The annual speech contest, sponsored by the Manatee River Soil and Water Conservation District (MRSWCD), is designed to develop leadership through public speaking activities and stimulate interest in conserving our natural resources. The contest is one of the many exciting events which take place as part of Farm City Week in Manatee County.

The contest will be held on Thursday, November 8^th, 2018 at 6 pm at the Manatee County Extension Service Office-Kendrick Auditorium at 1303 17^th Street West, Palmetto, Florida 34221

The speech topic is selected each year by the Association of Florida Conservation Districts. This year the topic is ‘Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper’.

Open to any student regularly enrolled in any high school, middle school, home school, or virtual school in grades 6 through 12 in Manatee County.

Monetary awards are presented to the top three scoring speakers. The total monetary awards for the competition will be $325.

Each teacher that has a participating student in the contest will be entered into a drawing (one entry per teacher) for a $50 gift certificate for educational supplies. One teacher will be selected.

The speech must be an original work created by the student, and not previously used.

The 1^st place middle school student and 1^st place high school student will qualify to compete at the area competition in the spring. One winner from the area contest will advance to the state contest held in the summer at the state Association of Florida Conservation Districts meeting.

Visit http://www.manateeriverswcd.com/ for complete rules and information (look for the red buttons). A written transcript of the speech must be turned in by October 30^th, in advance of the contest, please refer to the rules for further details.

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