NEW ULM — The Optimist Club of New Ulm is encouraging area students to speak their minds about the topic “Just Imagine a World Without Boundaries” as part of the Optimist International Oratorical Contest for the 2019-2020 year.

The Optimist Club will judge the local students’ speeches based on content and presentation to determine the top winners. Winners will receive awards and the winning speeches will be sent to the Zone level, and possibly the District level for the opportunity to win college scholarships.

Winners of the District level will be eligible to compete in a regional competition in St. Louis Missouri at Saint Louis University. Winners of the regional contests will compete in the World Championship also held at Saint Louis University. Students could possibly win up to $22,500 in scholarships. The contest is open to students under the age of 19 as of October 1, 2019.

“As they prepare for their future, many of our local students need experience expressing their thoughts and opinions to an audience,” Club President Lana Hoffmann said. “The Oratorical Contest challenges them to do just that and also offers an opportunity for scholarships. In this way, our club hopes to bring out the best in each of them and help them achieve their goals for the future.”

The deadline to hand in speeches is Feb. 27, 2020. Students wishing to participate in the oratorical contest can find out more about the contest by contacting the club chair at 507-276-2356.

The Optimist Club of New Ulm has been participating in the Optimist Oratorical Contest for numerous years and has been active in the community since 1997. Other programs and service projects that the Club is involved in include the Honors Breakfast, Essay Contest, Movies at the Public Library, Youth Power, Childhood Health and Wellness, Sixth Grade Tour, and Ditch Cleanup to name a few.

Optimist International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations with over 80,000 adult and youth members in almost 3,000 clubs in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico and throughout the world. The Optimist Oratorical Contest is one of the organization’s most popular programs, with more than 2,000 clubs participating annually. Carrying the Mission Statement “By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in youth, our communities and ourselves,” Optimists conduct positive service projects that reach more than six million young people each year. To learn more about Optimist International, please call (314) 371-6000 or visit the organization’s website at www.optimist.org.