'Young Voices, Shanghai Stories'! Students show off talents

The 2025 "Young Voices, Shanghai Stories" English Talent Show concluded on Thursday, spotlighting outstanding performances from primary and middle school students across the city.

Co-hosted by Shanghai Daily and Shanghai Students' Post, under the guidance of the SUMG Shanghai Global News Network and with support from the Foreign Languages Teaching & Research Center of East China Normal University, the event provided a platform for students to showcase their English communication skills, creativity, and cross-cultural insights.

Hundreds of students, mostly from international and bilingual schools, submitted compositions themed "Come and feel Shanghai, because…", highlighting the city's cultural icons and daily life. Nearly 40 finalists were invited to deliver their speeches in the final held at the SUMG.

Top honors and emerging ambassadors

In the primary school group, Candice Shen, a fifth-grader from NACIS Shanghai, claimed first prize. Second and third went to Hayden Leung of Shanghai United International School (Shangyin) and He Qimiao from SUIS.

In the middle school group, Eden, a seventh-grader from Shanghai High School International Division, won first prize. Althea Yang Naying, from the same school, and Franco Dong, from NACIS Shanghai, took second and third, respectively.

Other finalists were recognized with the City Explorer Award and Breakthrough Voice Award.

Shen and Eden were also named "Junior City Promotion Ambassadors," a title that may lead to opportunities to represent Shanghai at major cultural and tourism events.

Shen said her writing was inspired by daily life and aimed to show that Shanghai is an amazing city in every aspect. Yang also shared her inspiration: "I chose to write about the city's river after witnessing the changes and urban renewal in recent years, which is intertwined with our everyday life and leisure hours."

Although Shen earned the top prize, she said the experience came with nerves.

"I felt a little bit nervous at first but was so relieved when I finished the lecture, thanks to full preparation beforehand," she said. "This time, I got to answer questions and engage in dialogue with the judges. I'm delighted to be part of the event."

Eden echoed the sense of growth through participation: "The preparation period was a learning process and fun. I learned about the contest from English class and worked on the speech on my own, and also received help from my teachers."

This year's event introduced a new feature: a Spelling Bee Performance Contest, with 12 students competing on stage.

Penny Liu, a third-grader from SUIS, was named Spelling Bee MVP in the primary school group. Yang, the middle school second prize winner, also earned MVP honors in her division.

"I've been spending some time for practice and learn about 50 to 100 words every day after school," Liu shared.

Yang added: "This contest was a different stage with many strangers and I'll definitely come back for next year's contest."

Applause from families and judges

The event was praised by parents, educators, and cultural leaders alike.

Yang Jing, director at the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, said: "The speeches touched upon so many exciting elements of Shanghai and many colorful facets."

Aritra Basu, mother of City Explorer Award recipient Aarav Paul from Shanghai Singapore International School, said: "It's such a meaningful occasion because it's Aarav's first experience at such an event and I hope he will keep it up and learn more."

She added: "We'll be happy to come back again with such a great opportunity for his future growth."

Long Bingchun, an interpreter and veteran judge for English speech contests, said: "These are truly impressive performances. It's not only a competition of English competence but more about their overall confidence, thoughtfulness and creativity.

"Their vivid speeches have brought Shanghai stories to life... showing so many different facets of the city through their own perspectives, such as the fusion of history and modern times and the rich cultural diversity."

Emma Leaning, a Shanghai Daily columnist and one of the judges, especially praised the new spelling component: "A highlight that sticks out for me was the spelling bee. I was challenged by a lot of the words that we had to spell and I found myself checking things, so you know, the fact that they were able to perform under pressure, spell some pretty difficult words was really impressive."

Over the years, the contest has connected students, educators, and families in a shared celebration of global citizenship and multilingual talent. Through storytelling and spelling, young voices continue to bring Shanghai's vibrant urban identity to the world stage.