Minnesota girls who win the Speaking Proudly 2021 oratory competition will receive $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place.

“We are delighted to be able to add $500 to each of the prizes,” Speaking Proudly spokeswoman Sherie Wallace stated. “This is possible because we have such generous donors. They understand how important it is for high school girls to think about serious issues and be able to speak about them intelligently and freely, unintimidated by the cancel culture.”

Applications to compete in the Oct. 23 event at the State Capitol must be submitted by Sept. 11. The 25 girls selected to compete will speak on the topic, “A More Perfect Union, Rising to the Challenge.”

“Many speech competitions for high schoolers offer no prize money,” Wallace noted. “We expect this major increase in prizes will encourage more girls to apply for Speaking Proudly, which is wonderful.”

Speaking Proudly is a non-partisan, non-profit project of Metro Republican Women. Complete details and the application form are available at speakingproudly.org.