contests with prizes!

As we're starting to talk about public speaking, I thought you should know that there are a number of contests out there that deal with public speaking. 

1. This one is a short essay about the benefits or problems of using visual aids... and it has a $1000 prize!  You don't actually give a speech, just write a 300 word paper.
2. This one requires you to give your speech as a historical character.  If anyone wants to do this for their final speech, so that they can enter the contest, just let me know and we'll modify the assignment a bit.
3. The local Lions club has an annual speech contest.  We're a bit late for it this year, but you might want to keep it in mind for next year.
4. Public Speaking that relates to California history. You'd have to make sure your speech was focused on Ca history, but hey, for $500, maybe it's worth it.
5. A site that has info about speaking contests on a variety of topics from cattle to forensics.  (Not a bad site to check out in general because it's a database of college scholarships.)

If you find any others, please post information in the comments.