This page concerns the BBC/ESU Public Speaking Awards. This is not a team event for debaters, like our other competitions, but an event for individual speakers, performing on their own. This year, we're running a pilot project in the Berlin/Brandenburg/Saxony area with the intention of expanding to the other regions of Germany next year. There will be a preliminary round on 25th February 2012 at Bertha-von-Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin-Reinickendorf and then there will be semi-finals and finals on 31st March 2012 at the headquarters of Deutsche Telekom in Berlin. The prize is an expenses-paid trip to the International Public Speaking Awards in London where the German winner will represent Germany at the international event between 14th and 18th May 2012.
Speakers must speak freely for 5 minutes on one of a series of set topics, specified by the English-Speaking Union. This is then followed by questions from the audience. If you would like to find out more about the rules of the competition, please use the link below to refer to the ESU handbook for 2012. We will be using the exact same rules for the tournament in Germany, so this is a good way to find out more.
Lucas von Chamier of the hosting school Bertha-von-Suttner-Oberschule delivering his speech
The participants this year are (in bold signifies that they have qualified for the finals):
Pablo Hänke de Cansino - Leibniz-Oberschule, Berlin
Lucas von Chamier - Bertha v. Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin
Leslie Fried - Bertha v. Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin
Hannah Ollech - John-Lennon-Gymnasium, Berlin
Justina Bojarski - Humboldt-Gymnasium, Berlin
Mathis Berger - St. Benno-Gymnasium, Dresden
Florian Podewski - Bertha v. Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin
Franziska Sagurna - St. Benno-Gymnasium, Dresden
Nadine Burkert - Bertha v. Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin
Paulina Wiesel - Leibniz-Oberschule, Berlin
Calyxx Peucker - Leibniz-Oberschule, Berlin
Nadin Rößler - Goethe-Gymnasium, Chemnitz
Katharina Lawall - Bertha v. Suttner-Oberschule, Berlin
Lisa-Marie Väth - Humboldt-Gymnasium, Berlin
Thilo Kerkhoff - Gymnasium Hammonense, Hamm
We would like to thank BBC World News for sponsoring us and making copious arrangements. We are informed that the German finals will be moderated by a presenter from BBC World News! To the ESU, our thanks for including us in this year's competition (Germany can be found at the back of the brochure, so we're in!). Also our thanks go to the British Embassy in Berlin for recommending DSG and providing backup and support. And finally to Deutsche Telekom for their offer to host the final.
For the 2012/2013 academic year, we intend to through the competition wide open to the whole country with regional preliminaries and then a national final. More information on that as soon as we have it!
To give you a taste of the actual international finals in London - take a look at this 3 minute promo created in 2010....: View Video
So, are you interested? Then take a look at the literature available. We're really excited about this competition - we hope you are too!!!
Information:
View/Download 2012 BBC/ESU Awards Germany brochure
here.
View/Download ESU rules handbook here.
