ESCANABA/IRON MOUNTAIN — Bay College has opened a competition to be the 2026 commencement speaker at its spring graduation ceremonies.

The winner of this competition will deliver their speech to the graduates and guests of Bay College’s 2026 commencement.

To enter, a Bay College student must submit their speech in document form by April 2 to Dr. Renee Strom, Arts & Letters faculty member, via email at renee.strom@baycollege.edu.

Each entry must include the student’s full name, contact email and telephone number. All entrants must be eligible to graduate by Summer 2026 and have applied for graduation. All speeches should be four to five minutes long when read aloud and should specifically address the new Bay College graduates. It is also expected that all speeches be considerate and responsive to the sensitivities of general audiences.

Once all submissions have been considered, Strom will contact finalists to deliver their speech(es) to the Commencement Speaker Committee on April 14.

The winner of the competition will receive $100 and will deliver the speech at the graduation ceremony on May 9. The second-place winner will receive $50.

For more information, contact Strom at 906-217-4131 or renee.strom@baycollege.edu.