The rules.

Short, simple, written so an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old can read them. Everything you need to know to compete.

Who can compete.

  1. Anyone aged 8 to 99 years old.
  2. Open to everyone — Thai citizens, foreigners living in Thailand, foreigners visiting Thailand, monks, students, farmers, retirees. Everyone.
  3. You may compete in the city closest to where you live or any other Isan city — your choice.
  4. You may compete in only one city per year. (One city per person is the rule.)
  5. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must come with you on the night and sign a one-page consent form. Bring their ID.

Your story.

  1. Your story must be true. It must have happened to you, or you must have been there. We are not running a fiction contest.
  2. Your story must be told in English — no Thai, no Lao, no Khmer in the body of the story. (You may use a single word in another language if it is the natural word.)
  3. You may speak with any accent. There is no "correct" accent. American, British, Indian, Thai-influenced English — all welcome. We score for clarity, not for sounding foreign.
  4. No notes. No phones. No PowerPoint. Just you and the microphone.
  5. You may stand or sit. You may use your hands. You may walk a little. The stage is yours for five minutes.
  6. Stories that contain explicit sexual content, hate speech, or content unsafe for a 13-year-old in the audience will be disqualified. Beyond that, hard topics — death, loss, illness, divorce, addiction, faith, politics — are welcome if told honestly.
A good rule: tell the story you have told three times to one trusted friend. The story you have already told is the one you can tell honestly under stage lights.

Time limit.

  1. You have 5 minutes. A bell rings at 4:30 (warning) and 5:00 (stop). If you are still speaking at 5:30, the microphone is gently faded and you are politely walked off.
  2. Going under 4 minutes loses points. Going over 5:00 loses more points. The 4:30 warning bell is your friend.
  3. The shortest story to ever win a regional was 4:18. The longest was 5:01. Aim for somewhere in the middle.

How you are scored.

  1. Three judges at every event. They are working English teachers, past winners, or local community leaders. Each event publishes the judges by name a week ahead.
  2. Each judge gives three scores — Truth, Voice, and Connection — out of 10. Maximum total per judge: 30. Three judges: maximum 90.
  3. Truth is whether the story feels honest. Did the storyteller live this? Are they trying to be impressive, or are they trying to tell us something real?
  4. Voice is the use of language. Clarity. Pace. Range of expression. The storyteller's command of the words they have, more than the size of their vocabulary.
  5. Connection is whether the audience went somewhere with the storyteller. Did they laugh? Did they hold their breath? Did they cry? Did the room change?
  6. The audience also votes. The People's Choice winner gets ฿2,500 — sometimes the audience picks the same person the judges did. Sometimes not.

Prizes.

  1. In each city: ฿15,000 (Regional Winner), ฿5,000 (Runner-up), ฿2,500 (People's Choice).
  2. Across the tour: ฿10,000 to the Best Youth (under 18), based on the highest score among all youth competitors across all 8 cities.
  3. The 8 city Regional Winners are flown — at our expense — to the Isan Final in Surin on August 22, 2026.
  4. At the Isan Final, the Grand Champion takes home ฿100,000 in cash, on the night, on stage. The other 7 finalists each receive ฿5,000 in addition to what they already won.
  5. All prizes are paid in Thai baht in cash on the night of the event. We do not hold prize money. We do not require bank accounts.
  6. Total 2026 prize pool: ฿250,000.
If you cannot stay until the end of the event because of family, work, or transportation, tell us at registration. We hold prizes for any winner who has to leave early.

What we require of competitors.

  1. Show up at the venue 90 minutes before the start time for sound check and order-of-competitors briefing.
  2. Tell us at registration if you cannot make this: most events allow a 60-minute earlier slot for competitors with travel issues.
  3. Wear clothes you would wear to a respectful family event. There is no dress code beyond "don't show up in a swimsuit."
  4. By competing, you give USAEnglish.com permission to record video and audio of your story for use on this website, in social media, and in promotional material. You retain full ownership of your story; we get a license to share the recording. If you want the recording removed at any time, email us — we remove it within 7 days, no questions asked.
  5. Be kind to your fellow competitors. Cheer for them. The audience reads the room. The events that go best are the ones where competitors support each other.

What we promise to you.

  1. Free entry. Forever. We will never charge competitors. The competition is paid for by sponsors, not by you.
  2. Honest judging. The judges' names are published a week before each event. If a judge has a personal relationship with a competitor, they recuse themselves and a substitute is named.
  3. Cash prizes paid the night of the event. No "we'll mail it" — you walk out with the envelope.
  4. A safe, respectful event. We do not allow heckling. We have moderators. The night belongs to the storytellers.
  5. If you have a question or a concern, email us. We answer ourselves — there is no chatbot.

Read the rules. Now register.

Two minutes. ฿0. Open to everyone in Isan and beyond.

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