The Annual Japanese Speech Contest

The Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, in partnership with the Japanese American Association of Northern California and the Northern California Japanese Teachers’ Association, hosts the Annual Japanese Speech Contest at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (located in San Francisco’s Japantown). The primary objective of this contest is to encourage the learning and use of the Japanese language in the American community, particularly among non-native speakers. This speech contest represents a fun and challenging way for students at all levels to demonstrate their language and communications skills. It is a free event that is open to all American students. Each school may submit one (1) candidate and two (2) alternate candidates to the speech contest.

Contestants are typically divided into the following two categories:

Category 1: Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is not spoken (i.e., there are no members of the contestant’s family who understand or speak Japanese).

Category 2: Contestants who come from homes where Japanese is spoken (i.e., there are members of the contestant’s family who understand or speak Japanese). This point applies to both native and non-native speakers of Japanese.

Prizes include:

1st Place: Winner’s trophy and certificate of achievement
2nd Place: 2nd place trophy and certificate of achievement
3rd Place: 3rd place trophy and certificate of achievement
All applicants: Official certificate of recognition

For more information visit the official website here. 

1/5

All students enrolled in a US school may participate, as long as they are aged 11-18.

$

There is no cost to entry. 

3/5

An eligible contest participant must meet all of the following criteria:
Is a middle or high school student currently studying Japanese as a foreign language.

1/5

The event lasts for one day only. The amount of preparation time devoted towards this contest is up to the individual participant.

Each school may submit one candidate and two alternate candidates to the speech contest.
Applications for this division should be submitted by Japanese language instructors or school teachers on behalf of their students by e-mail, with required documents for application (refer to the contest website).