53 youth headed to Indianapolis for National Oratorical Contest
Andrew Steinberg of Massachusetts won the 2017 American Legion National Oratorical finals on Sunday, April 23, 2017 in Indianapolis. Photo by Clay Lomneth / The American Legion.

53 youth headed to Indianapolis for National Oratorical Contest

The field is set for The American Legion's 2018 National Oratorical Contest, where 53 high school orators will speak on the U.S. Constitution and compete for a top-three finish to earn $48,000 in scholarships.

The students won their respective post, district and department-level Oratorical Contest to earn a spot in the national contest, which will be held at the Wyndham Indianapolis West April 14-15.

See a list of the 53 orators here.

The contest will begin April 14 with the young orators competing in the quarterfinals; the top nine contestants will advance to the semifinals. During both sessions, the contestants will present a rehearsed eight- to 10-minute oration on an aspect of the Constitution in front of judges, as well as a three- to five-minute speech on an assigned topic discourse — a phase of the Constitution selected from its Articles and Sections.

The top three semifinal contestants will advance to the championship finals on April 15 at 10 a.m. (EDT). The finals will be live streamed on the Legion's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/americanlegionhq.