The International Public Speaking Competition

The ESU Loire Valley has been taking part in the ESU International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) every year since 2012. This competition is the highlight of the ESU international calendar. It is the largest public speaking competition in the world and currently involves over half a million students in more than 50 countries.

It takes place in London in May each year and represents one of the clearest manifestations of the goals of the ESU: to encourage cultural exchange and help young people to become confident communicators.

Alongside visits to London tourist attractions and to the theatre, the organisers work hard to ensure that the candidates experience activities that will enhance their speaking skills and will enable cultural exchange and new friendships to develop between them.

A real winner

This photograph was taken 24 April 2022, in London, four years after the three young ladies first met when Laure Chabenat, from Fontevraud, represented France, Mariana Levashov-Tumanishvili represented Georgia, and Nicole Camila Kohan represented Argentina, at the International Public Speaking Competition 2018.

To quote Laure, on the left of the photo:

“Even 4 years later it’s like nothing has changed. You can see it in the picture, Argentina, Georgia and France are still getting along as well as ever.

I wish to thank you for the incredible opportunity that was the IPSC. All the training before being selected and then the week in London. It has all been a marvellous journey that truly changed me, and I will forever be grateful.”

To select a candidate to represent France at the IPSC, a Regional Public Speaking Competition (RPSC) is held in Angers every year in March, organized jointly by the ESU Loire Valley, the Bibliothèque Anglophone in Angers, and the Maison de l’Europe Angers et Maine et Loire. Three winning candidates progress to the National Finals in Paris where they compete with students representing ESU Aix-Marseille for the honour of representing France in the International Competition in London in May.

The 2023 ESU Regional Public Speaking Competition in English took place in the Salons de la Présidence at the Préfecture, Place Michel Debré, Angers, during the afternoon of 11 March 2023, when 10 candidates presented their speeches on the theme “Relations between Nations are too Important to be left to Governments Alone”.

This year, just 6 lycées were involved:

Saint Benoît Site Université, and Joachim du Bellay in Angers
Lycée Dom Sortais in Beaupréau-en-Mauges
Léonard de Vinci in Montaigu. La Vendée
Saint Louis in Saumur
Lycée Jacques Prévert in Taverny, Val d’Oise

The National Finals in Paris took place on 25 March 2023 in the prestigious buildings of the Assemblée Nationale. The judges were unanimous in selecting Timothée Demoustier from the Lycée Georges Duby in Aix-en-Provence to represent France at the IPSC in London 8-12 May 2023.

The theme for the prepared speech heats in London 2023 is “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression“.

INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION 2023

The IPSC 2023 took place 8-12 May 2023. Live for the first time since 2019, it was based at Dartmouth House, the ESU headquarters. From the moment they arrived candidates had the time of their lives. Prior to the competition, they received training in public speaking; they visited tourist sites around London; and most importantly, they forged friendships with other young people representing countries all around the world: from Chile to China, from Uganda to the USA, from the Philippines to Poland. For those accompanying them it was an opportunity to re-establish friendships, meet new international members, and to witness the bonding of amazing young people – a truly unforgettable experience.

The heats took place at Dartmouth House. In 3 groups, 31 candidates competed to reach the grand finals held at the Royal Institution. The 6 finalists were from Chile, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Romania, and Sri Lanka. The winner with a speech entitled “We the Government”, was a young lady called Egsheglen Javkhlan from Mongolia, and the runner-up, was Beatrice Maria Paun from Romania, with her speech “30 Seconds”.

Our congratulations to all participants. Whatever their placing in London, they were all winners. Well done to all: to the candidates, to those who helped train them, to the staff at Dartmouth House for their dedication and organisation, and to the audience who supported this incredible competition.

We would welcome more competitors, more teachers, more lycées and universities to join us in this project. If you would like extra details, please contact president@esu-loire-valley.fr

We would be delighted to welcome you on board this most rewarding project.