2021 Commonwealth Writing and Speaking Competitions
Dear students,
On behalf of the Royal Commonwealth Society, we are excited to invite you to the 2021 Commonwealth Writing and Public Speaking Competitions on Saturday, December 4th!
TOPIC: “ADAPTATION AND TRANSFORMATION”
The topic for all categories in this year’s competition is “Adaptation and Transformation.”
WRITING CONTEST WINNERS
Junior
1st Yvonne Li
2nd Ethan Wong
3rd Helen Li
Honourable mentions: Declan Wu, Kylie Wu
Youth
1st Agrima Jaiman
2nd James Sun
3rd Freya Pan
Honourable mentions: Yimo Xie, Aaron Chang, Briana Tang
Senior
1st Nathan Yang
2nd Yoshier Hu, Richard Wang
3rd Emily Su, Erica Zhang, Jason (Zhiheng) Shao
Honourable mentions: June (Jun Jue) Wang , Jason Bao, Henry Luo, Calvin Liu
SPEAKING CONTEST WINNERS
Junior
First place : Zihan Wang Second place : Kylie Yutong Wu
Third place (tied) : Panshul Mishra Jaiman / Zihan Wei
Fourth place : Keanna Lai Fifth place : Declan Yulun Wu
Sixth place (tied) : Kelly Huang / Ziyi Liu
Youth
First place : Brianna Tang
Second place : Benjamin Han
Third place : Agrima Jaiman
Fourth place : Ruirui Tang Fifth place : Yimo Xie
Senior
First place : Finn Liu
Second place : Henry Luo Third place : Leo zhu
Fourth place :Sarah khandoker Fifth place : Emily Su
Sixth place: Emily Cui
CATEGORIES
- Grades 1-2 * Elementary : 2-3 Minute Speeches / 100 words essay
- Grades 3-5 * Junior: 4-5 Minute Speeches / 400 words essay
- Grades 6-8 * Youth: 5-6 Mnute Speeches / 700 words essay
- Grades 9-12 * Senior: 6-8 Minute Speeches / 1,000 words essay
- Notes about the categories:
- A student’s category is determined by their grade level at school during the 2021-2022 school year.
- Organizers may contact students to verify that they are in the correct categories; failure to do so may result in disqualification from the tournament.
REGISTRATION
We encourage registrants to contribute $20 to the Writing and Speaking Competitions. All revenues from registration will go to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.
Please e-transfer your registration contribution to rcscontestinfo@gmail.com and specify your student registrant’s name in the message when sending money.
To register, please fill out this form by Friday, November 26th (Essay registration deadline is extended to January 5, 2022). Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.
Best regards,
Fiona Li
Youth Director, Education Committee & Tournament Director
Royal Commonwealth Society of Mainland BC
Email: rcscontestinfo@gmail.com
WRITING COMPETITION RULES
- All essays must be written in English.
- No entrant may submit more than ONE essay. Entrants must write on one topic only.
- Essays are liable for disqualification on the following criteria: the essay is not certified; no grade is given; the essay is too long or short in relation to the specified word count.
- Essays submitted must be written or typed on standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch (21.5 x 28 cm) paper (not 8 1/2 x 14 inch) leaving a 1 – 1 1/2 inch (3 – 4 cm) margin on the left side. The writer’s name, the title of the essay and the topic must be given at the top of the first page.
- Emailed essays should be sent in DOC or PDF formats. Essays may not be faxed.
- Deadline for entrants is FRIDAY JANUARY 7, 2022. Essays must have been RECEIVED by this date via email to rcscontestinfo@gmail.com.
- Any questions or clarifications concerning this contest should be emailed to rcscontestinfo@gmail.com.
- The writers of essays may be advised on preliminary planning and on source material but NO further help should he given by teachers or families.
- We may contact finalists to ask their secondary school teacher or principal to certify that this essay is the student’s own composition.
PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION FORMAT
The format of the speech can be persuasive, informative, narrative, etc. as long as it adheres to the provided topic.
Students in all categories will be judged based on:
- Delivery (vocal expression, body language, fluency),
- Content (organization, creativity, adherence to the prompt),
- Language (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation).
Students are encouraged to memorize the presentation and although they may choose to use cue cards, judges often find memorized speeches to be more polished and impressive.
SCHEDULE
Please note that all times are in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Saturday, December 4th.
1:00pm PDT —— Registration
1:30pm PDT —— Welcome & Briefings
2:00pm PDT —— Competitions Begin!
5:00pm PDT —— Results Announcement
PRIZES
- The top 3 speakers in each category will receive trophies and special prizes.
- The 4th to 6th place speakers will receive special Royal Commonwealth Society prizes.
- All participants will receive certificates of participation from the Royal Commonwealth Society.
DRESS CODE & EXPECTATIONS
- Students are encouraged to wear formal attire to the competition. This means a collared shirt, tie, dress, etc.
- Students are expected to find a quiet place with a strong wifi connection.
- Backgrounds should be neutral and we ask that students do not use virtual Zoom backgrounds for the competition.
- It is a good idea to test your camera and microphone the day before.
- Competitors should be visible from head to waist.
TOURNAMENT PLATFORM
The competition will take place on Zoom, and competitors should ensure that they have installed the latest version in order to navigate to the correct breakout rooms. Specific links will be sent out to registered participants via email prior to the competition.