Toastmasters International -The Evolution of Speech Contests

2019 World Champion of Public Speaking Aaron Beverly with Past International President Dilip Abayasekara

The speech contest tradition started in 1931 as a high school competition sponsored by Toastmasters. After a few years, members wanted in on the action.

In 1937, the Inter-Club Speech Contest began. Competitors spoke at their club contest, then progressed to an Area contest, and then a District one. Winners there advanced to the International Contest, which was promoted as the high point of the International Convention.

The Inter-Club Speech Contest grew in popularity, and winners were awarded the Dunlap Cup (named in honor of William Dunlap, 1937–1938 International President, an advocate of the event). By the 1960s, the competition was known as the International Speech Contest. In 1976, the final round became known as the World Championship of Public Speaking^®. Over the years, winners have had widely diverse cultural backgrounds.

Today, more than 30,000 Toastmasters compete in a variety of contests, including the Humorous, Evaluation, Tall Tales, Table Topics^®, Online, and International Speech contests. Winners of the District-level International Speech Contest now proceed to the quarterfinal level. Top finishers advance to the semifinals, and those winners compete for the world champion title.