Molly Hennessey-Fiske '99 won the Boylston Speaking Prize for her rendition of a selection from Virginia Woolfe's A Room of One's Own during the contest's final round, held in the Yenching Auditorium last night.

Second place went to Stephanie A.V. Gibbs '99 of Cabot House, who recited a selection from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Ten students participated in the final round of the competition. Twenty-five students took part in the preliminary round on April 9.

The Boylston Prize dates from the early 19th century, when Professor of Rhetoric Thomas Boylston bequeathed money for the annual prize.

Boylston stipulated that a clergyman, an academic and a lawyer must judge the competition.

Last night's judges were President of the Unitarian Universalist Association Rev. John A. Buehrens '68, Wellesley College Professor of German Thomas S. Hansen and William S. Strong '73 of the law firm KotinCrabtree & Strong.

Richard Marius, senior lecturer on English,presided over the competition.

The contest is not open to first-year students,but both sophomores who participated, Michael B.Fertik '00 of Mather House and S. WilloughbyAnderson '00 of Leverett House, made it to thefinal round.

"The competition is of zero importance," saidFertik, who read from Herman Melville'sMoby-Dick. "We're here to support eachother and have fun."

Hennessey-Fiske, a Crimson executive and aresident of Eliot House, said she picked Woolfe'sA Room of One's Own because "it's veryaffirming of women's role in dramatic history."

"It told a story and drew the audience in," shesaid. The selection is about a hypothetical sisterof William Shakespeare.

Lauren Kim '98-'99 recited Alfred, LordTennyson's "Ulysses" which Marius called aperennial contest favorite. James M. Cocola '98 ofWinthrop House gave a chilling rendition of"Herbert White" by Frank L. Bidart '67.

According to Fertik, the judges don't use anyset criteria to assess competitors. "We're judgedon whoever has given the speech most in the moodof the contest," he said.

Many of the participants in the contest arealso involved in campus drama groups. "I felt likeI was privy to a little sampling from differentdramatic genres," Hennessey-Fiske said.

According to Marius, the Boylston Contest hasseen a decline in the number of participants overthe years, although current competitors retain thehigh level of skill.

"Fifteen years ago we filled Boylston LectureHall," he said. This year, about 50 people came towatch the speeches.

Marius sees the decline in participants assymptomatic of a general decline in the quality ofpublic speaking at Harvard. "If I had it my way,we'd have a speech clinic here," he said.

The contest's rules do not specify whichlanguage the participants must speak. Matthew A.Carter '99, who is also a Crimson editor andresident of Dunster House, recited a selectionfrom Virgil's "Aeneid" in Latin, although heprovided a translation to the judges.

Carter said he chose this selection because"Dido and Aeneas sells."

The contest is traditionally black-tie. Carter,however, showed up with a red and blue stripedrugby shirt under his tuxedo jacket.

Hennessey-Fiske won $300, and Gibbs won $150.The Boylston bequest also provides funds for acomplimentary dinner for the judges before thecontest.

Other finalists included Katherine M. Brown '98of Adams House, Lesley L. Chen '98 of LeverettHouse and Adam D. Green '99 of Winthrop House