Entry begins for annual HSJC Intramural Speech Tournament

The Troy University Annual Intramural Speech Tournament opened entry for students interested in delivering an informative or persuasive speech on Monday, Nov. 9. The tournament, arranged by the Hall School of Journalism and Communication, aims to encourage public speaking by inviting students to write and speak on a topic of their choosing.

The winner of the tournament, best overall speaker, will also become eligible for a $500 scholarship from the Troy University Foundation, gauged on the quality of their speechcraft. All speeches must be an original work written by the student and delivered in the English language.

Furthermore, all speeches must utilize at least one source that is properly cited within the speech and should last around three to five minutes in length. While the use of visual aids during the speech is permitted, access to presentation software is restricted.

Neela Cole, a senior multimedia journalism major from Huntsville, Alabama, won the Spring 2026 speech tournament with an informative speech based on her experience with childhood bacterial meningitis.

Cole reflected on the tournament’s value.

“I feel like the speech tournament, whether you go and present or if you go and watch, allows you to learn how important it is and how clearly you can communicate to others,” Cole said.

“Whether it’s something fun and lighthearted or something serious and controversial, as long as you consider how you get your point across and how you receive it, that’s all that matters.”

Cole encouraged students to present in the competition.

“In general, if you give a speech on something that you’re not aware of or understand, it will not help you in the long run--give a speech on something that you’re passionate and want others to know about,” Cole said.

Jameson Speece, a senior communications major from Hayneville, Alabama, won the Spring 2025 speech tournament with a persuasive speech on the benefits of both receiving and giving other people compliments.

Speece reflected on his experiences with the tournament.

“I think it’s important for students to have projects that they can do on their own – there’s a lot of joy in creatively coming up with something that they care about,” Speece said.

“At the time of the tournament, it was very important for me to be the kind of person who gives compliments, and I think it’s so important that students have and take opportunities to go and really be themselves.”

Speece also offered advice to prospective speakers.

“Do whatever it takes to memorize your speech – if you have your speech memorized, you can speak with the judges and address your audience and make a connection with them,” Speece said.

Ayla Jones, a sophomore double major in musical theater and broadcast journalism from Cincinnati, Ohio, was a runner-up in the Spring 2026 speech tournament with an informative speech on the history of female beauty.

“I think it gave me the opportunity to learn a different style of both writing and speaking,” Jones said. “It also allowed me to share my opinions on different things, and it’s given me ideas of what I can talk about for next time.”

Jones shared thoughts on the topic of presentation content.

“Your speech doesn’t have to be fancy – try and have fun with it, you can go beyond your normal topics or go into about a topic you’ve wanted to talk about, but haven’t gotten the opportunity otherwise,” Jones said.

“For those who want to do it, go and do it. There’s nothing to lose, and it builds your confidence, your imagination, your knowledge and your sense that other people care about these topics.”

The deadline to enter the tournament is Monday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. To request the entry form, students can email Dr. Tabb at amtabb@troy.edu using the subject “Speech Tournament.”