About the Essay Competition

The title of the essay is kept secret and only revealed on the day of the contest. The word limit is around 1000 words and the time limit is 1.5 hours. This year, the title of the essay was “Voluntary works that can make a difference to peoples’ lives”.

About the Impromptu Talk

The impromptu talk is an interesting part of this competition. The order in which contestants have to take up the stage are determined by lots which are picked after the essay competition. Then, one minute is given for the contestant to gather their thoughts. After that, the contestant has to go on stage and make an unplanned speech to the audience. Undergraduate students have to talk for 3 minutes, while postgraduates have to talk for 4 minutes.

About the Round Table Discussion

After answering the essay competition and picking lots for the order of the impromptu talk, groups for the round table discussions are determined by lots again. There are four members in each group and the four group members are given the codes ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’. These alphabets determine the order in which group members will have to walk onto the stage. Each group is given twelve minutes to prepare their talk after drawing their topic. Then, they talk on the stage for twelve minutes.

My Experience

The competition was quite a good experience for me. I won the 1^st prize in the round table discussion. I made new friends and gained lots of knowledge from them. I also realised that this competition promoted friendship between the contestants. Although I have been to this competition twice, it never tires me as I discover lots of new knowledge and gain new experiences. All the contestants help each other and no one has any hard feelings. It is a competition worth participating in.