Young Orator of the Year

What is the Young Orator of the Year Competition?

Gresham College runs an annual oracy competition for state school students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland) and Year 13 (Northern Ireland) to promote the art of communicating complex information in a clear, concise and compelling way. Students are asked to submit a five-minute, recorded presentation on a given topic.

Why Enter?

The competition:

• supports the development of oracy skills
• helps students with UCAS applications and job interviews
• inspires students to study an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification)
• promotes a deeper understanding of their chosen topic
• introduces students to the inspiring research of world-class academics
• provides an opportunity to enhance their presenting skills

Finalists are invited to attend a half-day, confidence-building and presentation skills workshop, before presenting in person at the grand final a few weeks later. Both workshop and final are held in London with travel costs covered by the College.

The 2026 Competition

Students should choose ONE of the following questions to answer*, making a reasoned argument:

1. Do protests do more harm than good in today's society?
2. Is tradition something that we should preserve or challenge?
3. Does cancel culture help society progress, or silence free speech?
4. Should AI ever be allowed to make life-changing decisions?  (For example - in Medicine, Law or Policing etc)?
5. Many theatre critics describe theatrical productions as 'vital'... Are they?
6. Are global tourism and sustainability fundamentally incompatible?

*Students should submit a recorded video presentation of no more than 5 minutes – the main focus should be the student speaking, but they can use images, graphs, slides, or other visual props that help explain their points. 

Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to present again in person in London, and there will be three awards (including prizes for the student and their school).

Entry Submission

Students will need to fill out a form with their entry details and then upload their video file. Please note that the file uploaded MUST have the student’s first name and surname in the title. 

If we don’t receive the form with the video file, the entry will not be accepted.

Enter via this link: https://form.jotform.com/253493074952363

Prizes:

Three Gresham prizes will be awarded:

• Gold: £1000 for the winner, and £500 to their school.
• Silver: £700 to the winner, £300 to their school.
• Bronze: £500 to the winner, £200 to their school.

Everyone who is a finalist will receive a small prize.

Key Dates

• 2 February 2026: Competition opens.
• 20 March 2026: Competition closes.
• From 6 May 2026: Finalists notified.
• 6 June 2026: Finalists to attend a half day confidence building and presenting skills workshop (we will cover travel expenses).
• 1 July 2026: Competition Final: in-person presentation at Gresham College (we will cover travel expenses).