A gift from the late D.P. Baldwin endowed an award to be given each year to the three Wabash students who "compose and pronounce the best orations." The Baldwin Oratorical Contest is the oldest continuous public speaking contest west of the Alleghenies. Thus, each Spring the Wabash Rhetoric Department sponsors the Baldwin Oratorical Contest and determines the top three speakers.

• Bisbee Wins 135th Baldwin Oratorical Contest
  In one of the nation’s oldest speech competitions, Wabash College students drew deeply from their own personal experiences as they tackled the competition’s topic, "It's Time for Some Tough Love."