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The Third Hong Kong Cup Chinese Speech Contest held on October 19 (New York Time) registered a record number of both entries and the number of winners having the chance to travel to Hong Kong with the top prizes of round trip air tickets and short exchange programs in Asia's World City.
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The six university students of senior and junior levels, three in each level, who emerged winners at the contest said they were excited at the chance of going to Hong Kong early next year. The number of the top prizes was doubled from three to six this year. Participants of the senior level and the junior level have been learning Chinese language in their universities for over two years and less than two years respectively.
The contest is organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York (HKETONY). In her welcome remarks, Director of HKETONY, Miss Anita Chan, said the contest aimed to promote understanding of Hong Kong among Chinese language learners at US universities as well as to foster closer cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the US.
The contest also forms part of the cultural programs to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the inception of HKETONY. A record of 128 applications was received during campus promotion when the registration closed in June this year. The participants came from a total of 16 universities in six states, namely New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
The theme of the speech contest in the final was "the best way to promote understanding and exchanges between Hong Kong and the US". The contestants mostly suggested education and cultural exchanges as well as environmental co-operation.
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The judges' panel comprised Miss Anita Chan and veteran Chinese language teaching professionals. They were Chair of the Department of Chinese and Japanese at Vassar College, Dr Du Wen-wei, Senior Director for Education Programs at the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR), Ms Margot Landman, Chinese Director at SUNY Confucius Institute for Business, Dr Sun Dong, and Clinical Professor of Foreign Language Education at New York University, Professor Frank Tang. The judging criteria included presentation skills and the use of the language besides speech content.
Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Dr Du said they were impressed by the speech quality and standard of language of the contestants. He said the contest was a great way to raise understanding of the US university students on Hong Kong.
The top three winners from each level received round trip air tickets between New York and Hong Kong sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways, one-week study tour with accommodation at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong heritage tour as well as possible internship opportunities at the NCUSCR. Other winners received electronic reading gadgets sponsored by HSBC and gift coupons.
The 2013 Hong Kong Cup Chinese Speech Contest was co-hosted with The Chinese Language Teachers Association of Greater New York and The New England Chinese Language Teachers Association of New England. Supporting organisations include the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tourism Board, the NCUSCR, Sing Tao Daily New York, and SUNY Confucius Institute for Business.
The full list of the winners is as follows:
Senior Level (name/university)¡@
Champion: Miss Ariel Yardeni / Hunter College
1st Runner-up: Miss Anisa Knox / Swarthmore College
2nd Runner-up: Miss Allegra Midgette/Brown University
The most promising speaker - Gold: Miss Lani Nelson / SUNY New Paltz
The most promising speaker - Silver: Miss Rina Azumi / Princeton University
The most promising speaker - Bronze: Mr Jamal Maddox / Princeton University
The most popular speaker (voted by audience): Miss Ariel Yardeni/Hunter College
Junior Level (name/university)
Champion: Mr Christopher Walleck / Harvard University
1st Runner-up: Miss Erica Rodriguez / Princeton University
2nd Runner-up: Mr Antonio Henriquez Garcia / Cornell University
The most promising speaker - Gold: Mr Hunter Gross / Hunter College
The most promising speaker - Silver: Mr Matthew LaRose / Williams College
The most promising speaker - Bronze: Mr Gavin Cook / Princeton University
The most popular speaker (voted by audience): Mr Christopher Walleck/Harvard University
Ends/Sunday, October 20, 2013
Issued at HKT 23:25
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