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Application Procedure

Please consult with your Japanese language instructor before submitting your application. If a speech submitted clearly exceeds the knowledge level of the competition category in which it has been entered, the Organizing Committee will place it in a higher category. The deadline for application is Friday, February 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm (MST). The organizing committee will inform applicants of the results by Friday, February 21, 2025 via e-mail. Please contact ptjc@ualberta.ca if you have not been contacted after this date.

The complete application should include:

• Application Form 
• The final draft of the speech

General Eligibility

All contestants must:

1. be currently studying Japanese as a foreign language (Japanese supplementary schools ‘hoshuukou’ provide instruction at the same level as compulsory education based on Japanese curriculum guidelines, so graduates of these schools are not eligible to apply.).
2. be of a nationality other than Japanese (individuals possessing dual nationality, including dual Japanese citizenship, are eligible to apply).
3. be a resident of Alberta or Saskatchewan.
4. be 18 years of age or over.
5. in addition to the general eligibility criteria, contestants must also satisfy specific category criteria as indicated below.

Categories

In addition to the general eligibility criteria, contestants must also follow these specific category guidelines. If any questions arise regarding a contestant's eligibility or the level of the entry, the organizing committee's decision will be final.

BEGINNER

• Neither parent of the contestant is a native speaker of Japanese
• The contestant has studied Japanese for less than 130 hours or one year
• The contestant has not stayed in Japan for more than three months in total since the age of six.

INTERMEDIATE

• Neither parent of the contestant is a native speaker of Japanese
• The contestant has studied Japanese for up to 260 hours
• The contestant has not stayed in Japan for more than six months in total since the age of six

ADVANCED

• Neither parent of the contestant is a native speaker of Japanese
• There is no limit on the hours of study
• The contestant has not stayed in Japan for more than three years in total since the age of six

OPEN

• Both or either of the parents may be native speakers of Japanese language as long as applicants are studying Japanese as a foreign language
• There is no limit on the hours of study
• There are no restrictions on length of stay in Japan

Notes:

1. The cut-off date for determining one's appropriate contest category is Friday, February 14, 2025.
2. To determine their hours of study, students should count their hours of university-level Japanese study or equivalent. Equivalent hours are the hours covered by prerequisite courses that were waived for a student entering their university's Japanese program directly at an advanced level. Students who entered at an advanced level should count equivalent hours instead of their actual hours spent studying Japanese outside the university system.
3. If any questions arise regarding a contestant's eligibility, the organizing committee's decision will be final.
4. If the level of the speech (grammar, expressions, etc.) is determined to be inappropriate for level the contestant is entered in, they will only be allowed to participate if they switch to an appropriate level.

Title and Subject of Speech

• Title and subject of speech are the choice of the contestant.
• The contestant must solely prepare his/her speech.

Speeches must be memorized. If the speech is read from a prepared script, point deductions will be considered.

The Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest Organizing Committee is committed to enhancing equable, diverse, and inclusive participation in our speech contest. While we regard the freedom of speech and expression and academic freedom as our top priorities, we do not accept any speeches that invoke or perpetuate racism and discrimination against any equity seeking groups, or promote a particular political doctrine and/or commercial activities.

Length of Speech

• Beginner: 3 min.
• Intermediate: 4 min.
• Advanced: 5 min.
• Open: 5 min.

* Speeches deviating substantially from these time constraints will be subject to penalty.

Judges

The Judging Panel consists of Japanese professors from Alberta universities and representatives from the Japan Foundation and Consulate-General of Japan at Calgary and/or the Japanese community. The names of the judges will be announced in the Speech Contest Program.

Awards

• Certificates and category prizes
• Participant prizes: given to all contestants without a category prize
• Top winners in each category are invited to the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest

Sponsors

Coordinating Sponsors

• Consulate-General of Japan at Calgary
• The Organizing Committee for the Alberta District Japanese Language Speech Contest

Contributing Sponsors

• Mitsui & Co. (Canada) Ltd.
• Prince Takamado Japan Centre for Teaching and Research, º£½ÇÉçÇø

Contact Information

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Alberta District Japanese Speech Contest, please contact,

For students at University of Calgary:
Akiko Sharp
asharp@ucalgary.ca

For others:
Prince Takamado Japan Centre, º£½ÇÉçÇø
ptjc@ualberta.ca