Young Speakers Scotland runs two single-speaker public speaking competitions each year:
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A Senior Division for pupils in S4–S6
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A Junior Division for pupils in S1–S3
All speakers will deliver a 5-minute speech, in either a Persuasive Speaking or After-Dinner Speaking category.
2026/2027 COMPETITION
Entries for the 2026/2027 Public Speaking Competition will open on 20th August 2026. More information will be posted on this page.
Entry to the Public Speaking Competition will cost £30 for one speaker, with £15 for each additional speaker entered per school.
Dates for rounds will be:
- Public Speaking Preliminaries (Edinburgh) – 14 November
- Public Speaking Final (Edinburgh) – 13 March
If your school is new to public speaking competitions, or would like support in preparing pupils, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we’re happy to help!
2026 PUBLIC SPEAKING FINAL
On March 14th 2026, YSS held the Grand Final of our Public Speaking Competition at Nicolson Square Venues in Edinburgh.
Speakers qualified for this event after taking part in a competitive preliminary heat in November, and were tasked with delivering speeches in one of two categories: Persuasive Speaking and After-Dinner Speaking. Speakers who chose Persuasive Speaking gave speeches highlighting a problem and their proposed solution, with the aim of convincing the judges. Speakers who chose After-Dinner Speaking had the challenge of delivering an entertaining speech to a fictional audience. Both these categories were split into a junior (S1-S3) and a senior (S4-S6) division.
Ben M (Woodfarm High School) competing in the After-Dinner Speaking Category.
Speakers from 13 schools took part in this year’s final. The schools represented were: Douglas Academy, Earlston High School, Falkirk High School, Grantown Grammar School, George Heriot’s School, Grove Academy, Invergordon Academy, Kinross High School, The High School of Glasgow, St Mary’s Music School, St Ninian’s High School, Wellington School and Woodfarm High School.
It was wonderful to see such a wide representation of schools from across Scotland. For many this was their first time taking part in a public speaking competition.
After a series of outstanding speeches, the judges selected Hannah B from St Ninian’s High School (persuasive) and Naomi L from George Heriot’s School (after-dinner) as the junior winners, and Aaron S from The High School of Glasgow (persuasive) and Ben M from Woodfarm High School (after-dinner) as the senior winners.
Renee L (St Mary’s Music School) competing in After–Dinner Speaking.
Judges were impressed by the quality of speeches and the wide range of topics. Competitors covered issues as varied as feminism, over-climbing on Mount Everest, humans’ impact on the migratory paths of birds and the short-term nature of our politics.
Suzanne Ensom, a judge at the event said ‘It was an absolute pleasure to judge the YSS Public Speaking Competition. The wealth of talent and range of topics covered ensured that it was a really brilliant day, and testament to the hard work and preparation put in by YSS, the schools and, most of all, by the pupils themselves. The ability to stand up and speak in front of an audience is a skill all young people should have, and the work of YSS to encourage this is of vital importance.’
This year’s Public Speaking Competition demonstrated the impact of YSS’s Speak Up Scotland workshop programme. Eight state schools at the Grand Final were participants in this programme, which builds confidence and critical thinking in young people through the medium of public speaking and debating.
Thank you to Nicolson Square Venues for hosting this event, to the judges who gave up their time and provided such useful feedback to participants, and to the teachers and parents who helped their speakers prepare. We can’t wait to see where these fiercely intelligent and articulate young people go next.