How Virginia FFA Leadership Development Events Work
Leadership development events, or LDEs, are contests in speaking, meetings and teamwork rather than hands-on farm skills. Virginia FFA lists its LDEs alongside its career events on the CDE and LDE page and does not label each one, so this guide groups the speaking, meeting and discussion events and notes where the state calendar calls an event an LDE. All contests follow the 2026 Virginia FFA Competitive Event Guide.
The Events
Events that fit the leadership and speaking side include:
- Creed Speaking: a single participant recites the FFA Creed from memory and answers questions about its meaning and purpose
- Spanish Creed: follows the National Creed format, and the top two Virginia competitors in grades 7 to 9 advance to the national invitational
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking and Prepared Public Speaking, with junior and senior sessions at convention
- Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Meetings, both held in early spring
- Youth Discussion Meet and Agricultural Issues Forum
- Employment Skills, Talent and the Ag Ed LDE
The Virginia FFA events calendar lists State Parliamentary Procedure in March and labels it an LDE. For rules on each event, the CDE and LDE page links the 2026 national handbooks for Creed, Extemporaneous, Prepared, Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Meetings, and Virginia pages for several of them.
Creed Speaking in Detail
The Creed Speaking page describes the Virginia route:
- Contestants must be active FFA members in grades 7 to 9.
- Each FFA area may send one contestant to the state event.
- Areas hold their own speaking events to choose state qualifiers, and a contestant must win the area event to compete at state.
- The state event is held at the State Convention, and qualifiers should register for the convention and note their Creed Speaking participation.
The page links a document called "Creed Speaking - Approved for 2024" for scoring details, and the page itself does not describe how the state winner is chosen. Ask your advisor for the current rubric.
State Convention Schedule
The 100th State Convention ran June 8 to 11, 2026, at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, per the convention page. According to the 2026 contest schedule:
- Monday, June 8: Creed Speaking session practice at 1:00 p.m. and Talent at 9:00 p.m. in Burruss Hall
- Tuesday, June 9: Ag Education and Extemporaneous Public Speaking at 8:00 a.m., Employment Skills starting at 9:00 a.m., Junior Prepared Public Speaking at 10:30 a.m., Senior Prepared Public Speaking at 1:30 p.m. and Talent check-in at 12:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 10: Discussion Meet at 8:30 a.m., Employment Skills Day 2 at 9:00 a.m. and Ag Issues at 1:00 p.m.
Scrapbooks were due at registration by 1:30 p.m. Monday. Contest registration and all contest materials were due May 15, 2026, and a contest-only day cost $30. The convention page also carries a "save the date" for June 14 to 17, 2027, though it conflicts with other text on the page, so confirm 2027 dates with state staff.
Who Can Compete
- Participants must be current, dues-paying members at the local, state and national levels and listed on the chapter roster. Unlisted participants pay a $35 processing fee plus dues.
- While in school, participants must be enrolled in an agricultural education course or following a planned course of study, and must maintain an SAE.
- Senior division is grades 9 to 12, junior division is grades 6 to 9 and middle school is grades 6 to 8.
- Eligible junior members may compete at the senior level if they already won the state junior division or no junior division is offered.
- Every competitor needs a signed Student/Parent Agreement and Emergency Waiver completed in AET.
Qualifying for National Events
Chapters declare at State Convention check-in which one national-qualifying event they will accept advancement in, and the declaration is binding. An individual may qualify for only one national CDE or LDE per year, and members who have represented Virginia nationally in an event cannot compete in it again. National eligibility follows the August 1 to July 31 membership year, and a student must be a 7th-grade member on the qualifying event date to qualify at state level.
Scoring and Conduct
Scores are checked by at least two people before announcement. Tie-breakers run through the event handbook, then rubric scores, then a coin flip. Disqualification can follow unauthorized communication, outside help, unauthorized electronic devices or late arrival, and advisors cannot communicate with participants during an event unless they hold an official role. Requests for accommodations must come from the advisor before registration, at least three weeks ahead per the CDE page and 14 days per the policy.
How to Prepare
- Learn the Creed cold, and practice answering questions about what each paragraph means.
- For speaking events, read the event's national handbook and time yourself.
- Watch for Speak Up, Virginia FFA!, a virtual LDE prep workshop the events page lists for December, recorded for later viewing.
- Ask your advisor about area contests and deadlines, because most LDEs begin at the local or area level.
The Virginia FFA office lists 540-231-3823. Dates and rules change each year.
Virginia Listings Covered by This Guide
- Virginia FFA State Convention
Annual state FFA convention and agriscience fair held at Virginia Tech, where the organization was born. Held each year; the most recent dates were June 8-11, 2026.
- Virginia FFA Association
State FFA office in Hutcheson Hall at Virginia Tech that runs Capitol Day, judging contests, leadership conferences and the state convention.
115 Hutcheson Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061 | 540.231.3823 Website
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.