The Rotary Oratory Project on Florida’s First Coast was created by the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville and started in 2015.

Total amount of scholarships awarded to students to date  – $106,800

For the first three years of the competition, the finals were held at the University of North Florida with approximately 200 people in attendance. Due to growth of the competition, we moved the finals to the WJCT studios. In addition to the live performance, the final competition is recorded by WJCT and is broadcasted several times after the event. For most of the finals, WJXT-TV Anchor, Mary Baer and 1010XL Radio personality, Jack O’Brien have entertained our audience of around 250 with their emcee talents.

News coverage – Articles have appeared in the Times Union, the Fernandina News Leader, Clay Today and the St. Augustine Record as well as on numerous Internet and social media sites. interviews have appeared on WJXT’s the Morning Show and evening news and the winners have appeared on billboards throughout Duval county.

Speech Topics – Each year the Rotary Oratory Committee determines what speech topic to offer the high school seniors. The topics are meant to be a true academic exercise and also current, meaningful and thought provoking. We do not allow topics to be of a personal or political nature.