Rostrum Voice of Youth
Rostrum's Student Development Program for Secondary School Students.
Rostrum has organised the Voice of Youth speaking competition since 1975 to contribute to the welfare and personal growth of Australian youth.
Competition Details
The competition is divided into Junior and Senior Divisions. Junior students must be at least 11 and in years 7,8 or 9 as at 1st January. Senior students must be under 18 years of age and in years 10, 11 or 12 at 1st January.
Seniors speak for eight minutes and Juniors for six minutes.
Participants prepare and present a speech on one of the set topics.
You start at State Level
Each state runs its own set of heats and finals. Competition dates and entry requirements vary from state to state - refer to your state information page for more detail. Entry and heat information is provided by the state Voice of Youth co-ordinator.
Eligibility
The Competition is open to Secondary School Students who meet the age requirements and is conducted in Senior and Junior divisions. Many schools conduct their own competitions to determine the students who will enter the Rostrum event.
A message regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
We are pleased to announce that the Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition is back in 2021, having been cancelled last year due to the COVID virus (with the exception of Tasmania). Our primary aim is to protect the health, safety and well-being of all those involved in the competition as competitors, officials, teachers or supporters. Accordingly, please note that by entering the Voice of Youth, you are agreeing to abide by the COVID-Safe protocols of the competition and of the individual schools hosting the heats. Further details (which may vary between venues) will be provided prior to each heat/ regional final.
Resources
The following resources are provided for all competitors.
National Finals
The 2019 National Finals were held in Hobart in July.
For more pictures see the photo gallery
2019 RVOY National Final Results
| Junior Section | Senior Section |
| Rebecca Heape, Mt Gravatt State High School (Queensland) Louise Tamer, Emmanuel College (Vic) Scarlett Morante, Merewether High School (NSW) |
Chantal Duffy, All Hallows' School (Qld) William Maligin, St Kevin’s College (Vic) George McNamara, Merewether High School (NSW) |
2020 RVOY
Due to COVID, Tasmania was the only state to hold the competition in 2020.
Congratulations to Dean Power (Scotch Oakburn College) who was the senior winner and Oscar Tiernan (Launceston Church Grammar School) who was the junior winner.
Sponsors
The Development Program is funded by sponsors from Government and Business.
Various sponsors support the program in each state and also the national final.
Organisation
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for sponsorship enquiries or regarding national information about the program and competition. Contact your own state contact for your state competition information.
Rostrum members organise the competition nation-wide and are active in the roles of adjudicators and timekeepers. They also chair the various meetings at which heats and finals are conducted. Because of the high and increasing number of entries, Rostrum seeks and receives assistance from many other community organisations in the conduct of the competition in those regions in which Rostrum does not have sufficient representation.
Voice of Youth Honour Roll
Finalists are entered in the Honour Roll.
Apply to join the Rostrum Voice of Youth facebook group - the group name is RVOY Past and Present - and follow Rostrum Voice of Youth on Facebook.
Students and schools should contact their state coordinator for general enquiries.