The purpose of this contest was to stimulate an active interest in current affairs at the state, national and international levels, and to teach the student to present extemporaneously, in a clear and impartial manner, the facts about a subject as they appear in the best available sources of information. This contest was an exercise in clear thinking and informing the public on the issues and concerns of the American people. The objective was to present information in an interesting way, and an attempt was not made to change the listener's mind beyond presenting the information.