Registration is closing soon!
Is your school registered for the My Voice, My Barbados National Oration Competition? Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions are invited to take part and give young people the opportunity to speak on the issues that matter to them — and the Barbados they want to help shape.
Registration closes Friday, 9 October 2026.
Schools register first and students participate through their school or institution. Follow us @myvoicemybarbados on Instagram for updates. If your school has something to say, now is the time to step forward.
🇧🇧 60 Years of Independence. 5 Years as a Republic. One Barbados. Many Voices.
If you have something to say — TALK YUH TALK.
My Voice, My Barbados is a national oration competition for students at the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels, open to public and private institutions across Barbados.
In 2026, as we mark 60 years of Independence and five years as a Republic, it asks young Barbadians to help write what comes next.
Students speak on the issues that matter to them: identity, culture, community, education, innovation, the environment, leadership and the future of our nation. But this is more than a speech competition. It builds critical thinking, confidence and the courage to ask questions, challenge assumptions and imagine new possibilities.
It’s a national stage for young people to say: This is what I think. This is the Barbados I know. And this is the Barbados I want to help build.
Because commemorating 60 years shouldn’t only mean looking back. It means asking what the next 60 look like and listening to the young people who will shape them.
Registration Period: September 25th – October 2nd, 2026
Your journey starts at your school or institution.
Students do not register themselves directly.
Your school or educational institution first registers for My Voice, My Barbados and appoints a School Coordinator.
The School Coordinator will then let students know how to express their interest and participate in the school’s own competition.
Your school will hold an internal round and select two students:
THE JOURNEY
You will be challenged in two different ways.
My Voice, My Barbados is not only about memorising a speech.
Participants are asked to show that they can prepare an idea carefully and also think and respond in the moment.
Choose the theme that gives you something you genuinely want to say.
The themes are starting points.
They do not tell you what your opinion should be.
Two students can choose the same theme and give completely different speeches.
That is part of the competition.
We want to hear your perspective.
Who we are. Where we come from. Where we are going.
What does it mean to be Barbadian today?
Our identity can be shaped by our families, schools, communities, history, language, music, food, traditions and experiences.
But identity can also change.
Young people today are growing up in a Barbados that is connected to the rest of the world in ways previous generations were not.
What should we hold on to?
What is changing?
What does being Barbadian mean to your generation?
You might explore:
What makes us Barbadian? What should we never lose? How do young Barbadians see themselves? What are we becoming?
Stronger together. A brighter Barbados.
A community is more than a place on a map.
It is the people around us and the way we treat one another.
Your community might be your neighbourhood, your school, your sports team, your church, your family or another group where you feel that you belong.
What makes a community strong?
What makes people feel included?
What problems are people in your community facing?
And what could young people do to make things better?
You might explore:
Belonging, safety, kindness, service, neighbourhood pride, inclusion, responsibility or how people can work together.
Think. Create. Solve.
Innovation starts with a question:
Could we do this better?
Innovation can involve technology, but it does not have to.
It might be a new way to solve a problem in education, transport, farming, healthcare, tourism, business or everyday life.
Young people often see problems differently because they experience the world differently.
Your idea does not have to be huge.
Sometimes one small idea can change the way something works.
You might explore:
A problem you would solve, a new idea Barbados should try or something in everyday life that could work better.
What we keep. What we share. What we pass on.
Culture is everywhere.
It is in our food, language, music, stories, celebrations, fashion, traditions, humour and the way we live.
But culture does not stand still.
Every generation receives something from the generation before it and adds something new.
What parts of Barbadian culture should always be protected?
What traditions might need to be rediscovered?
And what is your generation adding to the story?
You might explore:
Music, food, language, festivals, heritage, storytelling, fashion, traditions or how Barbadian culture is changing.
Care for what cares for us.
We live on a small island.
That means the choices we make about our environment affect all of us.
Our beaches, water, gullies, neighbourhoods, food systems and natural spaces are part of the Barbados we will pass on to the next generation.
What are we doing well?
What needs to change?
What responsibility do young people have?
You might explore:
Climate change, waste, water, beaches, food, energy, flooding, green spaces or protecting Barbados for the future.
Strong voices can grow into strong leaders.
Leadership is not only about being in charge.
A leader might be the person who listens.
The person who speaks up.
The person who helps solve a problem.
The person who brings people together.
Or the person who does the right thing even when it is difficult.
Young people practise leadership every day at home, at school, in sport and in their communities.
You might explore:
What makes a good leader, who gets to lead, the difference between leadership and power or the type of leadership Barbados needs next.
What we learn today should help prepare us for the life we want tomorrow.
Education is about more than passing exams.
It can help us discover what we are good at.
It can teach us how to think, solve problems and make decisions.
It can prepare us for work, business, technology and a changing world.
And it can give young people the confidence and skills to create new opportunities for themselves and others.
Education happens in the classroom, but learning also happens at home, in our communities and through our everyday experiences.
You might explore:
What schools should teach for real life, how education can prepare young people for the future, different ways of learning, whether every child gets the same opportunities or what education in Barbados should look like next.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT ALONE.
We help you get ready.
My Voice, My Barbados is designed to help students develop as they move through the competition.
The programme does not simply tell students to write a speech and turn up on competition day.
Students, teachers and School Coordinators are supported with resources and activities that help them understand the competition and build the skills needed to participate confidently.
At school level, developmental resources include guidance on choosing a theme, developing an idea, carrying out research, structuring a speech, storytelling, delivery, self-editing and practising for the Lightning Round.
We bring the conversation to you.
The Talk Yuh Talk School Pop-Up Series takes the campaign into schools across Barbados.
These are short, lively sessions designed to explain the competition in a way that is easy to understand and give students a chance to participate immediately.
A school pop-up may include an introduction to My Voice, My Barbados, a quick look at the seven themes, an explanation of the Prepared Oration and Lightning Round, a public-speaking activity, student questions and information on how to participate through the school.
And, of course, every visit asks the big Talk Yuh Talk question:
If you had 30 seconds to tell Barbados one thing, what would you say?
WORKSHOPS AND SCHOOL SUPPORT
Build the skills behind the speech.
Students can also receive support in areas such as public speaking, speech preparation, storytelling, research, argument, confidence, voice and delivery.
Teachers and Coordinators are also supported so that they can guide students without taking over the student’s work.
The goal is simple:
The speech should become stronger without losing the student’s own voice.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I BECOME A FINALIST?
The next stage is about development, not just competition.
Becoming a National Finalist means you have already achieved something important.
But there is still more to learn.
Finalists take part in a structured development journey before the National Final.
Want to enter? Start by talking to your school.
Ask your teacher, principal or School Coordinator whether your institution is participating.
If it is, find out how to express your interest.
Then begin exploring the themes.
Do not worry about writing the perfect speech immediately.
Start with something much simpler:
What do I care about?
What do I notice?
What would I change?
What do I want people to understand?
Your strongest idea may already be somewhere in those answers.
Everything your institution needs starts here.
Every participating institution must appoint a School Coordinator.
The School Coordinator is the main link between the institution and the My Voice, My Barbados programme.
The Coordinator helps students and teachers understand what needs to happen and makes sure the school’s participation stays on track.
The official Coordinator Pack includes the programme overview, rules, seven themes, calendar, school-round instructions, Prepared Oration guidance, Lightning Round guidance, judging criteria, score sheets, consent forms, eligibility information, originality and AI-use requirements and developmental resources.
What your school needs to do
Register the institution.
Appoint the School Coordinator.
Share the competition with students.
Conduct the internal school competition.
Select a Champion and Reserve.
Complete and submit the required forms.
Keep students and families informed of the next stage.
You can help without taking over.
Young speakers need encouragement.
You can listen while they practise.
Ask questions about their ideas.
Help them find reliable information.
Encourage them when they are nervous.
But the speech should remain theirs.
The programme’s mentoring guidance is very clear: adults can question, guide, critique and recommend research, but they should not write or materially rewrite the speech or prepare scripted Lightning Round answers for the student.
Help them strengthen their voice — not replace it.
From registration to the national stage.
September 25th – October 2nd
Institution Registration
Week of 28 September
School Coordinator and Teacher Orientation
October 3rd-8th
Internal School Competitions
October 9th
Champion and Reserve Submission
October 12th-15th
Education Zone Competitions for Primary and Secondary participants
October 16th
National Tertiary Qualifier
October 19th
National Finalists Notified
October 21st
Theme Immersion Experience
October 22nd
Finalist Development Clinic 1
November 5th
Finalist Development Clinic 2
November 11th
Technical and Stage Rehearsal
November 15th
National Final & Awards
See the phone? Pick it up.
The Talk Yuh Talk Travelling Phone will appear at selected schools and campaign activities.
Step up.
Choose the question.
Tell Barbados what you think.
Selected responses may become part of campaign videos, radio clips and social-media content as the conversation moves across the island.
One question. Many voices.
Each week, Talk Yuh Talk asks Barbados one question.
You might see it on Instagram.
Hear it on radio.
Answer it during a school visit.
Or respond right here on the website.
What does being Barbadian mean to you in 2026?
Frequently Asked Questions
NEED HELP?
We are here to help.
If you have a question about registration, competition documents, participation or deadlines, contact the:
My Voice, My Barbados Secretariat
Email: myvoicemybarbados@gmail.com
For videos, school visits, theme content, student voices and Talk Yuh Talk updates:
AND FINALLY…
If you had 30 seconds to tell Barbados one thing, what would you say?
Maybe you would talk about your community.
Maybe you have an idea for the future.
Maybe something needs to change.
Maybe you want to protect something that matters to you.
Maybe there is a story that only you can tell.
Whatever it is—
WE WANT TO HEAR IT.
MY VOICE, MY BARBADOS
Talk Yuh Talk.