Vote of Thanks Speech: Format, Order and Ready Samples
A vote of thanks speech is the short speech given at the end of a function to thank everyone who made it possible. On this page you will find a simple guide to the format and the correct order of thanking, followed by ready samples for school annual day, sports day, a guest lecture, a farewell, a seminar, Teachers' Day, an award, a student election and a vote of thanks speech in Hindi.
Each sample is between 120 and 250 words, so it can be spoken in one to two minutes. Change the names, the event details and one or two lines to suit your own function, and practise it aloud at least three times before you go on stage.
What Is a Vote of Thanks Speech?
A vote of thanks is a formal way of saying thank you at the close of an event. One person, usually a teacher, the head boy or head girl, or a member of the organising team, speaks on behalf of everyone. It is not a summary of the whole programme. Its only job is to make every helper and guest feel noticed, in a short and polite way.
Who Should Be Thanked, and in What Order
- The chief guest and the guest of honour, for their time and their words.
- The chairperson, manager or trustees of the school or college, if they are present.
- The principal and the vice principal, for their guidance and permission.
- Teachers and the organising committee, naming the in-charge teachers where possible.
- Students and performers, by the item they presented.
- Parents and the audience, for coming and for their patience.
- Support staff: sound, lights, decoration, cleaning, security, the canteen.
Format of a Vote of Thanks Speech
- Greeting: one line addressing the stage and the audience.
- Purpose: say that you have the honour of proposing the vote of thanks.
- Thanks in order: one or two sentences for each group, with one real detail about what they did.
- Closing: a final line that thanks everyone once more, followed by the national anthem if the school follows that practice.
How Long Should It Be?
Between one and two minutes is ideal, which is about 120 to 250 words. People are tired at the end of a programme, so a crisp vote of thanks is always better than a long one.
Dos and Don'ts
- Do check the names and titles of guests with the teacher in charge before the event.
- Do add one specific detail for each person, such as a line from the chief guest's speech.
- Do look up at the audience after every few lines instead of reading with your head down.
- Don't repeat the welcome speech or retell the whole programme.
- Don't forget the people behind the scenes; they notice when they are left out.
- Don't use jokes that may embarrass any guest or teacher.
If you have to give the opening speech instead, see our welcome speech page. For help with presenting the whole programme, read the anchoring script guide, and for general tips on structure, see speech writing.

Vote of Thanks Speech for School Annual Day (by a Teacher)
Good evening to our honourable chief guest, our respected Chairperson, our Principal, dear colleagues, parents and my dear students.
As the curtain comes down on our Annual Day, I have the pleasant duty of proposing the vote of thanks.
First of all, I thank our chief guest for taking time out of a busy schedule to be with us. Sir, your words about curiosity and patience will stay with our children for a long time. We are also grateful to our Chairperson, whose support makes every event in this school possible.
I sincerely thank our Principal, who guided us at every step, from choosing the theme to approving the final running order.
A special thank you goes to my fellow teachers. Some of you stayed back every evening for a month, stitching costumes, painting backdrops and correcting dance steps. Tonight's show is the result of that quiet hard work.
To our students, you were simply wonderful. The little ones of the primary section stole our hearts with their action song, and the senior play left many of us thinking.
Dear parents, thank you for sending your children for extra rehearsals and for filling this hall tonight.
Finally, I thank our office staff, the sound and light team, our gardeners, security guards and the cleaning staff, who will be working here long after we leave.
Thank you all for being part of this memorable evening. Please remain standing for the national anthem.
Vote of Thanks Speech in School for Sports Day
Good afternoon to our respected chief guest, our Principal, teachers, parents and all the athletes.
I am the sports captain of our school, and it is my privilege to propose the vote of thanks for today's Sports Day.
We are thankful to our chief guest for lighting the torch and for staying with us under the hot sun until the last relay race.
Our heartfelt thanks to our Principal, who always reminds us that a healthy body and a fair mind go together.
The real heroes of today are our physical education teachers. They marked the tracks at six in the morning, managed hundreds of children and kept every event on time. Thank you, sir and ma'am.
I also thank the class teachers who cheered for every house, not just their own, and the medical team who stood ready with first aid.
To every athlete who ran, jumped or threw today, whether you won a medal or not, you made us proud by playing fair.
Thank you, parents, for your loud cheering. Thank you, everyone.
Vote of Thanks for a Guest Lecture
Respected speaker, our Principal, faculty members and dear friends, good morning once again.
On behalf of the science club, I rise to propose a vote of thanks to our guest speaker.
Ma'am, in just one hour you took us from the classroom to the depths of the ocean. Your talk on marine life, the photographs from your field trips and your patient answers to our many questions have opened a new window for all of us. Many students have already told me they want to read more on the subject.
We thank our Principal for inviting such an inspiring speaker to our campus, and our club coordinator for planning this session so carefully.
My thanks also go to the technical team, who made sure the projector and microphones worked without a single problem.
Finally, thank you, friends, for listening so attentively and asking such thoughtful questions.
Ma'am, please accept a small token of our gratitude, and do visit us again. Thank you.
Thank You Speech for Farewell Party
Good evening to our respected Principal, our dear teachers, and all my juniors who planned this beautiful evening.
Speaking on behalf of the outgoing class, I want to say thank you before we leave this school for the last time as students.
Dear juniors, you turned an ordinary hall into a place full of fairy lights, old photographs and memories. The slideshow of our first day in class 1 made every one of us laugh and cry at the same time. Thank you for your effort and your affection.
To our teachers, thank you for the scoldings we deserved and the second chances we did not. You believed in us even on the days we did not believe in ourselves.
We thank our Principal for allowing this function and for guiding us through twelve important years.
And thank you to our bus drivers, office attendants and canteen uncles, who looked after us every single day.
We may leave this building, but we will always carry this school with us. Thank you.
Vote of Thanks Speech for Seminar
Respected chairperson of the session, our distinguished resource persons, the Head of the Department, faculty members, delegates and dear friends.
We have come to the end of a very fruitful seminar on water conservation, and I have the honour of proposing the vote of thanks.
To begin with, I thank our keynote speaker, whose talk on traditional stepwells and village ponds reminded us that our ancestors already knew how to save every drop of rain.
I am grateful to all the resource persons who led the technical sessions. Your case studies from farms and cities gave us practical ideas that we can take back to our own institutions.
My sincere thanks go to the Principal and the management for supporting this seminar, and to the Head of the Department for her constant guidance.
I also thank the paper presenters for their research, and every delegate who travelled from other colleges to be with us.
The organising committee and student volunteers deserve special mention. They handled registration, meals, certificates and seating without any confusion.
We thank the library, the accounts office, the housekeeping staff and the audio-visual team for their quiet support behind the scenes.
I hope the ideas shared here grow into real action in our campuses and homes. Thank you all, and have a safe journey back.
Thank You Speech for Teachers (Vote of Thanks Speech for Teachers' Day)
Good morning to our respected Principal, our beloved teachers and my dear friends.
Today our class has the honour of saying thank you on behalf of every student in this school.
Dear teachers, we often forget how much you do for us. You come early to check our notebooks, you stay late to plan our lessons, and you notice when one of us looks sad in the back row. You teach us maths and grammar, but you also teach us to stand in a line, to share our tiffin and to say sorry.
Thank you for your patience on days when we were noisy, and for your faith on days when our marks were low.
We also thank our Principal for allowing us to organise this programme, and our class teacher for helping us rehearse.
Friends who performed today, thank you for the songs, the skit and the handmade cards.
Dear teachers, we cannot repay you, but we promise to make you proud. Happy Teachers' Day, and thank you.
Short Vote of Thanks Speech in School (1 Minute)
Good morning to our respected Principal, teachers and dear friends.
Our special assembly on road safety has come to an end, and I would like to propose a short vote of thanks.
We thank our Principal for giving us this chance to speak to the whole school.
Many thanks to our class teacher, who helped us write the skit and make the traffic signal posters.
We are grateful to the traffic police officer who came to talk to us and showed us how to cross the road safely.
Thank you, friends, for listening so quietly and for clapping for every performer.
Let us remember today's lessons every time we step onto the road. Thank you.
Short Thank You Speech for Receiving an Award Sample
Good evening, respected chief guest, Principal, teachers and friends.
I am truly honoured to receive the Best Student Award today, and I am a little nervous standing here.
This award is not mine alone. It belongs to my teachers, who answered my doubts even during their lunch break, and to my parents, who woke up early with me before every exam.
I also thank my friends, who studied with me, argued with me and kept me laughing when I was tired.
I thank the selection committee for choosing me from so many deserving students. Some of my classmates worked just as hard, and I share this moment with them.
This trophy will remind me to keep learning and to help others. Thank you very much.
Short Thank You Speech for Voting Me (School Captain)
Good morning to our respected Principal, teachers and all my dear friends.
Thank you so much for electing me as your school captain. When the results were read out, I felt happy, but I also felt the weight of your trust.
I want to thank the other candidates as well. Each of them ran a clean campaign, and I hope we can work together as one team.
My thanks to the teachers who conducted the election so fairly, and to my class, who supported me from the first day.
I promise to listen to your ideas, to carry your problems to the teachers honestly and to keep our school clean and disciplined.
A captain is only as strong as the team. Let us make this a great year together. Thank you.
Vote of Thanks Speech in Hindi: धन्यवाद ज्ञापन भाषण
आदरणीय मुख्य अतिथि महोदय, सम्माननीय प्रधानाचार्य जी, सभी शिक्षकगण, अभिभावकगण और मेरे प्यारे साथियों,
आज का वार्षिक उत्सव अब समाप्ति की ओर है। ऐसे सुंदर मौके पर धन्यवाद ज्ञापन करना मेरे लिए गर्व की बात है।
सबसे पहले मैं हमारे मुख्य अतिथि जी का हृदय से आभार प्रकट करता हूँ। आपने अपना कीमती समय निकालकर हमारा उत्साह बढ़ाया। आपकी यह बात कि मेहनत का कोई विकल्प नहीं होता, हम सब हमेशा याद रखेंगे।
हम अपने प्रधानाचार्य जी के आभारी हैं, जिनके मार्गदर्शन से यह कार्यक्रम इतना सफल हो पाया।
सभी शिक्षकों को विशेष धन्यवाद, जिन्होंने कई दिनों तक बच्चों को नृत्य, नाटक और गीत का अभ्यास कराया। मंच की सजावट और वेशभूषा की तैयारी भी आपकी ही मेहनत है।
सभी प्रतिभागी विद्यार्थियों को बधाई और धन्यवाद, जिन्होंने अपनी प्रस्तुतियों से सबका मन जीत लिया।
अभिभावकों का भी धन्यवाद, जो इतनी बड़ी संख्या में यहाँ आए और बच्चों का हौसला बढ़ाया।
अंत में हम विद्यालय के कार्यालय कर्मचारियों, ध्वनि व्यवस्था सँभालने वाले साथियों और सफाई कर्मचारियों का भी धन्यवाद करते हैं।
आप सभी का एक बार फिर से हार्दिक धन्यवाद।
Tips for a Good Vote of Thanks Speech
- Write the names and designations of all guests on a small card the day before, and confirm the spelling and pronunciation with your teacher.
- Listen carefully during the event and add one line about what the chief guest actually said; this shows you were paying attention.
- Follow the order of importance: chief guest, management, principal, teachers, students, parents and support staff.
- Keep each thank you to one or two sentences, so the whole speech stays under two minutes.
- Speak slowly, pause after each group you thank, and smile at the person you are thanking.
- Never skip the support staff; a single line for the cleaning team or the sound technician means a lot to them.
- End with a short, warm line and, if it is the last item, invite everyone to stand for the national anthem.
Questions students ask
What is a vote of thanks speech?
It is a short, formal speech given at the end of a function to thank the guests, organisers and everyone who helped. One person speaks on behalf of the whole institution. It usually lasts one to two minutes.
Who gives the vote of thanks in school?
It is usually given by a teacher, the head boy or head girl, or a student from the class that organised the event. At big functions such as the annual day, a senior teacher or the vice principal often proposes it.
How do you start a vote of thanks speech?
Begin with a greeting to the chief guest, the principal, teachers and the audience. Then say a line such as "It is my privilege to propose the vote of thanks for today's programme." After that, start thanking people in order of importance.
What is the difference between a welcome speech and a vote of thanks?
A welcome speech is given at the start of an event to greet the guests and introduce the programme. A vote of thanks comes at the end and thanks everyone for their presence and help. The welcome looks forward, while the vote of thanks looks back on what happened.
How long should a vote of thanks be?
Aim for one to two minutes, which is about 120 to 250 words. A short school assembly needs only about 100 to 130 words, while a seminar or annual day may need a little more.
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