Four Way Test Speech & Essay Contests

These Four-Way Test Speech & Essay Contests are ONLY for students that live within Rotary District 7390! Rotary D7390 encompasses Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties in South Central PA. If you DO NOT live within one of these counties in South Central PA, you CANNOT participate in our Contests! Click here to find a Rotary Club in your Area!

One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of ethics is The 4 Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4 Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions of the things we think, say and do.

Interested in the SPEECH Contest? Look to the LEFT!

Interested in the ESSAY Contest? Look to the RIGHT!

The 2026-2027 Rotary Four Way Test Speech Contest is underway! The Mid-Level Competition will be held on March 27, 2027. You MUST attend the in-person mid-level competition to move to the finals! Mid-level contestants will be notified by if they are moving on to the finals. The finals will be held Saturday, April 17, 2027 in the morning at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Reading (701 Penn Street, Reading). If you are selected to attend the Finals, YOU MUST attend.

Students are tasked to choose their own topic as the center for their speech and then apply the four principles of the Four-Way Test. That is the prompt for 2026-2027!

How the Rotary District 7390 Four-Way Test Speech Contest Works

Contestants must currently be in attendance (in either grade 10, 11 or 12) at a public or private high school, charter school or home schooled within Rotary District 7390 (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry or York County). No student may be a contestant in more than one club contest in any one year. Nothing in our rules prohibits clubs from developing their own procedures, requirements, and/or guidelines for their contest. Contestant Entry Forms must be submitted before participation. Prizes at the finals will be $1250 for the winner, $750 for 2nd place, $500 for 3rd place, and then $250 each for 4th & 5th place.

Students should review the Four-Way Test Speech Contest Guidelines and present their speech to a local Rotary Club. (List of D7390 Clubs and their Presidents can be found using this LINK.) If you are the club’s winner, a Rotary Club representative will complete this online entry form by March 13, 2027 to progress to Mid-Levels.

The Mid-Level Contest will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2027 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon. If you place in the top 5, you will be required to attend the finals on Saturday, April 17, 2027 in the morning at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Reading (701 Penn Street, Reading)

NOTE FOR CLUBS - Only ONE student per school District may participate in the Mid-Level Competition! However, a Club may send a winner from EACH school District where they hold a competition. And, If the 1st place finisher from any club or school district is unable to attend the mid level competition then the runner up is permitted to attend the mid level.

The Mid-Level Competition will be held Saturday, March 27, 2027 at Central Penn College (600 Valley Road, Enola) from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon. You MUST attend the in-person mid-level competition to move to the finals! Mid-level contestants will be notified if they are moving on to the finals. The finals will be held Saturday, April 17, 2027 in the morning at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Reading (701 Penn Street, Reading). If you are selected to attend the Finals, YOU MUST attend.

Mid-Level Information:

Follow this link for a campus map: https://www.centralpenn.edu/directions/.
Park in parking lot "K". The ATEC building is # "22".
The rooms will be on the upper level. Rooms ATEC 200/202

Student Information

Four-Way Test History

Judges Score Sheet

Timekeepers Sheet

Speech Contest Guidelines and Rules

Speech & ESSAY Contest Promo (PDF)

Please contact District Chair

Mike Handshew

mrhandshew@gmail.com

717-585-9724

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

In 1932, Herbert Taylor, a Rotarian from Chicago, penned the Four – Way Test as a guiding principle in his efforts to rescue a near-bankrupt aluminum company from complete financial collapse. He succeeded in his task and ever since that time Rotarians across the world have adopted Mr. Taylor’s Four Way Test as one of Rotary’s core values.

While you may not be confronted with rescuing a failing business, we are interested in reading an essay about how the 4-Way Test can impact challenges and situations you may face in your everyday life.

Students are tasked to choose their own topic as the center for their essay and then apply the four principles of the 4Way Test. That is the prompt for 2026-2027!

If your Essay is selected as the winner of the District contest, you will be invited to attend the District Conference and read your essay. The Conference will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2027 in the morning at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Reading (701 Penn Street, Reading).

ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS

Eligibility: Ninth Grade Students.

Due Date: Individual Rotary Clubs will set a date PRIOR to March 13, 2027 requiring their essays be submitted for club competition. Clubs will then submit their winning essay (with cover sheet) to the Rotary District 7390 Office office@rotary7390.org to be considered in the District Contest no later than March 13, 2027. Club chairs without e-mail capability should mail their winning essay to the district office.

Format: The essay should be submitted in .pdf format and suitable for printing on 8.5 x 11.0 paper. The text should be double spaced in 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman are preferred). Do not insert identifying information such as a name or school on any sheet except the cover sheet. Do not insert graphics.

Essay Length: The essay must not exceed 1500 words in length.

Cover Sheet: A cover sheet must be attached to each essay. See the attached format for the Cover Sheet. Click here for a fillable PDF cover sheet.

Original Work: The essay must be the original work of the student submitting the essay for competition. Team writing, parental participation, and the use of works written by other sources, even if foot-noted, is not authorized. Participating students will sign a pledge on the Cover Sheet stating that the essay is their original work.