Grand Championship 2023
January 31, 7:30PM
Robison Hall
Nominators must be Middlebury College faculty or staff
Photo by Todd Balfour
2023 Grand Championship
Jan 31, 2023 7:30pm ET
MAC Robison Hall
with special guests, the Mamajamas!
The 6 finalists will each deliver 5 min speeches to a general audience. Three judges will select the Spencer Prize 2023 Grand Champion
2023 Qualifying Rounds
Nominees from the class of '26 and '25.5 will each deliver 3-minute speeches in response to the Spencer Prize Prompt. Faculty/Staff judges will select 6 Finalists from three qualifying events. The audience will also select a Peoples' Choice prize winner at each event.
Congrats to the 2022 Finalists!
Gillian Skidmore
Sascha Leidecker
Ben Wagner
Firdaus Shallo
Rostyk Yarovyk
Sade Awodesu
Tatiana Bennett
Spencer Prize video by Zack Einhorn '21
Congrats to Ben Wagner,
2022 Grand Champ!
Video Here
Nomination Process
To compete in the Spencer Prize, first-year students from the class of '26 (including Sophomore Febs, class of '25.5) must be nominated by a Middlebury College faculty- or staff-member BY TUES DEC 20.
Nominators are asked to recognize students for public speaking potential as well as current ability, or for their eloquence and engagement in classroom discussions.
Nominators must be Middlebury College faculty or staff
First-year scholars
step to the mic
Prizes
Grand Champion: $500
Finalist: $100
People's Choice: $50
All participants: water bottle and sticker
Topic
“Connect something you’ve discovered in a Middlebury class to something you care about. Can you get your audience to care too?”
Judging Critera
Compelling Connection:
Speaker captured the imagination by connecting something learned in class to something they care about.
Persuasive Argument:
Speaker used an efficient progression of thoughts to develop the central concept and establish its significance.
Engaging Delivery:
Speaker maintained a strong connection to the audience using body and voice to clarify and amplify their intent.
The 2022 Spencer Prize Team
Director:
Exec Producers:
Advisor:
Graphic Design:
Promotion Team:
Music Directors:
Photos and Video:
Emcees:
Judge Liaisons:
Contestant Liaisons:
Event Greeters:
Ben Powers, Oratory Now Associate
Mary Moore '22.5 and Seth Brown '24
Ellie Thompson '22
Seth Brown '24
Mary Moore '22.5, Sascha Leidecker '24.5
Vlera Hasani '24.5, Celeste Levy '22,
Hugh Easton '23
Manuel Morillo '23, Amelia Seepersaud '24
Soph Charron '22
Marlow Saucier '24, Youness Cheboubi '24, Catherine Kish '24, Erin Chouinard '24
Maya Fray-Witzer '22, Liza Toll '24
Michael Eller '24, Nick Jaccaci '22,
Hugh Easton '23
Tanzim Ahmed '22, Nick Jaccaci '22,
Henry Friedman '24
"Writing, rehearsing and ultimately presenting my speech were worthwhile experiences I would definitely do again. The audiences at the presentations were supportive and attentive to the point that it almost felt like a big group of friends getting together to swap stories about life. I consider the platform the Spencer Prize has given me a prize in and of itself."
–Treasure Brooks, 2018 Spencer Prize Grand Champion
The Spencer Prize in Oratory Honors the memory of African Studies Emeritus Professor of History and former trustee, John Spencer
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Princeton in 1953, John served for two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He then worked at the National Sugar Refining Company, with the Institute of Current World Affairs in East Africa, at the Ford Foundation for Eastern, Northern, and Southern Africa, and as a Peace Corps evaluator for Gambia, Mauritania, and Senegal. His work with the Peace Corps eventually led him to earn his MA and PhD from Columbia University.
“Many current faculty will remember him as a mentor, offering sage advice about how to survive and be exceptional at Middlebury,” said Ted Perry, Fletcher Professor of the Arts Emeritus. "Many students will remember his extraordinarily helpful role in emphasizing oral presentations, a practice he made central to success in his classes. He knew it was a skill they would need in whatever life’s work they chose.”
Former Middlebury President John McCardell Jr. reflected on his many years working with John Spencer: “John was a model administrator, a masterful teacher, a true student and mentor in the field of public speaking (keep your jacket buttoned, never say ‘uh,’ don’t breathe through your mouth). He truly made the field of African History at Middlebury -- students flocked to his courses.”
