All Japan Inter-Middle School English Oratorical Contest

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The Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Inter-Middle School English Oratorical Contest (高円宮杯全日本中学校英語弁論大会; takamado nomiyahai zennihon chū gakkō eigo benron taikai) is Japan's largest English speech contest. It is hosted by Yomiuri Shimbun and the Japan National Student Association Fund (JNSA Fund) every November. Princess Takamado, is the honorary president.

The contest began in 1949 as 高松宮杯全日本中学校英語弁論大会 but after Prince Takamatsu's death in 1987, Prince Takamado and his wife became honorary presidents. The competition changed its name to the current form in 1999. When Prince Takamado died in 2002, Princess Takamado became the sole honorary president.

The competition is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MEXT, NHK, Prefectural Boards of Education , and 都道府県英語教育団体。

The competition is held over 3 days. The semi-finals are held on the first 2 days, and the final is on the last day.

Purpose

The purpose of this Contest is to provide middle school students with opportunities to master English as an international language and to become internationally minded, thereby contributing to further enhancing the Japanese culture and to fostering friendship with peoples of the world.

Prefectural Contests and Central (Semifinal and Final) Contests

The Prefectural Contests shall take place in each of the 47 prefectures throughout Japan to be conducted by respective Prefectural Boards of Education or branch offices of The Yomiuri Shimbun in each prefecture. The participants chosen as finalists of these Prefectural Contests are eligible to participate in the Semifinal Contests in Tokyo on November 28 and 29 and the Final Contest on November 30 to compete for the Prince Takamado Trophy.

Prefectural Contests

Date and Place The date, the time and the place shall be decided by each prefectural contest organizer.

Qualifications for Participation

  1. Students enrolled in middle schools in Japan who are recommended by their school principals.
    Students who fall under (a) ~ (d) below are not eligible to participate:
    1. Those who, subsequent to their fifth birthday, resided in English speaking areas for a total of one year or more, or continuously for six months or more.
    2. Those who were, for over six months, enrolled in schools which actually provide education in English beyond the English language course (including International Schools, American Schools, or any other schools where over half of their curricula are conducted in English), irrespective of whether such schools are located within Japan or overseas.
    3. Those whose guardians or relatives from English speaking areas are residing in the same domicile.
    4. Those who won the 1st to 3rd places in any previous Prince Takamado Trophy's Final Contest.
  2. Those who have entered the Contest in violation of the above provisions shall be disqualified.
  3. As regards the question of qualifications in individual cases, the authority for the final decision rests with the JNSA Fund. In case of a doubt, please consult the Prince Takamado Trophy Secretariat of the Fund.

Terms and Qualifications for Application

Speech Division

    1. An application form for H.I.H. Prince Takamado Trophy Contest and two copies of the speech draft must be submitted to the prefectural contest organizer by the deadline specified by the organizer.
    2. Theme: Open.
      Speeches should be those that reflect the opinion or message of the speakers in English, which have not yet been presented elsewhere. Speeches used in any of the preliminary contests related to the Prince Takamado Trophy, however, are allowed. Plagiarizing is strictly prohibited. Quotations must expressly be so stated. Speakers who violate these rules will be disqualified.
    3. Time Limit: Five minutes.
      Exceeding the time limit results in deduction of points from the speaker's final score.
    4. Copyright: The copyright of the speeches of the prefectural representatives is reserved by the organizers of the Prince Takamado Trophy, the JNSA Fund and The Yomiuri Shimbun, as referred to below.
      1. Participants are not allowed to use any amplification equipment.
      2. Use of any eye-catching tools, excessive gestures and/or performance is prohibited.
      3. Standing in front, or by the side, of the lectern when delivering the speech is in principle prohibited, unless the contestant is considered to have justifiable reasons such as prohibiting physical conditions.
      4. Violation of one or more of the above rules may result in deduction of points from the final score.

Recitation Division

The rules applicable to the Speech Division are mutatis mutandis applied to the Recitation Division. The participating students and/or their teachers should contact the respective prefectural contest organizers for information on application methods, title, time limit and other pertinent rules and guidelines. This Division is held at the prefectural level only; no central contest is organized.

English speaking areas

The term "English speaking areas" refers to the countries/regions which use English as

  1. their primary language,
  2. official language, or
  3. semi-official language.

The following 71 countries are listed as English speaking areas by the JNSA Fund website July 2021.
The list has changed since 2010; Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and South Sudan were added, while Lebanon and Vanuatu were removed. Lebanon was later added again.

Country Flag
Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda アンティグア・バーブーダ
Australia Commonwealth of Australia オーストラリア連邦
The Bahamas Commonwealth of The Bahamas バハマ国
Barbados Barbados バルバドス
Belize Belize ベリーズ
Botswana Republic of Botswana ボツワナ共和国
Brunei Negara Brunei Darussalam ブルネイ・ダルサラーム国
Cameroon Republic of Cameroon カメルーン共和国
Canada Canada カナダ
Cook Islands Cook Islands クック諸島
Cyprus Republic of Cyprus キプロス共和国
Dominica Commonwealth of Dominica ドミニカ国
East Timor Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste 東ティモール民主共和国
Ethiopia Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia エチオピア連邦民主共和国
Fiji Republic of the Fiji Islands フィジー共和国
The Gambia Republic of The Gambia ガンビア共和国
Ghana Republic of Ghana ガーナ共和国
Grenada Grenada グレナダ
Guyana Republic of Guyana ガイアナ共和国
Hong Kong Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 香港
India India インド
Ireland Republic of Ireland アイルランド
Israel State of Israel イスラエル国
Jamaica Jamaica ジャマイカ
Jordan Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ヨルダン・ハシェミット王国
Kenya Republic of Kenya ケニア共和国
Kiribati Republic of Kiribati キリバス共和国
Lebanon Lebanese Republic レバノン共和国
Lesotho Kingdom of Lesotho レソト王国
Liberia Republic of Liberia リベリア共和国
Malawi Republic of Malawi マラウイ共和国
Malaysia Malaysia マレーシア
Malta Republic of Malta マルタ共和国
Marshall Islands Republic of the Marshall Islands マーシャル諸島共和国
Mauritius Republic of Mauritius モーリシャス共和国
Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia ミクロネシア連邦
Namibia Republic of Namibia ナミビア共和国
Nauru Republic of Nauru ナウル共和国
New Zealand New Zealand ニュージーランド
Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria ナイジェリア連邦共和国
Niue Niue ニウエ
Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan パキスタン・イスラム共和国
Palau Republic of Palau パラオ共和国
Papua New Guinea Independent State of Papua New Guinea パプアニューギニア独立国
Philippines Republic of the Philippines フィリピン共和国
Rwanda Republic of Rwanda ルワンダ共和国
Saint Kitts and Nevis Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis セントクリストファー・ネーヴィス
Saint Lucia Saint Lucia セントルシア
Saint Vincent Saint Vincent and the Grenadines セントビンセント及びグレナディーン諸島
Samoa Independent State of Samoa サモア独立国
Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Saudi Arabia サウジアラビア王国
Seychelles Republic of Seychelles セーシェル共和国
Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone シエラレオネ共和国
Singapore Republic of Singapore シンガポール共和国
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands ソロモン諸島
Somalia Somalia ソマリア連邦共和国
South Africa Republic of South Africa 南アフリカ共和国
South Sudan Republic of South Sudan 南スーダン共和国
Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka スリランカ民主社会主義共和国
Sudan Republic of the Sudan スーダン共和国
Suriname Republic of Suriname スリナム共和国
Swaziland Kingdom of Swaziland スワジランド王国
Tanzania United Republic of Tanzania タンザニア連合共和国
Tonga Kingdom of Tonga トンガ王国
Trinidad and Tobago Republic of Trinidad and Tobago トリニダード・トバゴ共和国
Tuvalu Tuvalu ツバル
Uganda Republic of Uganda ウガンダ共和国
United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 英国(グレートブリテン及び北アイルランド連合王国)
United States of America United States of America アメリカ合衆国
Zambia Republic of Zambia ザンビア共和国
Zimbabwe Republic of Zimbabwe ジンバブエ共和国

See also

JHS Speech and Recitation Contests
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