Walker kid wins Minnesota Oratorical Contest for the third year in a row

ANOKA — Elijah Cox of Walker won the Minnesota American Legion Oratorical Contest for the third straight year.

The semifinals and finals were held Feb. 28 at Anoka Post 102.

“Judges had a difficult decision to make, but in the end, Elijah did it again with his ability to speak fluently and expertly on the subject matter,” said Oratorical Chairman Jamie Brooks of St. Paul Christie-DeParcq Post 406

Cox is home-schooled and, for some classes, attends Walker High School. He is a senior and is sponsored by Walker Post 134 in the 6th District. He wins a $1,500 scholarship.

Finishing in second place was Leo Hendricks of Lake Crystal. She is a senior at Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial High School in Lake Crystal. She wins a $1,000 scholarship. She was sponsored by Mankato Post 11 in the 2nd District.

Ankit Mukhopadhyay of Eagan placed third. He is a senior at Eagan High School and was sponsored by Eagan Post 594 in the 3rd District. He receives a $700 scholarship.

Fourth place went to Eileen Bosch of Kandiyohi. She is a junior at Willmar High School and was sponsored by Willmar Post 167 in the 7th District. She wins a $500 scholarship.

The American Legion’s Oratorical Contest challenges high school students to explore and understand the U.S. Constitution while developing confidence, leadership and communication skills. Contestants perform an 8- to 10-minute memorized speech on a constitutional topic of their choosing, followed by a 3- to 5-minute speech on an assigned constitutional topic given to them shortly beforehand. Scholarships are awarded at each level of the Legion.

The four finalists competed in the afternoon. That morning, the seven district champions competed. (That means three districts didn’t crown a champ.)

The other three district champs who made it to the state semifinals were:

• 4th District: Bree England, St. Paul, a sophomore at Central High School, sponsored by St. Paul Christie-DeParcq Post 406.
• 5th District: Carolyn Vickers, Minneapolis, a home-schooled sophomore, sponsored by Minneapolis Falldin Post 555.
• 10th District: William “Liam” Carroll, Minneapolis, a sophomore at Bloomington Jefferson High School, sponsored by Bloomington Post 550.

Cox will advance for the third time to the 2026 American Legion National Oratorical Contest, taking place May 15-17 at Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he will compete against and spend time with high school-age speakers from all across the United States. There, the contest will provide $203,500 in college scholarships among the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals finishers.