Hillsdale College Student Caleb Sampson Wins 2023 Edward Everett Prize in Oratory
HILLSDALE, Mich. — The Office of the Provost and Department of Rhetoric and Public Address at Hillsdale College hosted the annual Edward Everett Prize in Oratory on March 7. The theme of this year’s Edward Everett Prize was “Is Social Media Good for Us?” This is the 23rd year that the competition has been held. Junior Caleb Sampson won the first-place prize of $3,000.
Five finalists presented their speeches to a panel of judges that included Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, former White House speechwriter Brittany Baldwin, and philanthropist Don Tocco. Prizes were awarded to the top three competitors. Other finalists included Thomas MacPhee, who won second place; Rachel Warren, who won third place; Thomas McKenna; Ethan Tong; and Clay Ward.
“We believe in public discourse at Hillsdale College,” said Kirstin Kiledal, professor of rhetoric and director of forensics and the Everett Prize. “The Everett competition requires student to practice civic skills — the ‘doing’ of politics — to put forth ideas before an invested body of citizens, to engage in the potency of discourse as a testing ground for public problems, to compete in the public arena, and to do so eloquently. In a greater world in which the cry is to avoid public speaking in schools because it creates fear or anxiety, these competitors have chosen to embrace the challenges, knowing without public discourse, practiced by the public, we will fail as a republic.”
Thanks to an endowment from the Saul N. Silbert Charitable Trust, Hillsdale College hosts the annual Edward Everett Prize in Oratory to encourage Hillsdale College students in the development of public discourse skills. Qualifying undergraduate students compete for cash prizes of $1,000 for third place, $2,000 for second place, and $3,000 for first place. For additional information, click here.
For photos from the event, click here.
For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.