The University Category Semi-final of the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition, Hong Kong region was held at the British Council in Hong Kong on 23 November.

Thirteen contestants from six universities spoke on the theme of “What global citizenship means to me”, expressing their views on issues such as global warming, pollution and gender equality.

A contest delivers her speech in the contest

Judges including Ms. Margaret Cheung, Dr. Gillian Bickley and Mr. Frank Liu from the English Speaking Union Hong Kong, Mr. Christopher Ng from the British Council and Mr. Timothy Gallagher from Genius Development evaluated their performances.

The judges are listening attentively in the contest

The judges praised the contestants for their excellent English-speaking skills. They also gave advice on how to improve. One example: use body language and intonation wisely and try not to act too dramatic. “It is important to consider the size of the audience,” said Mr. Ng, while Dr. Bickley advised contestants to keep the diverse cultural backgrounds of the audience in mind when delivering their speeches.

Five winning Semi-finalists (listed below in alphabetical order) will compete in the Final on 18 January, 2020:

CHAN Tuen Lai
CHEUNG Ho Yan
CHONG Michael Yat Tsun
LEE Chiu Yin
LEUNG Yee Lam
(reported by Vivien Xu)