Dear students:
In our Writing and Speaking on the West Coast 2025/26, we invite students to explore the theme – “Together We Thrive: Those in the Commonwealth are a very diverse collection of people, cultures and religions”.
Together We Thrive celebrates the rich diversity of the Commonwealth — a global family of nations united by shared values and vibrant differences. We invite students to explore how people from many cultures, faiths, and traditions come together to learn from one another, strengthen communities, and build a more inclusive world.
SPEAKING CONTEST WINNERS
Junior
1st: [Vacant]
2nd: Saadiya Ma
3rd: Karthik Sreeraj
Youth
1st place: Janice Hao
2nd place: Sarah Xue
3rd place: Charlotte Florence Deng
Honourable Mention:: Kingston Shen, Mason Wu, Ryan Wu
Senior
1st place: Camille Yichan Zhao
2nd place: Nick Ruoming Zeng
3rd place: Edward Ziqian Ji
Honourable Mention: Nick Zhi Han Zheng
WRITING CONTEST WINNERS
Junior
1st: Eric Yang Ran
2nd: Andrew Huang
3rd: Saadiya Ma
Honourable Mentions: Amelia Sung, Rachel Yan
Youth
1st: Esther Guo
2nd: Jason Liu
3rd: Charlotte Florence Deng, Bochen Li
Honourable Mentions: Janice Hao, Ryan Wu
Senior
1st: Eric Zhang
2nd: Nick Ruoming Zeng
3rd: Nicholas Zheng
Honourable Mentions: Agrima Jaiman, Tony Muyao Tan
TOPICS :
The topics in this year’s competition are
- Together We Thrive: One Ocean, One Commonwealth, One Future ( in connection with the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign)
The Essays will be due on March 1, 2026.
CATEGORIES
- Grades 1-3 * Elementary : 4-5 Minute Prose Reading / 100 words essay
- Grades 4-5 * 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 current 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
To register, please fill out this form by March 1st, 2026 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: [email protected]
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 generated by AI; 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 PDF only with the writer’s full name, grade and essay category. Essays may not be faxed.
- Essays must have been RECEIVED by the deadline date via email to [email protected].
- Any questions or clarifications concerning this contest should be emailed to [email protected].
- The writers of essays may be advised on preliminary planning and on source material but NO further help should be 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 Time (“PT”) on Saturday, February 28th, 2026.
1:00pm PT —— Registration
1:30pm PT —— Welcome & Briefings
2:00pm PT —— Competitions Begin!
5:00pm PT —— Results Announcement
PRIZES
- The top prize winners, in each category, who attend our award ceremony will receive medals and special prizes.
- The 4th to 6th place contestants who attend our award ceremony 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 (Not applicable if the contest is held off-line in person).
- 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 online (Zoom invite TBA), 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.