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Global Speech Contest 2025 Prompt
How can great leaders unite others?
Reflect on specific examples—either from your own personal experience or from leaders you have observed—of using leadership to bring people together. Share stories or examples that demonstrate how leaders build trust and cohesion in your school or community.
Categories
Individual Ages
5-10:
Spoken or Visual
Individual Ages
11-15:
Spoken or Visual
Individual Ages
16-19:
Spoken or Visual
School/
Classroom:
Spoken or Visual
Spoken vs. Visual
Spoken
Answer all parts of the contest prompt with a traditional speech, song, poem, or any form of spoken entry.
Visual
Answer all parts of the contest prompt with a photograph of your visual art piece like a sculpture, painting, graphic design, comic, etc. Please submit a short video along with the photograph of your art piece explaining how the art piece encompasses all aspects of the contest prompt.
Judging Processs
Following the submission deadline, several regional winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. The regional winners will receive a special certificate and will be featured on the Leader in Me blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube Channel.
From the group of regional winners, seven (7) grand prize winners will be selected by a panel of judges. One (1) popular vote winner will be determined by receiving the most number of votes.
PLEASE NOTE: Popular votes only count if the vote is submitted through this platform via the "Vote Now" button. This voting will take place April 26, 2025 - May 2, 2025. Votes or "likes" submitted through social media platforms will not count towards the popular vote contest.
Individual – ages 5-10:
Two (2) grand prize winners (one in each entry category, visual or spoken) will receive a $750 leadership grant.
Individual – ages 11-15:
Two (2) grand prize winners (one in each entry category, visual or spoken) will receive a $750 leadership grant.
Individual – ages 16-19:
Two (2) grand prize winners (one in each entry category, visual or spoken) will receive a $750 leadership grant.
School and/or classroom:
One (1) grand prize winner (across both entry categories, visual and spoken) will receive a $1,000 leadership grant.
Popular Vote:
One (1) popular vote winner will receive a $500 USD leadership grant. This winner will be selected by votes cast by students, friends and family through the contest entry platform. Winners in the individual, school, or families categories are not eligible to win the popular vote category.
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RULES AND GUIDELINES
Who is eligible to participate?
Any student worldwide (ages 5 to 19) that attends a licensed Leader in Me school is eligible to participate. Parents and guardians are encouraged to assist, but the student must do the majority of the work!
Step 1: Prepare a Great Message or Piece
Be sure to answer the prompt fully and and address ALL the questions and prompts included.
Seek permission and/or credit the source of any third-party content referenced in your speech or visual piece.
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RULES AND GUIDELINES
Step 2: Determine Your Entry Category
Individual
This entry video or artwork is led by and features an individual Leader in Me student. The student may have help and support from their family or school.
There are three (3) individual entry categories: ages 5-10, ages 11-15, and ages 16-19.
Students can only qualify to win in one (1) entry category.
School
This entry video or artwork is led by and features a classroom, a small team of students, or even an entire school. All students involved in the entry must be featured.
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RULES AND GUIDELINES
Step 3: How to Present Your Results
Think of creative ways to make the spoken or visual entry memorable, engaging, and unique.
For spoken submissions, maintain consistent eye contact, use appropriate gestures, and speak clearly with expression.
Consider visuals, such as slides, posters, a unique background, or objects, that might strengthen your message.
For visual submissions, demonstrate artistic abilities, make meaningful leadership connections, and use creative mediums to connect to the prompt.
For the supporting artwork video, follow guidelines for spoken submissions.
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RULES AND GUIDELINES
Make Your Entry
• Spoken entry should be no longer than three (3) minutes in length.
• Visual entry should include photo of artwork and explaination video (no longer than one (1) minute).
• Make sure you film in a quiet location.
• Submissions must be in standard video formats, such as: MOV (.mov), MPEG-4 (.mp4), FLV (.flv), or WMV (.wmv).
• The entry must not include third-party intellectual property or copyright-protected content, like logos on shirts or branded products visible in background or songs. Your entry will be be disqualified if it includes third-party intellectual property or copyright-protected content.
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RULES AND GUIDELINES
Step 4: Submit Your Entry
• Complete the official entry form.
• Print and upload a signed release form from a parent or guardian for each student appearing in the video.
• Teachers - if you are submitting entries on behalf of your students, the entry must be in the student’s name, not yours.
• Enter via YouTube or upload speech in an acceptable video format.
• Entry indicates participants and parents or guardians agree to give FranklinCovey ownership of video content.
WHAT IS A LEADERSHIP GRANT?
Consider ways that you can make a difference.
The purpose of a leadership grant is to inspire and enable students to be life-ready leaders by using the grant to make a difference within their circle of influence. A leadership grant will be awarded by FranklinCovey to students who are selected as winners in this year's student speech contest. As participants work to develop a speech, they should consider what they would do with the leadership grant if awarded the prize. The decision is up to the student, but here are a few suggestions to make a difference as a leader:
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Identify and fix a problem that exists at school.
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Donate the money to a charitable contribution.
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Purchase personal school supplies.
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Help a class member or family in need.
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Contribute to a college fund.
About Us!
For nearly three decades, FranklinCovey Education, a division of FranklinCovey, has been one of the world's most prominent and trusted providers of educational leadership programs and transformational processes. Our mission is to enable greatness in students, educators, and school communities everywhere. The FranklinCovey Education team is primarily composed of outstanding former teachers and administrators at various education levels, and those from organizations that share a belief in and commitment to helping students achieve their potential, improving school culture and increasing school effectiveness.
FranklinCovey's offerings, books, methodologies, and tools have been utilized by thousands of public and private primary, secondary, and postsecondary schools and institutions, including educational service centers and vocational schools in all 50 states in the U.S. and in over 150 countries.
