But fresh from her victory in Quirindi, the year 11 student has her bags packed for even tougher competition in the Rotary District 9650 Speech Competition finals in Port Macquarie. The region stretches from Armidale to Woolgoolga.

Ms Barwick said the standard, even at the semi-finals, was "amazing".

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"The person that came second to me, the only difference was that she said um in her impromptu speech," she said.

"That's how high the standard was. She still got to go away because the top two get to go, so it was okay.

"The standard, I'm assured, at the coastal area is going to be just the same."

She will deliver a five-minute prepared speech and a two-minute impromptu speech - with just two minute's preparation time - to a crowd of 500 or so people on March 13.

It's a daunting prospect, she said.

"I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be an amazing experience and meet a whole lot of really great people," she said.

"It is nerve-wracking, going up there, we're speaking in front of 500-odd people, which will be a very new experience for me and I'm looking forward to it overall."

The semi-finals took place in Quirindi on Sunday, February 28.

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