Have your say at this year’s Regional Europe Direct Soapbox competition. You could win an iPad, sponsored by the European Commission Representation.

Regional winners will go onto represent their region in the national competition in Dublin.

To enter, please fill in the application form and return it via email to boshea@waterfordcouncil.ie and katkins@waterfordcouncil.ie. A librarian will issue you with a confirmation of receipt email.

Please contact Central Library on 051 849975 if you don’t receive an email. Application forms can also be dropped into or posted to any branch of Waterford Libraries.

Date and Venue of the Regional Final:
The final of this year’s Regional Soapbox debate will take place on Wednesday 6th of November at 10am in the Dr. Mary Strangman Large Room, City Hall, The Mall, Waterford.

Please Note:
• Entrants are invited to deliver a three-minute speech for or against the topic: ‘A.I. is NOT A THREAT to humanity!’
• Contestants will compete in one of two categories: Ages 16 & under OR Ages 17 & over.
• The winner of each category will be announced on the day of the event and will be invited to attend the National final with a chance to compete for One4All vouchers to the value of €1,000.
• The date and venue for the National final is Tuesday 26th November in the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin.

To Enter:
• Be sure to read through the Europe Direct Soapbox Competition Rules first!
• To register your entry please Click Here to Download an Entry Form and please Click Here to view and download the Europe Direct Soapbox Competition Rules.
• Email your entry form to: boshea@waterfordcouncil.ie and katkins@waterfordcouncil.ie or post to: Europe Direct Waterford, Central Library, Lady Lane, Waterford, X91 VO45.
• Our checklist is a handy way to ensure that the application form is filled in and signed appropriately.
Closing Date for Receipt of Application Form Entries: 4:30pm, Friday 1st November 2024.
For more information contact the Europe Direct Centre at Central Library: Ph: 051 849975
Prizes are sponsored by the European Commission Representation in Ireland

The term soapbox originates in the use of an empty crate as a platform by speakers to give speeches, often impromptu, to passers-by from around the turn of the last century. The most famous location for soapbox oratory is Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, London,
which has been a setting for public speaking since the 1870s.