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.
2021 National Finals
Congratulations to our 2021 National Finalists:
| Junior Section | Senior Section |
| Catherine Park, Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, NSW | Lucy Brownlie, St Andrew’s Cathedral School, NSW |
| Grace Gregson, St Michael’s Collegiate, TAS | Jack Oates Pryor, Scotch Oakburn College, TAS |
| Lily Azli, Concordia College, SA | Zachary Pope, Naracoorte High School, SA |
| Domenico Cocco, St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown, NSW | Nicola Allen, Sydney Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, NSW |
Unfortunately due to COVID restrictions, the National finalists will be unable to travel to Adelaide for the National Final. The winners will be determined by the adjudicators viewing the recordings from the Zone Finals. The decision will be announced at a special zoom presentation on Saturday July 31st. Due to lockdowns, Victoria was unable to complete their finals so will not be represented this year.
We thank the 800 students who participated in Rostrum Voice of Youth in 2021 and the teachers and schools for their support. Rostrum members look forward to providing students with this opportunity again next year, which will culminate in the 2022 National Final in Sydney.
Resources
The following resources are provided for all competitors.
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.