Demorest Medal Contests

The Demorest Medal Contests (May 9, 1886 – December 1897) were a system of public oratorical competitions, founded as a means of Prohibition propaganda by William Jennings Demorest in April 1886. It was his idea to make these contests promote directly the growth of Prohibition sentiment by enlisting the effort and winning the sympathy of boys, girls, young men, and young women. After Demorest's death, the Demorest medal system was merged with that of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), and Mrs. Demorest (Ellen Louise Demorest) was placed in charge of the Medal Department. She, however, died a few months later (March 1898), and Adelia E. Carman became head of the Medal Department, which position she held until 1922. Mrs. Carman was succeeded by her daughter, Maude Carman Cathcart.^[1]