2026 Pierce County Speech Contest

The Public Speaking Contest will be held at 7 p.m. on April 13th, 2026, at the Pierce County Extension Meeting Room. Registration for the event is due on April 6th, 2026, by calling (402) 329-4821 or emailing bkolterman2@unl.edu with your name, whether doing a speech or Illustrated Presentation or PSA or both, the title of the speech and age division. The top five contestants in each of the junior, intermediate and senior divisions of each category (Speech & PSA & Illustrated Presentation) are eligible to represent Pierce County at the state-level communication contests on June 16th and June 17th in Lincoln.

Speech Category Guidelines: The Prepared Speech contest provides youth the opportunity to write and prepare a speech on a topic related to their 4-H experience. The judge will view the speech and evaluate based on the subject, organization, and delivery of the speech.

Judging rubric can be found at: https//go.unl.edu/speechrubric

• Length :
  • Junior Division (age 8-10): 2-3 minutes
  • Intermediate Division (ages 11-13): 3-5 minutes
  • Senior Division (age 14-18): 5-8 minutes
    • For Senior Division only, judges will deduct three points from the score for every 30 seconds under or over the time limit.
• Only individuals may compete in this class; no team entries are allowed
• All speeches must be original and include 4-H as the major component of the speech.
• Clover Buds - 4-Hers 5-7 years. May read a poem or story, or talk to the audience about any topic they choose. May be written by 4-Her or someone else. Suggested length: under 2 minutes.

Illustrated Presentation Category Guidelines: An Illustrated Presentation is a live presentation with a formal talk where youth will use visual aids (such as props, posters, computer-based visuals, handouts, video, etc.) to show and tell others how to do something. The judge views the entire presentation and engages in a question-and-answer session following the presentation.

Judging rubric can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/illustratedpres

• Length
  • Individual - Junior Division: 3-5 minutes
  • Individual - Intermediate and Senior Divisions: 6-8 minutes
  • Team - Junior Division: 5-7 minutes
  • Team - Intermediate and Senior Divisions: 8-10 minutes
  • Participants will be penalized if their presentation exceeds the time limit
• An Illustrated Presentation may be given by one (1) individual or a team of two (2) individuals. If team members are not in the same age division, they must complete in the age division of the oldest team member.
• All presentation topics should be related to what the 4-H youth is learning through 4-H educational experiences.
• Presentations should include an introduction (the "why" portion of the topic), a body (the "show and tell" portion of the topic), and a conclusion/summary (the "what" portion of the topic).

Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA): The Radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest challenges youth to write and record a 60-second promotional audio recording focused on a yearly theme that could be played on the radio to promote the work of Nebraska 4-H. Youth are judged on their overall organization and delivery of the PSA. Judging rubric can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/psarubric

• Length: 60 seconds
• Only individuals may compete in this class; no team entries are allowed.
• Youth will prepare a PSA around the theme: “Ready Today, Leading Tomorrow”
• All radio PSA's must promote 4-H and be general enough to be used anywhere in Nebraska at any time of the year.
• All 4-H PSA's must include the following tagline within the last 10 seconds of the PSA: "Learn more about the Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development Program at 4h.unl.edu." The tagline is included in the 60-second time limit.
• Sound effects and public-domain music may be used. Copyrighted material may not be used.
• All PSA's must be the original work of the presenter. Contestants may not use PSA's written and provided by the state or national staff.
• PSA entries will be submitted electronically in a .wav or .mp3 audio format along with the registration form