Students at every Davis School District school can compete for cash prizes in the district's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Contest, with school-level entries due Monday, Nov. 2.

The contest asks K-12 students to select and perform an excerpt from any Dr. King speech. Presentations must run between one and three minutes. Each school may submit one student per grade-level category, and winners in each category receive $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third.

Five grade-level categories organize the contest: K-2, 3-4, 5-6, junior high (grades 7-9) and senior high (grades 10-12). That means students at Bountiful Elementary, Bountiful High School, Woods Cross High School, Farmington High School, Mueller Park Junior High, South Davis Junior High and West Bountiful Elementary are all eligible.

Every school is eligible.

Students may also present in a language other than English. Families interested in that option can contact Holly Decarolis, a district staff member, at [email protected]. The multilingual option is particularly relevant for Davis County's growing English-learner population, concentrated in Woods Cross and North Salt Lake apartment corridors along Highway 89, where families may want their children to engage with Dr. King's words in their home language.

District judging is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 16 through Tuesday, Nov. 17. The district's contest page lists the contest as sponsored by the Educational Equity and Federal Programs Department.

The announcement was posted simultaneously on individual school websites including Farmington High School, Woods Cross High School, Bountiful High School and Bountiful Junior High, according to district school pages. The district said the contest gives students a chance to engage with Dr. King's words on freedom while building public speaking skills.

The district ran the same contest in 2025, announcing winners on Nov. 24, 2025.

Families should check with their child's school for details on the local selection process and how to contact Decarolis about non-English presentations.