Get Vocal with Local

Following the success of our Great Debate competition for secondary students and the successful launch of our sister primary public speaking competition, we are pleased to announce that applications for our third Talking History competition for pupils in years 5 and 6 are now open.

What do I have to do?

You are invited to research and prepare a talk to share an aspect of the history of your own locality. The focus changes every year and the 2026 topic will be: What is my favourite local history event?

Is there somewhere in your locality that was the site of a famous battle, disaster or speech? Is your locality home to a historic festival or act of remembrance? Or perhaps a well-known person in history once visited? Does your locality have any traditions based upon something that happened locally in the past? Is there an event in the past in your locality that helps to feed into a bigger national event? We’d love to hear more about your favourite local history event!

Talks must be no more than 5 minutes in length and must demonstrate the knowledge you have developed from your research as well as your argument. You will present your talk at one of our online heats and you will be asked a question about an aspect of your talk or your research by judges. If you are selected as a heat winner, you will go on to present your talk again at the online final.

It is advised that schools wishing to participate should hold an internal school/class competition first to decide upon the 2 (maximum per school) entries to put forward and enter into the Historical Association heats.

In May and June 2026, a series of up to 10 virtual heats will take place and the winner of each heat will go forward to a virtual final held in early July.

Good luck!

What will I win?

The winner of the final will win:

• a £25 voucher
• an HA goody bag
• a year’s HA membership for their school
• a commemorative certificate
• a commemorative notebook

Why enter a competition focusing on history and oracy?

Throughout history, information and argument have been shared orally through storytelling, conversations and narratives where different perspectives are shared. Making a convincing case and presenting orally with confidence is an essential life skill and often the forerunner to being able to write effectively about something. If pupils can talk effectively about an issue, they are far more likely to write well about it too!

The Historical Association recognises the importance of oracy skills in enabling our primary historians to:

• Articulate their ideas. Through the process of researching, organising and presenting their learning, primary historians will learn how to articulate their ideas clearly and engage with an audience: these are valuable skills within the wider world. 
• Develop critical thinking. By researching and communicating historical concepts and narratives with growing complexity, primary historians will learn to draw their own conclusions and justify these while appreciating different perspectives.
• Gain deeper understanding and appreciation of the past. Through the process of sifting through historical evidence to inform their presentation, primary historians will expand their knowledge of the past, broadening their historical perspectives. 
• Grow in confidence. Through sharing their learning orally, children gain confidence in speaking to a real audience: a transferable and desirable skill, applicable to many contexts. Confidence in using the spoken word is also an essential precursor to writing historically which children will become accustomed to as they move through upper KS2, writing for increasingly sustained periods, as they move on through their secondary education.

Above all, taking part is an interactive and engaging approach to learning history in which children are empowered to explore, express and appreciate the significance and relevance of the past.

Heat dates will be added in January

Final: July 2026 (TBC)

Rules:

1. The competition is open to all pupils (including internationally) in years 5/6 (or equivalent) in the academic year 2025/6.
2. Schools are required to hold their own ‘heat’ or competition in which no more than two children will be put forward for judging in the virtual heats run by the Historical Association.
3. All entries must be received by the HA by Friday 8 May 2026
4. Entrants will create a 3-5 minute (max) presentation and no shorter than 2 minutes minimum based on their own research or on their ‘local study’ taught within school.
5. The judges’ decision is final.
6. Presentations must demonstrate historical research as well as argument.
7. All pupils being put forward to the virtual heats must have the correct permissions and be available to attend at least 3 of the published dates. We will do our best to accommodate preferences for heat dates, but cannot guarantee this. All heats will run at 4pm unless otherwise stated. All pupils attending the virtual heats must have an adult accompanying them.
8. All pupils going forward to heats must have adult permission and must be willing to be recorded and for their image to potentially be used on the HA website and other communication channels to support future competitions.
9. We reserve the right to substitute prizes for equivalents where it is necessary. 

Watch the 2025 winner here