Eleven Dartmouth students took to the lectern in Sanborn Library on Tuesday, May 20, to deliver original persuasive speeches in the College's historic public speaking contest.
With roots dating back to 1901, Dartmouth's speech contest ranks among the oldest collegiate oratory competitions in the United States, reflecting the College's longstanding dedication to speech as an original liberal art.
A panel of distinguished judges—Prof. Bruce Duthu, Samson Occom Professor and Chair of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth; Paul Klaas, Principal of North Coast Arbitration Chambers in Minneapolis and Arbitrator Member at Maitland Chambers in London; and The Honorable Mary Teachout of the Vermont Superior Court—evaluated the speeches and awarded five prizes for oratory.
Finalists represented the Classes of 2028, 2027, 2026, and 2025. This year's speakers were:
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Reece Sharp '28 – More Than Just a Gesture: Why Americans Must Learn Sign
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Noah Canada '28 – A Thank You Note to Life
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Sydney O'Connor '27 – Harnessing Grit
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Jackson Weinstein '27 – Breaking the Cycle: Recidivism and Behavioral Intervention
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Gideon Gruel '26 – A New Mandate? Executive Authority Now and the Fall of Republican Rome
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Nathaniel Miller '26 – How to Fix America's Housing Affordability Crisis with One Simple Policy
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Tyler Brown '26 – Erasing History: When the Eraser Becomes Personal
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Jacob Garland '25 – A Breath Amid the Chaos
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Tula Nicholson '25 – Cake Goggles
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Tristan Holmbeck '25 – The Case for Universal Healthcare
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Beatrice Burack '25 – Who Will Write Your History?
Prize winners were as follows:
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Benjamin F. Barge Prize for Oratory (established 1901) was awarded to Tristan Holmbeck '25, who received a bronze medal and cash prize.
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Class of 1866 Prizes for Oratory (established 1905) were awarded to Beatrice Burack '25 and Reece Sharp '28, who each received a commemorative book and cash prize.
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Speech at Dartmouth Prizes for Oratory, supported by the Gerald D. Kleinman '55 Memorial Fund, were awarded to Tyler Brown '26 and Jackson Weinstein '27, each receiving a cash prize.
The contest was organized by Josh Compton, Professor of Speech and Chair of Speech at Dartmouth; Darlene Drummond, Associate Professor of Speech; and Yana Grushina, Senior Lecturer of Speech, with invaluable support from Julie Sandberg, Administrative Assistant in the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric.
"We're carrying forward a tradition that's over a century old," said Josh Compton, Professor of Speech and Chair of Speech at Dartmouth. "And yet every year it feels new—because the voices are new, the issues are urgent, and the power of student oratory is as vital as ever. This year's contest was another reminder that public speaking can be more than monologue; it can reach dialogue."
Preliminary round judges included Julie Kalish, Lecturer in the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric and the Rockefeller Center; Mishka Murad, Associate Director of Greek Life and Student Societies; and Amanda Wetsel, Senior Lecturer and Assistant Director of First-Year Writing.
The call for entries for the 2026 contest will be announced in Winter 2026. More information is available on the Speech at Dartmouth website.
