Applications are now open for this year’s Ron Shorter Memorial Award, which tests young insurance professionals’ public speaking skills.

The five-year-old competition – run by the Australian Insurance Law Association – will this year cover Queensland for the first time, as well as NSW and Victoria.

Twenty applicants from each state will be selected to attend intensive public speaking workshops run by Polaris Coaching.

They will then deliver two-minute presentations on their chosen topics.

Judges will select three from each state to receive one-on-one training before the state finals, where they will address 80-100 industry professionals.

State winners will receive a trophy, $500 Westfield gift cards and flights and accommodation to present at the AILA conference in Adelaide in October.

Runners-up in each state receive $250 gift cards.

Applicants should email national@aila.com.au detailing the insurance topic they want to speak about and a 250-word summary of why they would benefit from the training.

Applications close at 5pm on May 2.

Law firm Colin Biggers & Paisley will host the workshops in each state in May, and finals through July and August.