Texas Legion State High School Oratorical Contest Application Guide 2026–2027: Requirements & Deadline (USA)

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Overview & Value

The Texas Legion State High School Oratorical Contest is the Texas leg of The American Legion’s national “A Constitutional Speech Contest,” a program running since 1938 that challenges high school students to give public speeches on the US Constitution. Unlike most scholarships on this list, this isn’t a written application judged on paper — it’s a live, multi-round speaking competition, and the scholarship money is earned through performance rather than submitted materials.

The competition runs through five escalating levels: local, district, division, department (state), and national. At the Texas Department level, the top four finishers receive $2,000 (1st), $1,500 (2nd), $1,000 (3rd), and $500 (4th). The Texas Department Champion then has a shot at additional national-level funding — an extra $2,000 for reaching the Quarterfinals, another $2,000 for reaching the Semifinals, and a place in the National Finals, where placements pay $25,000 (1st), $22,500 (2nd), and $20,000 (3rd). Combined, the national program makes up to $203,500 available across all competing states each year.

Differentiating fact: most general scholarship listings simply cite a flat “$2,000, deadline in December” for this contest, without explaining that December 5 is only the local-level deadline — the very first of five rounds. Students who assume there’s a single December application deadline may not realize the real opportunity (and the much larger national prize money) is still months away, running through district and division rounds into February.

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Nationality & Residency Requirements

To meet the Texas Legion State High School Oratorical Contest US citizen requirement, participants must be a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Beyond that, contestants must be legally domiciled within, or attending an educational institution within, the Department (state) they compete in — meaning a Texas contestant needs either Texas residency or enrollment at a Texas school. Contestants may only enter competition through one Department, so a student can’t compete in Texas and another state’s contest in the same year.

Academic & GPA Eligibility Requirements

There is no Texas Legion State High School Oratorical Contest GPA requirement of any kind. This is a pure speech competition — selection is based entirely on delivery, content, knowledge of the assigned topic, and adherence to contest rules, not grades or class rank. That makes this scholarship’s eligibility for undergraduate students (technically, still-in-high-school students headed to undergraduate study) meaningfully different from GPA-gated merit scholarships elsewhere on this list.

Key eligibility criteria:

• Contestants must be under age 20 on the date of the National Contest.
• Contestants must be presently enrolled in high school or junior high school — public, parochial, military, private, charter, or home school — in grades 9 through 12.
• Each participating high school may advance only one contestant to the district level, sponsored through a local American Legion Post.
• Students who graduate early during the school year remain eligible to compete, as long as they are not yet enrolled in college, university, or a trade school.
• To actually receive the Texas Department-level scholarship funds, the winner must enroll in college within one year of high school graduation — a requirement easy to overlook, since it applies after the contest is already won.

Application Materials Needed

Because this is a competition rather than a written application, “materials” mean contest preparation rather than paperwork:

1. A Prepared Oration, an original memorized speech on any aspect of the US Constitution, typically 8–10 minutes long.
2. An Assigned Topic speech, delivered extemporaneously on one of that year’s officially assigned constitutional topics (drawn from specific articles or amendments), typically 3–5 minutes long.
3. A written copy of the Prepared Oration, which Division winners must submit to the Department Chair before competing in the State Finals.
4. Sponsorship through a local American Legion Post, since contests are organized at the Post level before advancing.

Step-by-Step How to Apply

1. Confirm your eligibility — US citizenship or lawful permanent residency, age under 20 at the National Contest, and current enrollment in grades 9–12 at a Texas school (or Texas residency).
2. Contact your local American Legion Post (searchable through legion.org/posts) to find or organize a local contest at your school.
3. Write and memorize your Prepared Oration on an aspect of the Constitution well ahead of the local contest window, which typically opens in early November.
4. Study that year’s Assigned Topics closely, since the extemporaneous speech portion is judged on the spot from officially published topics.
5. Compete at the local level before December 5, the deadline for local contests to be completed for the current cycle.
6. Advance through District (December–January) and Division (January–February) rounds if you place highly enough at each stage.
7. Compete at the Texas Department Finals in mid-February if you win your Division — this is where the $500–$2,000 Texas-level scholarships are awarded.
8. If you win the Texas Department title, continue to the National Contest rounds, where Quarterfinal and Semifinal advancement unlock additional scholarship money on top of a shot at the $20,000–$25,000 National Finals prizes.
9. Enroll in college within one year of high school graduation to actually collect any Texas Department-level award you win.

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Frequently Asked Questions

For more local grants, merit awards, and regional funding across all 50 states, check out our master USA State Scholarships Directory.

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