Do you have a strong opinion on the pandemic, global warming, sustainability, gender equality, women in politics, or animal welfare?
Whatever the topic, it might be a fit for this year’s EU Direct Letterkenny Soapbox Competition which is now open for entries.
The theme of this year’s public speaking competition is: ‘Lies, damned lies and statistics – establishing the truth is impossible in today’s world of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda.’
The public speaking competition is now in its 10th year and local winners proceed to the national finals in December.
Fiona Truelove, Senior Assistant Librarian, Central Library, Letterkenny says that the event provides a great platform for hobbyist public speakers, those seeking to improve their confidence, or those with a passion for a particular topic.
“Over the years we have had hundreds of entries from people of all ages and we want to encourage local people from across the county to enter the 2021 event. There is so much that could be debated on this theme, but of course, we leave that to our entrants.
Previous applicants have come from schools, speech and drama groups, Toastmasters, businesses, community groups, representative organisations, individuals with a passion, and other organisations. It really is open to anyone who wants to give voice to a topic they care deeply about and that fits into our theme.”
All speech recordings will be assessed by a panel of independent judges and equal marks awarded for content, delivery, structure and overall impact.
How to submit an entry
Contestants will compete in one of two categories: 1) 16 and under; 2) 17 and over. A regional winner from each category will be selected to go forward to the national final.
You are advised to record your three-minute (maximum) video on a smartphone, iPad or on your desktop computer and send along with the official application form to eudirect@donegallibrary.ie.
Entries for this year’s Soapbox competition close on Thursday,18th November.
The Europe Direct Letterkenny 2021 Soapbox Competition will be streamed on Tuesday 23rd November on the Donegal County Library Facebook Page and on the Donegal Library website. All entries videos will be shown and the winners will be announced during the event. There are great prizes on offer for the winners.
The regional winning entries will be submitted to the national final. A national panel of judges will review regional winning entries in advance of the national final which will take place on the 9th December 2021.
For more information and to download the application form log onto https://www.librariesireland.ie/services/europe-direct.
