2026 National Oratorical champion

Juliet Hetzel of Colorado Springs won a $25,000 scholarship and will be studying law this fall at Patrick Henry College. 

Juliet Hetzel of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the 87^th American Legion National Oratorical Contest, “A U.S. Constitutional Speech Contest” on Sunday. The recent high school graduate competed in the final round on the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., alongside second-place finisher Wendy Gluski of Scottsdale, Ariz., who earned a $22,500 scholarship, and third-place finisher Judah Donnelly of Clarks Summit, Pa., who earned a $20,000 scholarship. 

“I'm just kind of in shock,” Hetzel said of her win. “I haven’t yet completely processed it, but I'm just so incredibly happy to be here.” 

After hearing her name announced as the Legion’s oratorical champion and receiving her first-place plaque, Hetzel ran down the stage stairs inside Plaster Auditorium to embrace her mom. 

“I feel very proud of her,” said Mary Beth Hetzel. “I just watched a lot of sacrifice over the years that you know you don’t see that when they’re on stage. But I’ve seen a lot of sacrifice and hard work to better prepare herself.”

Hetzel said she could see her mom’s excitement in the crowd when they called her name as the oratorical champion. She credits her mom and her faith in God for setting the stage of her success in The American Legion’s contest.

“Just getting to hug her, it was just like all the things that we've hoped for are coming true, is just amazing,” Hetzel said. “Faith is a huge part of my life, and my mom and I spent the week leading up to this this entire weekend just praying and constantly asking Him if this is what He has for me, that He would just open that door, and He did. And my mom’s my biggest supporter. She's my best friend. I love her so much.”

The title of Hetzel’s winning oration is "The Role of Religion in Civic Duty" where she discusses how religion and politics come together, “and how for our Constitution to persist and survive we need men and women to stand up with courage, to fight for the principles that our Constitution was built on,” she said. “I think learning and studying the Constitution, and how much the Founding Fathers believed in that idea, has really motivated me to stand up for what I believe in.” 

Hetzel has been doing speech and debate since she was 12 years old, which has helped prepare her for the skillset needed to compete in the Legion’s contest. But among all the speech and debates that she has competed in, Hetzel said The American Legion’s Oratorical Contest stands out for two reasons. One, you are competing against some of the best orators from around the country for a significant amount in scholarships. And two, it instills civic responsibility. 

“There seems to be something more important about this contest in the sense that we are learning about the principles that our country was founded on, the principles that allow us to have individual rights to speak, to live a free life,” Hetzel said. “And that is something that is completely invaluable, and other speech and debate competitions don't target that quite like this one.” 

With that, the advice Hetzel would give to a peer considering participating in The American Legion’s Oratorical Contest is to “absolutely do it, even if you don't win the money you are going to learn so much about who you are, about how our country was founded, and the role that you now have to play as a citizen, utilizing your civic duties. The money is great, but ultimately, that's the most important thing you can learn as an American citizen and as an informed individual. 

“And I think the people that you get to meet, the opportunities that you get to have, I mean, you get to go to the amazing campus of Hillsdale (College) which is just so beautiful, and I've made so many good friends over the last 48 hours because of this contest. I’ve just loved it. I absolutely say go for it.”

Additional advice Hetzel shares are to watch videos of past winners. She watched the prepared oration and assigned topics of 2025 winner Gina Harjani of Tennessee and 2023 winner Haley Bock of Indianapolis. Their two prepared orations were “unique so it kind of shaped how I went about looking for a topic of something that was a big issue, but also maybe wasn't a generic idea that people thought about a lot, or maybe it was a unique angle,” she said. “I think that gives you the opportunity to think about what are more topics that judges might not be aware of that I can educate people on.

“Then I would say research lots of aspects of the Constitution, but specifically for your 10-minute speech try to find something you are passionate about because that's how it’s going to come across on stage, it’s going to come across to your judges.”

In its 87-year history, The American Legion’s National Oratorical Contest has awarded over $6 million in scholarships. Hetzel is headed to Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va., this fall to study law and she will not have to take out a student loan thanks to the scholarships earned at the national and department level. 

“I'm just so blessed with being set up like that financially,” she said. “It just sets me up on a good path to law school or whatever future choices I have.”

Hetzel is filled with gratitude for The American Legion, the volunteers and the support given to all 53 high school orators. As the National Oratorical Contest winner, Hetzel will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 107^th American Legion National Convention in August in Louisville, Ky., along with other Legion youth program champions.

“The American Legion is an amazing family. Just the people who came here to volunteer … we have so many men and women who proudly served their country on the front lines that are investing in us, the next generation,” she said. “They've traveled here often at their own expense, and it's just unbelievable to think that these people care so deeply about someone like me, who they've never met. The people here at The American Legion love this country. They love the people within this country, and they want to invest in the next generation. 

“If anyone has the opportunity to become a part of this family, I absolutely recommend it.”

Check out more videos from the 2026 National Oratorical Contest here.