club must have officially chartered before the Area contest.

 

What does a club being in "good standing" mean?

The club is not suspended or closed. If a club is suspended for low membership, it must be reinstated to be considered in good standing. It must have at least 8 paid members for the current renewal period, with at least 3 of those members renewing. If a contestant's club is no longer in good standing at the time of a given contest, they are not eligible to compete; they may no longer continue to compete in that contest.

 

Example: John Toast wins his Division International Speech Contest in March 2026. Unfortunately, the club he is representing, Low Mem TM, only has 7 members renew by March 31. If Low Mem TM does not regain "good standing" status by the time of the District 2 contest, he will not be eligible to compete in the District contest. The next eligible winner from his Division contest who is available will compete in his stead.

 

What is the "substantially original" requirement?

Twenty-five percent or less of the speech may be devoted to quoting, paraphrasing, or referencing another person’s content. Any quoted, paraphrased, or referenced content must be so identified during the speech presentation.

 

Contestants must not reference another contestant, or a speech presented by another contestant, during their speech at the same contest in which they are competing.

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Example: Contestant 3 in the Area 12 Humorous Speech Contest must not reference another contest or their speech in the Area 12 Humorous Speech Contest. They may reference a contestant in the Area 11 Humorous Speech Contest [joint contest] or the Area 12 International Speech Contest. We do not recommend that contestants make this a habit as they could accidentally reference a contestant in the same contest in which they are competing; they are then subject to disqualification should a contestant or voting judge lodge a protest with the Chief Judge.

 

What are the timing requirements for the speech contests?

Five (5) to seven (7) minutes with a +/- 30 second grace period. Green timing signal at five (5) minutes; Yellow timing signal at six (6) minutes; Red timing signal at seven (7) minutes. The red timing signal will remain on until the contestant finishes their speech; there will be no indication given if the contestant goes over-time, i.e., greater than seven minutes and thirty seconds (> 7:30).

 

When do the Contest Timers start and stop timing a contestant's speech?

When they verbally or visually engage the audience and when they verbally or visually conclude their speech, respectively.

 

Visually impaired contestants should inform the contest chair of their need for audible time signals from the Contest Timer.

 

What will disqualify a contestant during a contest?

• Timing - Outside of the minimum or maximum time limits (including the grace period); if there is a timing device or timing signal failure, the Chief Judge may grant the affected contestant an additional 30 seconds of grace period.

• Eligibility

• Originality, including references to another contestant or their speech in the same contest

 

Who may lodge a protest during a contest?

Only a contestant or a voting judge may lodge a protest for eligibility or originality with the Contest Chair or Chief Judge. Any protest must be lodged prior to the conclusion of the contest. The decision of the majority of voting judges is final.

 

Who is NOT eligible to be a contestant in a speech contest?

• Someone serving as any contest official in the same contest.

• Someone serving as a chief judge, voting judge, or tiebreaking judge at any level, in any District, in the same contest type. For instance, Jane Public serves as a judge for a neighboring Area's International Speech contest. She may not compete in the International Speech Contest during that contest season. She is not barred from competing in the Humorous Speech contest.

• Someone who is a presenter of an education session, a contest chair, a contest Toastmaster, or an event committee chair for the event at which the contest will be held, including Area, Division, and District events, as well as the International Convention.

• District (or higher) Officers and announced Candidates:

  • Incumbent International Officers and Directors

  • Region Advisors or Region Advisor applicants

  • District officers whose terms expire June 30:

    • District Director

    • Program Quality Director

    • Club Growth Director

    • Administration Manager

    • Finance Manager

    • Public Relations Manager

    • Division Director

    • Area Director

  • International Officer and Director candidates

  • Immediate Past District Directors

  • Candidates for District positions elected by the District Council for the term beginning the upcoming July 1.

 

Can a contestant compete in more than one Area contest?

No. While a member may compete in every club in which they are a member, the member may only compete in one Area contest even if they belong to clubs in different districts. A member may compete in more than one Area contest for different contest types. For example, Jason Brown may compete in District 2, Area 23's Humorous Speech Contest and in District 21, Area 12's International Speech Contest.

 

Are there any unusual requirements at the District International Speech contest?

Yes. The winner of the District International Speech contest will have their recorded speech submitted to Toastmasters International for the video Quarterfinals. This is why contestants at the District International Speech contest must submit a completed Video Release Form (Item 1193) to the Contest Chair prior to the contest. Contestants must be mindful of the marked speaking area to avoid leaving the visible framing of the video camera; this will disqualify a contestant at the Quarterfinal level.

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Are there any forms that contestants must submit prior to the contest?

At each level of competition, a contestant must submit a completed and signed Speaker's Certification of Eligibility and Originality and

Speech Contestant Profile to the Chief Judge [either directly or via the Contest Chair] prior to the contest. If the contestant competes in multiple contest types (e.g., International Speech and Humorous Speech), they must submit a completed Speaker's Certification of Eligibility and Originality and Speech Contestant Profile for each contest type.

 

International Speech contestants should retain a copy of their Speaker's Certification of Eligibility and Originality form from each level of competition. Should a contestant in the International Speech contest win at the District level, having those forms available will be helpful for the Quarterfinals and beyond.​​