Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition 2026

2026 District Youth Speaks Competition

The experience of public speaking is hugely valuable in building confidence and ambition. Youth Speaks gives young people the opportunity to speak about something which matters to them.  Whatever they choose it’s their say. The team of three consist of the Chair, the Speaker and the Proposer of the Vote of Thanks. Each has a distinct and challenging role. The Speaker has 6 minutes to address the audience, the others 2 minutes each.

Each year we look to provide the benefits of Youth Speaks to more young people and every year is a record year as the numbers grow. 

Competition information is in the Youth Speaks Information Pack 2026 (click to download). Details of how to take part are in the Youth Speaks Entry Pack 2026 (click to download). Further support material for participating clubs and schools is available from the Youth Speaks District Coordinator. The results of the 2026 competition will be entered below as they happen. 

District Heats 2026 (see the Entry Pack for venue details.)

Worsley District Heat (26th January 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Bolton District Heat (27th January 2026, 5.30 p.m.)  

St Helens District Heat (28th January 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Wilmslow District Heat, (28th January 2026, 6.30 p.m.) 

Sandbach District Heat (29th January 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Rochdale District Heat (2nd February 2026, 5.30 p.m.  

Macclesfield District Heat (3rd February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Tameside District Heat (3rd February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Leigh District Heat, (4th February 2026, 5.00 p.m.)  

Knutsford District Heat (5th February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Radcliffe District Heat (5th February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Biddulph District Heat (9th February 2026, 6.00 p.m.)  

Warrington District Heat (9th February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

Northwich District Heat (10th February 2026, 5.30 p.m.) 

District Finals 2026

District Final NE "The Henshaw Shield" (Intermediate)  "The Farraday Shield" (Senior) Sunday, 8th February, hosted by Rochdale Rotary at Rochdale Town Hall

District Final NW "The Peter James-Robinson Shield" (Intermediate)  "The Swati Mukherjee Shield" (Senior) Wednesday, 11th February, hosted by St Helens Rotary at Hope Academy

District Final SE  "The Warren Heyes Shield" (Intermediate) District Final SE  "The Wendy Sutcliffe Shield" (Senior) Sunday 1st March, hosted by Macclesfield Castle Rotary at The Macclesfield Academy.

District Final SW  "New trophy pending" (Intermediate)  "New trophy pending" (Senior) Saturday 28th February, hosted by Warrington Rotary at Stockton Heath Methodist Church.

Grand Final 2026

The Forest Hills Trophies (Senior and Intermediate) Sunday, 8th March, hosted by Frodsham and Helsby Rotary at the Forest Hills Hotel, Frodsham.

Here are the results of our fantastic 2025 competition, with more teams, more schools and more clubs than ever before.  

Youth Speaks Grand Final Results 2025 

The Forest Hills Trophy (Intermediate) 

Winner - Bridgewater School, Runner-up Lymm High School. 

The Forest Hills Trophy (Senior) 

Winner - All Hallows Catholic College, Runner-up - Tytherington School. 

The Grand Final took place on Sunday, 23rd March 2025, 1.00 p.m. at the Forest Hills Hotel, Overton Hill, Frodsham, WA6 6HH (Hosted by Frodsham & Helsby Rotary)

The teams taking part were Intermediate:- All Hallows Catholic College, Bridgewater School, Falinge Park High School, Lymm High School. Senior:- All Hallows Catholic College, Bedford High School, Thornleigh Salesian College, Tytherington School. Sponsoring Rotary Clubs Bolton Daybreak, Leigh, Macclesfield Castle, Rochdale, Warrington, Worsley.

The standard of the presentations was incredibly high and a great credit to the teams and their teachers and parents.

Youth Speaks North and East of England Final 2025

Winners  Intermediate - Balshaw’s Church of England High School.  Senior - Balshaw’s Church of England High School.

Runners-up Intermediate - Lymm High School. Senior - All Hallows Catholic College.

Congratulations to all the teams which took part and gave such superb performances.

The final event of the 2024-5 Youth Speaks competition was on Saturday, 29th March 2025.

The Final was hosted by Leyland Rotary on behalf of District 1190. The teams are from Rotary Districts 1190 (Lancashire and Cumbria), 1070 (East Midlands) and this District (1285). A big thank you to Leyland Rotary for organising it.

Participating Schools: All Hallows Catholic College, Balshaw’s Church of England High School, Bridgewater School, Catmose College, Lymm High School, Thornleigh Salesian College, Tytherington School.

Sponsoring Clubs: Bolton Daybreak, Leyland, Macclesfield Castle, Uppingham, Warrington, Worsley.

District Finals 2025 results

District Final S  "The Warren Heyes Shield" (Intermediate) District Champion All Hallows Catholic College

District Final S  "The Wendy Sutcliffe Shield" (Senior) District Champion Tytherington School

District Final NW "The Peter James-Robinson Shield" (Intermediate) District Champion Lymm High School

District Final NW  "The Swati Mukherjee Shield" (Senior) District Champion Bedford High School

District Final NE "The Henshaw Shield" (Intermediate) District Champion Falinge Park High School

District Final NE "The Farraday Shield" (Senior) District Champion Thornleigh Salesian College

District Heats 2025 (The Entry Pack has more details, e.g. venues.)

The results of the 2025 competition are being entered below as they happen. Winners are shown in red.

Radcliffe District Heat (23rd January 2025, 5.30 p.m.) Schools Bury Grammar School (Senior), Hazel Wood High School, Westhoughton High School (Intermediate), Rotary Clubs Radcliffe, Westhoughton.

Biddulph District Heat (27th January 2025, 6.00 p.m.) Schools James Bateman Middle School (Intermediate), St Edward’s Church of England Academy, Woodhouse Academy, All Hallows Catholic College (Senior), Congleton High School, Fallibroome Academy, Rotary Clubs Biddulph, Leek, Congleton, Macclesfield Castle. 

Wilmslow District Heat (28th January 2025, 6.30 p.m.) Schools Hazel Grove High School, Helsby High School, Priestnall High School (Senior), Wilmslow High School (Intermediate), Cheadle Hulme High School, Rotary Clubs Bramhall & Woodford, Frodsham & Helsby, Stockport Lamplighter, Wilmslow & District, Cheadle Royal.

St Helens District Heat, (29th January 2025, 6.00 p.m.) Schools Byrchall High School, St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School (Senior), St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School (Intermediate), Tower College. Rotary Clubs Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Widnes.

Leigh District Heat (30th January 2025, 5.00 p.m.) Schools Bedford High School (Senior), Bridgewater School (Intermediate), Ladybridge High School, St. Mary's Catholic High School. Rotary Clubs Leigh, Worsley, Bolton Lever.

Rochdale District Heat (3rd February 2025, 5.30 p.m.  Schools Beech House School, Falinge Park High School (Intermediate), Hulme Grammar School (Senior), Kingsway Park High School. Rotary Clubs Chadderton and Failsworth, Rochdale.

Macclesfield District Heat (4th February 2025, 5.30 p.m.) Schools All Hallows Catholic College (Intermediate), Fallibroome Academy, The Macclesfield Academy, Tytherington School (Senior). Rotary Clubs Macclesfield Castle.

Bolton District Heat (5th February 2025, 5.30 p.m.) Schools Bolton School (Girls), Sharples School, St Ambrose Barlow RC High School, Thornleigh Salesian College (Intermediate and Senior).   Rotary Clubs Bolton Daybreak, Bolton with le Moors, Worsley.

Golborne District Heat, (6th February 2025, 5.15 p.m.)  Schools Culcheth High School (Senior), Golborne High School, Hope Academy (Intermediate). Rotary Clubs Culcheth & District, Newton-le-Willows.

Knutsford District Heat (11th February 2025, 5.30 p.m.) Schools Didsbury High School (Intermediate), Knutsford Academy (Senior), The County High School Leftwich, Weaverham High School. Rotary Clubs Manchester Breakfast, Knutsford, Northwich.

Tameside District Heat (12th February 2025, 5.30 p.m.) Schools Laurus Cheadle Hulme (Intermediate and Senior), Laurus Rycroft High School. Rotary Clubs Cheadle Royal, Tameside.

Warrington District Heat (13th February 2024, 6.00 p.m.) Schools Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, Great Sankey High School (Senior), Lymm High School (Intermediate). Rotary Clubs Warrington.

Participating Schools in the 2025 District competition

Alderley Edge School for Girls, All Hallows Catholic College, Bedford High School, Beech House School, Bolton School Girls' Division, Bridgewater School, Bury Grammar School, Byrchall High School, Cardinal Newman Catholic High School, Cheadle Hulme High School, Congleton High School, Culcheth High School, Didsbury High School, Falinge Park High School, Fallibroome Academy, Golborne High School, Great Sankey High School, Hazel Wood High School, Helsby High School, Hope Academy, Hulme Grammar School (formerly OHGS), James Bateman Middle School, Kingsway Park High School , Knutsford Academy, Knutsford Academy, Ladybridge High School, Laurus Cheadle Hulme, Laurus Ryecroft High School, Leftwich High School, Lymm High School, Priestnall School, Sharples School, St Ambrose Barlow RC High School , St Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, St Edward's Church of England Academy, St. Mary's Catholic High School, The Macclesfield Academy, Thornleigh Salesian College, Tower College, Tytherington School, Weaverham High School, Westhoughton High School, Wilmslow High School, Woodhouse Academy. (45 Schools.)

Participating Rotary Clubs in 2025 

Biddulph, Bolton Daybreak, Bolton Lever, Bolton with le Moors, Bramhall & Woodford, Chadderton & Failsworth, Cheadle Royal, Congleton, Culcheth & District, Frodsham and Helsby, Knutsford, Leek, Leigh, Macclesfield Castle, Manchester Breakfast, Newton-le-Willows, Northwich, Radcliffe, Rochdale, St Helens, Stockport Lamplighter, Tameside, Warrington, Westhoughton, Widnes, Wilmslow & District, Worsley. (27 Clubs.)

 Personal information will be used in compliance with the Rotary Privacy Notice - Youth Competitions (click to download).