Press release: Winner of Annual Oracy Competition, Birmingham Student Wins £1,000

London’s oldest higher education institute, Gresham College, has announced the winner of its third annual Gresham Competition following its grand final yesterday evening (2 July). The 12 finalists from across the country competed last night, with 17-year-old Cassidy Chapman from Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Birmingham, taking home the 2025 crown. Discussing why modern foreign language should be compulsory at school and why, Cassidy has taken home the £1,000 prize, along with £500 towards her school, sharing that she “didn’t expect to win at all, because there were so many really talented people in the competition”. 

Isabelle Brookes-Mann from Stockport and Sadie Morgan from London also came runners up in the 2025 competition both taking home a prize of £700 and £500 respectively. Images of the final can be found here.

Gresham College has officially announced the winner and runners up for its third annual Young Orator of the Year Competition. The Gresham Competition, which began in 2023, showcases the communication skills of state school students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland), and Year 13 (Northern Ireland). The event emphasises Gresham College’s dedication to promoting oracy skills and the importance of effective public speaking among young learners.

Taking home the 2025 Oracy Competition crown last night, winning £1,000 to further their education as well as £500 towards their school, was Cassidy Chapman from Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Birmingham. Sharing her thoughts on why modern foreign language should be compulsory at school, Cassidy presented her winning presentation to the esteemed panel of judges, as well as a room of industry professionals and peers.

Winner of the Gresham Oracy Competition 2025, Cassidy Chapman said: “I feel great, I’m really shocked but it’s so great to win because I’ve put so much work into it. I didn’t expect to win at all, because there were so many really talented people and they're all talking about such complex topics, all of which had so much research go into them. 

“When you speak to the other contestants, they're also passionate and eloquent and amazing. I think anyone, no matter how skilled they are, nobody will think they'd win in that room of people.”

The winning students for the 2025 competition are as follows:
Gold Award: Cassidy Chapman
Silver Award: Isabelle Brookes-Mann
Bronze Award: Sadie Morgan

The 12 finalists from around the UK delivered their prepared answers to one of Gresham College’s pre-set questions to a panel, and an audience of peers, in London last night. The questions cover a broad range of subject areas, including STEM and the Humanities, encouraging young people to engage critically with academic research and contemporary issues.

The finalists for the 2025 competition were as follows:

• Cassidy Chapman, Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham
• Edward Vernon, Netherthorpe School, Chesterfield
• Hanna Dziamchykhina, Woodhouse College, Barnet
• Oluwaseyifunmi Ayinde, The Latymer School, Enfield
• Sadie Morgan, West London Free School, Hammersmith
• Matthew Carter, East Norfolk Sixth Form, Norfolk
• Eva Davies, Aquinas College, Stockport
• Isabelle Brookes-Mann, Aquinas College, Stockport
• Finlay Woodfield, Richard Huish College, Taunton
• Kamran Yarmohammad, Bishopshalt School, Uxbridge
• Marwaa Rehman, George Salter Academy, West Bromwich
• Gianluca Squitieri, Saint John the Baptist Sixth Form, Woking

Gresham College, the first institute of Higher Education in London, has been providing free public education across the arts and sciences since 1597 and is also a registered charity in England and Wales. Through this competition, they aim to showcase the importance of oracy competence and the art of communicating.

Before this stage of the competition, students from all over the UK submitted five-minute presentations on assigned topics, demonstrating their oratory abilities and engaging with academic research. The competition places emphasis on verbal communication, but visual aids such as images, graphs, and slides may be incorporated to support arguments.

The questions were posed by Gresham College.

The questions which were answered by pupils (16-17 years old) in this year's competition were as follows:

1. Pick an historical figure whose influence, story or achievements you feel have been

either over-valued or under-valued. Argue why this should be redressed

2. Aside from social media, what in your view is the most important positive – or negative – invention of the 21st century, and why?
3. How much is too much wealth?
4. Aside from English and Maths, which subject(s) should be compulsory at school and why?
5. Which book should we all read and why? (this can include both fiction and non-fiction)
6. How do you think the evolution of social media platforms has impacted (either negatively or positively) the way you communicate, build relationships, and express your identity?

The Gold Award winner, Cassidy Chapman, has been awarded £1,000, with their school receiving £500. The Silver Award winner, Isabelle Brookes-Mann, has received £700, with £300 for their school, and the Bronze Award winner, Sadie Morgan, has received £500, with £200 awarded to their school. All other finalists have also received a prize in recognition of their achievement, a new initiative for this year's competition.

The esteemed panel of judges of the event are as follows:

• Professor Sarah Hart – Acting Provost of Gresham College and Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London
• Professor Melissa Lane – Gresham Professor of Rhetoric and internationally recognised scholar of political thought
• Dr Mike Sulu – Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering at UCL and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Sara Yorath – Historian of 19th-century death and grief, and Chair of the London Museums of Health and Medicine
• Aaya El Sidani – 2024 Gresham Oracy Finalist and A-Level student at Bishopshalt School
• Rando Howard – Managing Director at Hueck Industrie Holding and former solicitor with expertise in construction litigation

Master of Ceremonies:

• Professor Victoria Baines – IT Livery Company Professor of Information Technology at Gresham College and global expert on digital trust and cybersecurity

Following the final, Professor Sarah Hart, Acting Provost, at Gresham College, said: “I am delighted by how today has gone. We had a group of fabulous young people in Gresham College, and their talks were absolutely inspirational. It was so difficult to decide on a winner, but we are so pleased by the presentations we heard today.”

* ENDS * 

Notes to Editors

Pictures available on request. 

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: Phil Creighton press@gresham.ac.uk 

About Gresham College 

Gresham College has been providing free, educational lectures – at university level – since 1597 when Sir Thomas Gresham founded the college to bring Renaissance Learning to Londoners. Our history includes some of the luminaries of the scientific revolution including Robert Hooke and Sir Christopher Wren. 

Today we carry on Sir Thomas's vision.  

Gresham College is a registered charity number 1039962 and relies on donations to help us encourage people's love of learning for many years to come. For more details or to make a gift, visit our website: www.gresham.ac.uk