Page 14 - January 2021 Voices

FROM THE DESK

Eldred Brown, DTM - Program Quality Director

Through the next four months, our clubs, contest, you must be a paid member of a club
Areas, and Divisions will conduct the annual in good standing. Eligibility to compete in the
International Speech and Evaluation Contests International Speech Contest requires also that
to send contestants to the District contests in you have completed at least Level 2 in Pathways;

May. To conduct your contests successfully, there if you joined Toastmasters before the rollout
are some rules you must follow and guidelines of Pathways in our region, you are also eligible
you are encouraged to follow. This article will if you’ve given at least six speeches from the
explain some of the highlights of these rules Competent Communication manual. You must

and guidelines. maintain your eligibility at all contest levels, so
you can be disqualified from a Division speech
District 7 Contest Windows contest if contest officials discover that you were

You may conduct your speech and evaluation ineligible to compete in the Area contest you won.

contests within the following time windows for The following persons are ineligible to
each level: compete in any speech contest:
• Club Contests – now thru February 12 • A member serving as a judge beyond the
• Area Contests – February 13 thru March 26 club level for a contest type in which the

• Division Contests – March 27 thru May 1 member wishes to compete. For example,
The District speech and evaluation contests will if you want to compete in your Area’s
be conducted during our annual conference on evaluation contest, you cannot serve as a
May 13-15. judge at another Area’s evaluation contest.

However, in this example, you will not
Official Contest Rules lose your eligibility by serving as a judge

All contests at all levels must be conducted at another Area’s International Speech
following the official 2020-2021 Speech Contest Contest.

Rulebook. Trusting that you all have access to a • Current District Officers and candidates
copy of the Rulebook, I will only highlight some • Immediate Past District Director
of the most important rules here. • Officials of the contest, including the
To be eligible to compete in any speech test speaker—you are not permitted

14 ONE COMMUNITY