Judging
Judging
The purpose of the My First Speech competition is to help connect senior secondary school students with the work of the Australian Parliament by imagining themselves as a newly elected member of the House of Representatives.
There are no specific rules on content. Just write on a topic you are passionate about. The Tips page gives some practical elements to include into your speech to help ensure it is appropriate.
The following criteria will be used by the judges of the My First Speech competition.
It is important that you consider all the criteria when writing your speech.
Content
The speech engages the audience
Well-structured with an opening, body and conclusion
Demonstrated understanding of chosen topic
Language
Demonstrated passion for the topic
Sentences are clear and concise
Contextually relevant to the House of Representatives
Uses terms a member of the House would use
Marking rubric
View the marking rubric to assist your self-assessment of your speech, enabling improvements to your score.
Judging panel
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, consisting of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and additional members of the House (MPs).
The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
Download a PDF version of this information ready for printing from our Resources page.