The KIDCS Public Speaking competition rewards students who can step onto a stage and move an audience. It tests two distinct and essential skills: the ability to craft and deliver a prepared, persuasive speech — and the ability to think and speak clearly when given a topic with just two minutes to prepare.
Competitors are judged on delivery, structure, language, and the depth of engagement they create with their audience. A multi-judge panel scores independently using the KIDCS five-criterion rubric, and scores are averaged to produce a final ranking.
The competition is open to individual students, not teams. Topics span current affairs, social issues, science, culture, and values — drawn from a published list for the Prepared round, and revealed only at draw time for the Impromptu round.
Round Structure
Stage 1
Prepared Speech Round
Each competitor delivers a prepared speech of 5–7 minutes on a topic they have selected from the KIDCS list, submitted at registration. Judges assess delivery, structure, language, and audience engagement.
Stage 2
Impromptu Round
Finalists draw a topic at random and are given 2 minutes to prepare before speaking for up to 3 minutes. This round tests the ability to think on one's feet and organise ideas quickly under pressure.
Stage 3
Final
The top competitors from the Prepared and Impromptu rounds face a combined score panel. The champion is the speaker who scores highest across both dimensions: polished delivery and under-pressure thinking.
How speeches are judged
Five-Criterion Rubric
Judges score each speech across five criteria. Scores are averaged across the panel to produce a final composite result.
Delivery
Voice, pace, projection, eye contact, posture, and use of the speaking space.
Structure
Clear introduction, logical progression of ideas, and a compelling conclusion.
Language
Precision, variety, and appropriateness of vocabulary. Rhetorical devices used effectively.
Engagement
The speaker's ability to hold attention, build rapport with the audience, and create memorable moments.
Content
Depth of knowledge, relevance of examples, and quality of arguments or narrative.
Edition V · 2026
Register Your Speaker
Individual entries are open for Edition V. Register your student, download the topic list for the Prepared round, and submit your topic preference before the deadline.
