Annually, the Archdiocese has three competitions for the laity at each Diocesan Parish Life Conference, based on the annual conference theme and the book of the Bible from which it is taken.

• Bible Bowl: a two-hour competition; each parish can have a team of three (plus alternates) in the following divisions:
• Pre-Teens, ages 10-12
• Teens, ages 13-19; in some dioceses, this division may be split in two subdivisions (ages 13-15 and 16-19). The team that wins this division at each PLC will compete among the winners of the other dioceses (in dioceses with two teen divisions, the 16-19 subdivision will advance) at the Archdiocesan festival (in odd-numbered years, at the Archdiocese Convention; in even-numbered years, at the Midsummer Meetings).
• Adults, age 20 and older
• Creative Festivals: children from pre-school through high school submit entries in one or more of the follow categories:
• Arts
• Photography
• Poetry
• Video (not in all dioceses)
• Writing
• Oratorical Festival: Teens in each parish deliver a speech based on the conference theme, in two divisions:
• Junior, ages 13-15
• Senior, ages 16-19; the orator that wins this division at each PLC will compete among the winners of the other dioceses at the Archdiocesan festival (in odd-numbered years, at the Archdiocese Convention; in even-numbered years, at the Midsummer Meetings).