Stephen won the overall award as well as the public speaking section for his speech on the Invictus Games and Veterans 360 Organisation. He now progresses through to the the regional final.

Entrants were Stephen Smith (Wingham High), Prudence Smyth (Wingham High), Michael Ling (Taree High) and Hannah Hartup (Taree High). Judges were high school teacher Toni Fatherley, agribusiness analyst Jay Thomson and Manning River Times journalist Rob Douglas.

Entrants first explained their contributions to and involvement with leadership, sport, culture, academia, citizenship and community.

Their general knowledge of politics and local issues was put to the test when they were quizzed on whether they though the voting age in Australia should be lowered under 18 years, what issues they see are important in a State election, if federal members should have fixed terms in office and what are the pros and cons for living in a rural area like Taree.

Students were then assessed on their public speaking skills with two impromptu speeches and one prepared speech at a dinner held at the Taree Leagues Sports Club.

Impromptu speeches topics for all were "My biggest concern for the future is?" and "Should creative arts be essential to life?"