C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest

In 1974, the directors of the C. Henry Smith Trust established a Peace Oratorical Contest in the name of the late C. Henry Smith. C. Henry Smith was a Mennonite historian and professor at Goshen College and Bluffton College and had deep interest in the Mennonite peace position. Overall, he taught history for nearly 50 years at the collegiate level. He is well-known for his numerous books on Mennonite history and his particular attention to the peace commitments of the Mennonite tradition. The directors felt that an oratorical contest would be a fitting way to foster continuing thought about peace issues and would also provide a mechanism for making these views known.

Please see the videos of the past winners below to give you an idea of what the speeches are about.

Eligibility

All residents or associates of Conrad Grebel University College, as well as students who are enrolled in a PACS program, are invited to participate in the contest.

The deadline to apply is March 6, 2026.

Contest regulations

1. Speeches should follow the general theme of the application of the Christian peace position to contemporary concerns. Sample topics might include pacifism, economic peacemaking, religious conflict, truth and reconciliation processes, gender and sexuality issues as peace issues, biotechnology, AI technology, and how to work against racism (and all isms) from a faith perspective, environmental concern through the eyes of the peacemaker, etc. (topics are not limited to these suggestions).
2. Speeches should not be longer than 1500 words. No more than 10% may be quoted material.
3. Speeches should not be longer than 12 minutes in duration.
4. Speeches will be judged on six criteria: topic, content, delivery, introduction, conclusion, and creativity.
5. On the day of the contest, a copy of each speech must be submitted to the judges after it has been delivered.
6. The 1st place speech will be sent to the binational contest to compete with speeches written by students from across North America. The top three orations at the binational level will also receive an additional cash award.
7. A PDF copy of the speech manuscript should be submitted to the PACS Academic Advisor to be submitted to MCC USA.