SMH Plain English Speaking Award
Congratulations Alexandra Downie - NSW State Winner!
Congratulations to Alexandra Downie from Sydney Girls High School, this year's NSW State Finalist in The Sydney Morning Herald Plain English Speaking Award.
As the State Winner, she received $500 and a gold award courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald and the Australia-Britain Society. Sydney Girls High School will receive the Australia-Britain Society Shield and the Westminster Stone for the year.
Peter Kerr, Executive Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, Daniel Swain, 2007 NSW & Australian PESA Winner and Prue Greene, English Senior Cirriculum Advisor judged the final.
Gabrielle Craven Cantebury Girls High School
Ethan Gannon
Moruya High School
Micaela Bassford - Runner Up
Kirrawee High School
Sam Farrell
Normanhurst Boys High School
Alexandra Downie
Sydney Girls High School
Rose Connolly
SCEGGS Darlinghurst
We wish Alexandra all the best as she competes in the National Finals in Perth on Monday, August 23, 2010.
The Sydney Morning Herald Plain English Speaking Award
The SMH Plain English Speaking Award aims to encourage the use of clear and effective spoken English. Since its inception in 1978, the competition has provided an opportunity for NSW senior students to improve their confidence and to develop their speech-writing and public speaking skills.
The Sydney Morning Herald is a proud supporter of this award open to NSW government and non-government secondary schools, and students aged 15-18 years in NSW and ACT.
At each stage of the competition students present both a prepared speech and an impromptu speech. The prepared speech can be on any subject chosen by the contestant and based on material from The Sydney Morning Herald.
The national winner and runner-up compete in an international final held in England by the English Speaking Union.
In 1982 the international final was won by NSW state winner, Peter Hartcher - political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
Peter is a Gold Walkley award winner, a former foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Washington, and a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.
Other past winners include:
Verity Firth - Minister for Education & Training
Julian Morrow - Australian Comedian & Television Producer (The Chaser)
For more information on the competition, click here.
Associated Links
Public Speaking and SMH (PDF)
The Impromptu Speech (PDF)
Tips for Public Speaking (PDF)
