Ottawa, July 3, 2024— Canadian Parents for French is delighted to announce the 13 winners of the 2024 national finals of Concours d’art oratoire, Canada’s public speaking contest.
Students from seven provinces and territories were eligible to participate in the national finals taking place virtually. First place winners from each provincial or territorial competition submitted an original video speech to compete among students from across the country in one of five categories: Core French, Extended Core, Early Immersion, Late Immersion, and Francophone. This year students delivered speeches on technology, sports, marketing, colonialism and racism, among others.
“Congratulations to the esteemed winners of Concours d’art oratoire 2024. Year after year, we are consistently impressed by the remarkable efforts and unwavering dedication demonstrated by the student participants. This year was no different, as they showcased not only their exceptional public speaking abilities in French, their second official language, but also honed a spectrum of invaluable skills that will undoubtedly pave the way for their future success. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the students who reached the CPF national finals; you truly embody the brightest talents across Canada,” said Nicole Thibault, CPF Network CEO.
CPF would also like to thank the jury of 12 expert judges from partner organizations including, the Embassy of France in Canada, the City of Ottawa, TFO, the Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie (ACUFC), among others. They evaluated the video submissions to reach the selection of the 13 winners.
Winners will receive a cash prize and are eligible for a scholarship from CPF’s partner post-secondary institutions: University of Ottawa (ON), Université Saint-Boniface (MB), Université de Moncton (NB), Université Sainte-Anne (NS), Campus Saint-Jean – University of Alberta (AB), and Glendon Campus of York University (ON).
To watch the winners’ videos, visit: https://cpf.ca/en/concours-dart-oratoire-2024/
The 13 winners of the 2024 CPF National Concours d’art oratoire are:
Level 1 – Core French
First place: Dhruv Mehta (British Columbia)
Second place: Uthara Balakrishnan (Ontario)
Third place: Syed Ashar Imam Rizvi (Saskatchewan)
Level 2 – Core Extended/Enriched/Advanced French
First place: Paschal Fontillas (Ontario)
Second place: Zahin Jeena (Saskatchewan)
Level 3 – Late French Immersion
First place: Cynthia Zhang (Manitoba)
Second place: Sophia Killawee (British Columbia)
Level 4 – Early French Immersion
First place: Adrien Cheng (Ontario)
Second place: Catherine McCurrach (British Columbia)
Third place: Idia Eronmwom (Manitoba)
Level 5 – Francophone
First place: Breana Hayek (British Columbia)
Second place: Yvan Karam (Nova Scotia)
Third place: Mia Bestivater (Manitoba)
###
Canadian Parents for French is the national network of volunteers which values French as an integral part of Canada and which furthers bilingualism by creating and promoting French-second-language learning opportunities for young Canadians.