Peace Talks:
Where convictions take center stage

Peace Talks is a speech competition for college students highlighting peacebuilding and courageous communication.

Peace Talks is a project of More Than Just Stories, a new media hub made possible through a five-year, $5 million faith and storytelling grant to Goshen College from Lilly Endowment, Inc.

The goals of Peace Talks include:

• Elevate faith-based speaking and storytelling about peace
• Establish an annual public speaking event for young people
• Cultivate student leadership through mentorship

Peace Talks will first be held September 18-20, 2026, with the contest at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.

You can view the livestream right here on this page. The livestream will be available ten minutes before the event start time, which is 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 19.

Peace Talks is a speech competition for undergraduate college students highlighting peacebuilding and courageous communication. It is open to the public on the Goshen College campus and through the livestream.

For the inaugural year of Peace Talks on September 19, colleges and universities that participate in the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest are invited to send a contestant and a faculty or staff mentor, whether or not the institution held a contest on their campus in 2026. Each year the contest will grow as eligibility widens. In 2027, Peace Talks is open to students from other faith-based colleges in Indiana. In 2028, Peace Talks will be open to students from all colleges and universities across Indiana. In 2029, Peace Talks will be open to students from all colleges and universities across the United States.

Cash awards for the speakers for 2026 are as follows:

• First place: $1,000
• Second place: $800
• Third place: $600