Tarrant said that this year the committee attempted to solicit more applications than in previous years.

But, despite increasing advertising and doubling the prize money to $1,000, the number of applicants climbed only slightly.

“Asking for submissions after spring break and fairly soon after people have submitted senior theses might be somewhat of a deterrent,” Tarrant said.

Next year the committee is considering moving the timetable back to allow more time for students to write speeches once they return from spring break.

But because of the preparation required by Commencement the judges are limited in how far back they can push the application deadline.

“We’ll see if we can put it to the middle of April rather than the beginning,” Tarrant said.

For the orators, the benefits of being selected extend beyond the prize money and prestige.

“We get special guest tickets so our parents can sit near the front,” Carter said.

But the rewards come only after intense preparation.

After being selected as a speaker each of the orators will be coached on pronunciation, pace, and memorization by members of the judging committee, said Tarrant.

On June 9, the three speakers will address an audience of around 32,000 parents, students, faculty, and alumni gathered in Tercentenary Theater to watch Harvard’s Commencement exercises.

Last year Kathryn L. Rakoczy ’04 delivered the English oration.

Pankaj K. Agarwalla ’04 gave the Latin oration.

Harvard Law School student Stephen E. Frank ’95 presented the graduate student oration.

—Staff writer Joshua P. Rogers can be reached at jprogers@fas.harvard.edu