What is the Young Orator of the Year Competition?
Gresham College runs an annual oracy competition for state school students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland) and Year 13 (Northern Ireland) to promote the art of communicating complex information in a clear, concise and compelling way. Students are asked to submit a five-minute, recorded presentation on a given topic. The competition:
• supports the development of oracy skills
• helps students with UCAS applications and job interviews
• promotes a deeper understanding of the topic discussed
• introduces students to the inspiring research of world-class academics
Shortlisted candidates are invited to present in person in London. There are three awards for the best presentations (including prizes for the student and the school).
Why Enter?
Participating in the Young Orator of the Year competition helps students develop oracy and presentation skills useful for interviews and public speaking opportunities; it will also enhance CVs and UCAS applications
Prizes will benefit both students and schools - to date we have awarded over £10,000 through the competition. Opportunities to further oracy skills are also offered to participants.
The 2025 Competition
We are currently finalising the details of the next competition, please email competition@gresham.ac.uk if you would like to hear directly about this when more information is announced. Details will appear early-february 2025.
The 2023-24 Competition
Last year we broadened the topics to include music, law, AI, science and more. The overall winner of the Gold Award was Nikhil Banerjee, of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet who impressed the judges with an exploration of the ethics of genome editing to eradicate genetic diseases.
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