Task
Get your students to write a short speech [no more than 300 words for the 7-8 and 9-10 age categories, or 500 words for the 11-12 and 13-14 age categories] on climate change or gender equality.
Teachers/Parents may submit the written speeches via our online form by January 24, 2020. The written submissions will be assessed by a panel of judges, including professional speechwriters. Twenty speeches from each age category will be selected to advance to the second round.
Twenty students from each age category will be invited to deliver their speeches before a panel of judges on February 22, 2020 at the Aga Khan Museum and three speeches from each age category will be selected to advance to the third round.
The three finalists from each age category will deliver their speeches before a panel of judges at a ceremony at the Design Exchange headquarters in Toronto on World Speech Day, March 16, 2020. First, second and third place speeches for each age category will be ranked and students will be presented with medals and prizes.
World Speech Day Celebration
Semi-Final and Final Round of Unexpected Voices Speech Competition
Join us at a ceremony at the Design Exchange (Canadian Headquarters of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals) on March 4, 2022 (from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM) for the semi-final and final rounds of the Unexpected Voices Speech Contest.
All contestants that attend the ceremony will be presented a participation certificate, semi-finalist certificate or finalist certificate during the ceremony. Also, the finalists will deliver their speeches and be awarded prizes, medals and certificates.
Tickets are $15 for contestants and $25 each for family members, teachers, friends and the general public.
Semi-Final Round of the Unexpected Voices Speech Competition
World Speech Day 2022 | Unexpected Voices Speech Competition Canada - 11-14 Age Category
World Speech Day 2022 | Unexpected Voices Speech Competition Canada - 7-8 and 9-10 Age Categories
Tickets will be available for sale commencing February 1, 2023
Some details for Semi-Finals:
The Design Exchange is located at 234 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario.
Registration times for contestants for each age category is as follows:
For the 9-10 and 11-14 age categories, registration is from 8:30am to 9:00am. The semi-finals for these age categories will be from 9:30 to 11:00am.
For the 7-8 age categories, registration is from 10:00-10:30am. The semi-finals for this age category will be from 11:00am-12:00pm.
Prizes
First, Second and Third place from each age category will receive the following:
SECOND PLACE
$250 cash prize
THIRD PLACE
$100 cash prize
All participating schools will receive a certificate.
Eligibility +
The speech completion is open to students that reside in Canada. There are the following four age categories (age as at December 31, 2019):
• 7-8 years old
• 9-10 years old
• 11-12 years old
• 13-14 years old
Competition Overview +
This competition is run by Power of Words Academy in collaboration with World Speech Day. The Competition aims to:
• Increase the knowledge of the UN Sustainability Development Goals amongst students and their teachers
• Improve the students’ writing and speaking skills
• Increase awareness of World Speech Day
What does the competition involve?
It is important that students are given a platform to express what they think, believe and are passionate about. This speech writing Competition gives that opportunity to the youth across Canada to work on two of the UN Sustainable Development Goal themes: Climate Change or Gender Equality. By doing so, our youth can articulate their thoughts, ideas, concerns about such topics, present us with new ways of thinking and promote taking action.
To help with this exercise, the British Council (who is concurrently running the first Unexpected Voices Competition in the UK and in other countries including India, South Africa, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine and Bangladesh) has created a number of resources to provoke thought and inspire action on gender equality. These resources will give tools to students to develop their awareness of gender equality or climate change and the impact that they have in the world. Students will also be able to develop a variety of skills, such as speech writing, communication, problem solving and critical thinking, to name a few.
The theme of the speech must either be Climate change or Gender equality.
The speech must be written in English.
The maximum word limit of the speeches is:
• 300 words for the 7-8 and 9-10 age categories
• 500 words for the 11-12 and 13-14 age categories.
Teachers/parents may submit the selected student speeches by entering the information into the online form by the given deadline. All entries must be submitted by the student’s teacher or school who will be responsible for authenticating it is the student's work and not plagiarized.
Entry to the Competition is free of charge although entrants are responsible for any costs associated with entry. All entries must be submitted online.
Competition Dates
The opening date of the Competition is November 15, 2019 and the closing date is January 24, 2020. Any submission received before the opening date or after the closing date will not be entered in the competition.
The Round 1 Competition winners will be notified by email on February 3, 2020. In this notification, Power of Words Academy will inform the winners of the venue, date and time of Round 2, where the selected participants will present their speeches before a panel of judges. The three winners of each age category will be invited to perform their speeches on World Speech Day (March 16, 2020) at the Design Exchange.
Resources +
The World Speech Day website offers a number of resources that can help you with your entry.
Learning for All - training videos to help anyone become a good speaker.
Define, Develop, Deliver - a practical guide that covers the foundations you need when embarking on a speaking journey.
For further resources, hints and tips, please visit the World Speech Day Website.
Downloads +
Unexpected Voices - Competition Rules
How can we increase awareness of climate change?
What does gender equality mean to your pupils?
Acknowledgements +
A very special thank you goes out to the British Council for permission to use the content of their “Unexpected voices competition” webpage, competition rules, and connecting classroom resource materials.
British Council (2019) “Unexpected voices competition.”
www.connecting-classrooms.britishcouncil.org/resources/unexpected-voices-competition.