Speech topics

One topic per age category. Find yours below, read the full prompt carefully, and make sure your speech clearly responds to it.

Category 1 · Ages 5 to 9

“If I could solve one problem in the world”

There are so many challenges in the world today, from pollution and hunger to loneliness and inequality. If you had the power to solve just one problem, what would it be? Explain the problem you would choose, why it matters to you, and how you would begin to solve it. Think big or think local. Maybe you want to clean up the oceans, or maybe you want to make sure no student eats lunch alone. Be specific, be passionate, and convince your audience that your cause deserves attention.

Category 2 · Ages 10 to 14

“The skill that school doesn't teach but everyone needs”

School teaches us math, science, and history, but some of the most important skills in life aren't found in any textbook. Identify one skill you believe everyone needs but that isn't formally taught in most classrooms. It could be something practical like financial literacy or cooking, something emotional like handling failure or setting boundaries, or something social like navigating difficult conversations. Explain why this skill matters, share examples of how its absence affects people, and propose how young people today can start learning it.

Good to know

Before you start writing

Speeches are 2 to 5 minutes for both categories. Staying within time avoids point deductions.
Creative spins are welcome, as long as the speech clearly responds to the prompt for your category.
Your category is based on your age on November 7, 2026, the date of the live final.

For the full speech rules, judging criteria, and prizes, see the competition details.

Picked your angle? Enter the competition.

Free to enter. Ages 5 to 14. Round 1 videos are due September 30, 2026.