Western PEI Youth Find Their Voice at Annual 4-H Public Speaking Competition
LOT 16, PEI – April 9, 2026 – The future of Island leadership was on full display this week as youth speakers from across Western PEI gathered at the Lot 16 United Church. Hosted by the Kensington and Elmsdale Beavers 4-H Clubs, the annual competition showcased the impressive communication skills and hard work of 4-H members vying for a spot at the Provincial finals.
The quality of the presentations made it clear just how much work these members put into their craft. From original storytelling to technical demonstrations, the evening highlighted why public speaking remains a cornerstone of the 4-H program.
The results are as follows:
The event was chaired by Annabelle Chiasson of the Elmsdale Beavers. 4-H PEI extends a sincere thank you to our judges: Julie Mutch, Stephanie Holmes, Suzanne McNeill, Gloria Wood, Tanya Kemp-Gordon, and Liz Maynard, as well as the Lot 16 United Church for their hospitality.
This event was made possible through the long-standing support of RBC, along with generous donations from the Dairy Farmers of PEI.
The quality of the presentations made it clear just how much work these members put into their craft. From original storytelling to technical demonstrations, the evening highlighted why public speaking remains a cornerstone of the 4-H program.
The results are as follows:
- Mabel Carmichael Memorial Award for the Top First Time Junior Speaker > Juliette Myburgh (Freetown Harmony 4-H Club)
- Marion Drummond Memorial Award for the Most Original Speech > Read McCarthy (Kensington 4-H Club)
- Junior Speech Category Winners > Juliette Myburgh (Freetown Harmony 4-H Club) & Mary Rogers (Elmsdale Beavers 4-H Club)
- Intermediate Speech Category Winners > Teagan Wakelin (Albany Centennial 4-H Club), & Lydia Gallant (Freetown Harmony 4-H Club)
- Senior Speech Category Winners > Kiera Carruthers (Kensington 4-H Club) & Gemma MacLean (Lot 16 4-H Club)
- Junior Single Demonstration Category Winner > Pierce Handrahan (Elmsdale Beavers 4-H Club)
- Junior Team Demonstration Category Winners > Maeve Lawless & Bella Reeves (Freetown Harmony 4-H Club), & Lydia Bowness & Emily McLean (Albany Centennial 4-H Club)
The event was chaired by Annabelle Chiasson of the Elmsdale Beavers. 4-H PEI extends a sincere thank you to our judges: Julie Mutch, Stephanie Holmes, Suzanne McNeill, Gloria Wood, Tanya Kemp-Gordon, and Liz Maynard, as well as the Lot 16 United Church for their hospitality.
This event was made possible through the long-standing support of RBC, along with generous donations from the Dairy Farmers of PEI.
Mabel Carmichael Memorial Award for the Top First Time Competitor in the Junior Category: Juliette Myburgh, Freetown Harmony 4-H Club. Presenting the award was Mabel’s son, Michael Carmichael.
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Marion Drummond Memorial Award for the Most Original Presentation: Read McCarthy, Kensington 4-H Club Presenting the award was Marion’s daughter, Janelle Mann.
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Judges & Division Winners: (L-R) Back row: Julie Mutch, Gloria Wood, Annabelle Chiasson (Chair), Alyson MacLean, Emily McLean, Lydia Bowness, Liz Maynard, Teagan Wakelin, Lydia Gallant, Bella Reeves, Maeve Lawless & Tanya Kemp-Gordon. Front row: Stephanie Holmes, Pierce Handrahan, Gemma MacLean, Adelaide Kucera, Juliette Myburgh, Mary Rogers, Kiera Carruthers and Suzanne McNeill.
4-H PEI WESTERN REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS COMPETITION
TheWestern Region will host the Regional Communications Competition Thursday, April 9, 2026 at the Lot 16 United Church, 1184 Rte-12 and will begin at 6:30 p.m. We ask that competitors please arrive 15 minutes early to become comfortable with your surroundings (especially important if you are doing a demonstration).
Competitors must RSVP April 1st or they will be taken off of the program for the competition.
You can RSVP by using the online RSVP form below.
No changes will be made to the event program after April 3rd so if you need to request a specific presentation time then you must do so by the RSVP deadline. The same applies if you require any special equipment provided for your presentation such as an LCD projector or laptop.
Spectators are encouraged! No RSVP required. :-)
Competitors must RSVP April 1st or they will be taken off of the program for the competition.
You can RSVP by using the online RSVP form below.
No changes will be made to the event program after April 3rd so if you need to request a specific presentation time then you must do so by the RSVP deadline. The same applies if you require any special equipment provided for your presentation such as an LCD projector or laptop.
Spectators are encouraged! No RSVP required. :-)
RULE Regarding timing of presentations:
Regional Level: Members outside of the time range for their presentation category will NOT be permitted to move forward to the next level of competition.
Provincial Level: Members outside of the time range will NOT be considered for placing in the top 3 of the competition.
As a reminder, these are the current time limits:
Regional Level: Members outside of the time range for their presentation category will NOT be permitted to move forward to the next level of competition.
Provincial Level: Members outside of the time range will NOT be considered for placing in the top 3 of the competition.
As a reminder, these are the current time limits:
- Junior Speech (9-11 years) is 2-3 minutes
- Intermediate Speech (12-14 years) is 3-5 minutes
- Senior Speech (15-21 years) is 5-7 minutes
- Junior Illustrated Talk (9-14 years) is 3-5 minutes
- Senior Illustrated Talk (15-21 years) is 5-7 minutes
- Junior Demonstration (9-14 years) is 5-7 minutes
- Senior Demonstration (15-21 years) is 7-10 minutes
