Speak out in 2024!

Celebrate Public speaking Poetry recital Prose reading Public speaking Solo acting The power of words online

On Zoom in time zones around the world, 9 May to 19 May 2024

This year’s Oratory Festival starts in

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Welcome!

We’re really excited to welcome you to the third year of the International Oratory Festival, an online celebration of speech and drama … Do you love words? Do you like to meet new people from around the world? Do you like to think differently? If you do, you’ve come to the right place!

Our official deadline for entries was Monday 8 April. But if you'd still like to enter, we'll do our very best to accommodate you ...

Entering as a group

Schools and clubs can email entries@oratoryfestival.com or to fill in our online form up until the end of April, and we’ll do our best to schedule your own special group session where each entry costs £10 (£5 less than our individual rate), with a minimum cost per session of £100. For institutions wanting to make over 20 entries, we can work with you to arrange an additional discount.
Enter your school or group now!

Waiting list for individual entries

If you’re looking to enter as an individual, please sign up for our waiting list below (ideally by Friday 19 April) and we’ll do our very best to find a slot to accommodate your entries.
 
Do take a look at our syllabus before deciding which categories to enter, and feel free to enter as many as possible at our standard rate of £15 per entry. You can also email us at entries@oratoryfestival.com, but please make sure you include all the information requested in the form below.

Syllabus

Download the Syllabus Read more about the festival and browse through all our categories

Groups

Schools or clubs can benefit from a reduced entry price of £10 (£5 off our individual entry rate). Organisations making over 20 entries qualify for further discounts.

Find out more about group entries

Our categories

We have nine exciting categories which you can enter. Each one enables you to share your skills in a different area of oratory, from reading great words by established authors to presenting your own thoughts.

Our age groups

We love hearing from a wide range of young voices across our four age groups.

We’ll be holding Zoom events in a range of time zones from Thursday 9 May to Sunday 19 May, 2024. If you’re between the ages of 6 and 18, you can enter our friendly competition by reading the words of great writers in Poetry Recital from Memory, Prose Reading, Solo Acting or Shakespeare Sonnet. Treat us to your original work in Your Original Poetry, or wow us with your original oratory in our public speaking categories Sharing with an Audience, Presenting an Argument, Speaking to Inform or Impromptu. Or keep us up to date with news in your area by giving us a Live News Report.

Everyone who takes part will be sent a beautiful digital certificate, and receive useful feedback to help you to develop as a speaker and performer. We’ll also be recognising the best speakers in every class, and you’ll also be in the running to receive our Jubilee Trophy for ‘Best in Festival’. We can’t wait to meet you!

Debbie Newman and Alison Coates, Chief Judges

Our Poetry categories

Enter Poetry Recital
Enter Original Poetry
Enter Shakespeare Sonnet

Acting and Prose reading

Enter Solo Acting
Enter Prose Reading

Public Speaking

Enter Presenting an Argument
Enter Speaking to Inform
Enter Impromptu

News

Enter Live News Report

British & International Federation of Festivals

We are delighted to be affiliated to the British & International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance & Speech.

The Noisy Classroom

Helping young people become persuasive and creative speakers, critical listeners, analytical thinkers and engaged citizens

The International Oratory Festival is founded and run by the Noisy Classroom. Based in the UK, we are a training organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting the use of speaking and listening in schools. We also offer online coaching for families and individual young people around the world. Visit noisyclassroom.com or email info@noisyclassroom.com to book!

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