Lower Hudson Valley students in grades 5 through 12 can write and deliver a presidential inaugural address with a chance to win $1,000.
American youth can't vote, but their voices have power. Their ideas on topics could shape our democracy and possibly influence decision-makers. So, The Journal News/lohud.com and broader USA Today Network want Lower Hudson Valley students to tell us about the future they want to inhabit.
This year – the United States’ 250th anniversary – The Journal News/lohud.com and USA Today have partnered with nonprofit SUNN to launch Make Your Speech. It asks middle and high schoolers around the country to imagine they are president and deliver their first inaugural address in a 2- to 3-minute video. We want to be inspired,
educated, and motivated by their four-year agenda and maybe even called together across political divides. SUNN – Students United News Network – publishes student journalism and civic media.
The Make Your Speech judges include creators, thinkers and civic leaders.We’re not just looking for great performances, but for bold ideas, provocative questions, well-researched solutions, and a unifying vision for our democracy's future. It's the secondof three non-partisan contests this year for middle and high schoolers to share their vision of America.
How to enter the Make Your Speech contest
∎ Our contest portal is open for submissions and closes at midnight Pacific time on Oct. 30, 2026.
∎ To enter, students or a parent/guardian submit a 2- to 3-minute video of the student delivering an inaugural presidential address and the written text of the speech via the submissions portal.
∎ Entrants must be in grades 5-12; a parent/guardian must submit for students ages 12 and younger.
∎ Entries will be judged in two categories, middle school and high school.
- First place winners will receive $1,000
- Second place winners: $750
- Third place: $500.
Here are Make Your Speech guidelines
For full contest guidelines, click here.
The student must write the speech. AI is not allowed for writing or outlining.
AI may be used to:
- Locate sources, but you verify them yourself
- Practice speech delivery and get speaking-skills feedback
- Design video effects, such as music, title screens, backgrounds.
Here are the main video requirements
- Film yourself delivering the speech on camera in horizontal view – real person; no AI-generated likeness)
- Upload the video to cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive or Proton Drive)
- Set sharing to "anyone with the link can view" (not fully public)
- Provide the link in the submission portal
- Speeches written in a language other than English must include an English translation
Contributing: USA Today, Knoxville News Sentinel, USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lower Hudson Valley students' presidential speech could win $1,000
