Undergraduate students from across Virginia deliver speeches centered around America's semiquincentennial. In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence this year, undergraduate students from two- or four-year colleges and universities across Virginia are competing in an oratory contest to determine the most persuasive argument. All speeches center on the prompt “Tell the story of a Virginian who embodies the Declaration of Independence.”

Finalists deliver their five-minute speeches to a bipartisan panel of former White House speechwriters and other civic leaders at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, VA. The winner will receive a $500 prize. Hosted by UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, UVA250, and the UVA Office of the President in partnership with the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and VA250.

Friday, April 10, 2026

3:00 pm

EST

In Person / Virtual