2023 Commencement Student Speaker Competition Announced

Graduating students can enter the competition to address the GW community on May 21 on the National Mall.

January 18, 2023

Student Speaker Competition 2023

Members of the graduating Class of 2023 are invited to enter the student speaker competition for a chance to address their classmates and other members of the GW community at the May 21, 2023, university-wide Commencement on the National Mall.

To enter the competition, applicants must submit a biography, proposed speech and video recording of the speech by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Ten applicants’ videos will be judged by GW students in an online public voting round. Up to five finalists will be invited to a final round audition, in person or via Zoom, in front of a committee of judges from the GW community.

2022’s Commencement student speaker was Vishva Bhatt, B.A., who graduated from the Elliott School of International Affairs.