Court of Appeals of Georgia's Centennial Celebration
High School Oratorical Contest
Official Rules

1. PDF Version of the rules

Purpose of the Contest
The purpose of the Contest is to increase student awareness and to educate students on the role of the judiciary in American government, in honor of the 100th year of the Court of Appeals of Georgia. Other objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities and the ability to think and speak clearly and intelligently.

Scholarships
Scholarship awards will be presented to the eight quarter finalists in the statewide competition. The scholarships are being funded by Justice Served, Inc., a non-profit organization, the purpose of which is to enhance the knowledge of the citizens of the State of Georgia as to the history of the Court of Appeals of Georgia and vital role that all the courts in the State perform in providing equal justice to all.

The scholarships may be used to attend any accredited college or university in the United States. Recipients shall be required to submit proof that the funds are being used for tuition or other legitimate educational expenses. Scholarships may be used for room and board expenses and/or books or educational materials in addition to tuition if such expenses are paid directly to the college or university. The scholarships will be forfeited if not used for the specified purposes.

School Winners
Every high school in Georgia, whether public, private, parochial, military, charter, or state accredited home school may certify one winner to the State Finals competition. Such certification must be in writing and must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 1, 2006. Certification may be hand delivered, faxed or e-mailed to Jill Pryor, Centennial Contest Chair, 1201 W. Peachtree Street, N.W., Suite 3900, Atlanta, Georgia 30309; (fax) 404-881-4111; pryor@bmelaw.com. If for any reason the school winner is unable to compete in the Finals, the school's First runner-up may be substituted by notifying the Contest Chair as soon as possible.

Topic
The topic for the contest is 'The Separation of Powers and the Judicial Branch of Government."

Eligibility
Eligible participants in the Contest shall be citizens of or lawful permanent residents of the United States.

All contestants must be bona fide students herein described as any student under the age of twenty (20) years on the date of the Finals who is presently enrolled in a high school (public, parochial, military, private or state accredited home school) in which the curriculum of said high school is considered to be of high school level, commencing with grade nine (9) and terminating with grade twelve (12). Students must be enrolled in high school during the time of participation in the Contest.

The Oration
The Oration must be on some aspect of the topic. Quotations in the Oration must be indicated as such. Where quotations are more than ten words in length, the author's name must be given in the manuscript and cited orally.

The Oration must be the original effort of each contestant and must not take up less than five (5) minutes or more than eight (8) minutes for delivery. It must be delivered in the English language. The singing of a song(s) is not permitted. The contestant may, however, quote a verse(s) of a song provided proper attribution is made.

All contestants at each contest level are required to speak in the English language.

Contest Regulations
A drawing shall be held by the official in charge of the contest to determine the order in which the contestants will appear. The Contest Chair shall announce the title of the contestant's Oration immediately after introducing him/her as Contestant No. 1, Contestant No. 2, etc. The Chair will request the audience to refrain from applause until the judges have made their decision.

The use of notes, amplification, lectern or speaker's stand by contestants or prompting in any manner is NOT permitted. Props are NOT permitted.

The use of any type of electronic/digital data gathering, receiving and/or transmitting equipment in any form by contestants or members of the audience is prohibited.

The time allotted for each contestant to deliver his or her Oration shall not be less than five (5) or more than eight (8) minutes.

The Contest Chair shall name an official timer whose duty it shall be to keep an accurate time record of each contestant, and he or she shall be located on the main floor in full view of the contestants. The timekeeper shall begin timing each contestant at the start of the Oration. The timer should be equipped with a stopwatch and time cards for the Oration carrying the figures 5, 7 and 8. When five minutes have been used, the time warning card with the figure 5 thereon shall be placed in full view of the speaker, following with 7 and 8 as the speaker progresses. The Contest Chair shall announce the time consumed by each contestant for the Oration immediately after each contestant speaks for the benefit of the Judges.

Contestants are required to remain in a private room where the discourse of the other speakers cannot be heard until it is their turn to speak (contestants will be under the supervision of an individual appointed by the Contest Chair).

Judges
The judges are a very integral part of the Oratorical Contest. Their qualifications are considered carefully as the decision of the judges is final and must be reached without bias. Impartial judging in all contests is the key to fairness and success of the program which results in the selection of a winner.

The Final Round of the Contest must use at least five judges. No publicity shall be given to the names of the judges in advance of the contest. During the contest, the judges will be seated in different locations in the auditorium and each judge shall render his or her final decision without consultation with other judges or any other person.

Judges are permitted to downgrade a contestant up to a maximum of ten (10) points for failure to speak on the topic. The Contest Chair will announce any violation of time for each contestant. A penalty of one point for each minute, or fraction thereof, shall be assessed against the contestant's total score.

The judges, timekeepers, tabulators and the Contest Chair, following the last oration, may proceed to a private room for final review and tabulation. The decision of the judges is final.

The Contest Chair will appoint no less than three tabulators for the Finals contest. It will be their responsibility to review the judges' scorecards to be certain they are fully tabulated and signed before they are submitted for final tabulation.

Judges' scorecards for the Finals will not be divulged to anyone at the site of the contest. The judges' scorecards become the property of the Contest.

Finals Contest Information
• The Finals Contest will be conducted, September 9, 2006, at the The State Bar Center, 104 Marietta Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

• The finals winner will present his or her winning Oration at the Centennial Dinner to be held at the Georgia Aquarium on October 6, 2006.

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