Aurora Speech Contest

The Sixth Annual Aurora Foundation
All-USA High School Japanese Speech Contest
Saturday, May 30, 2009 

Objectives:
The Aurora Foundation, in conjunction with the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, will host its sixth annual Aurora Foundation National Japanese Language High School Speech Contest. The contest will provide opportunities for young learners of Japanese to make presentations in Japanese and to inspire more students to improve their proficiency in Japanese. It is also hoped that the contest will encourage students to further their understanding of Japan, its people, and its culture.

Procedure:
Fifteen contestants will take part in the sixth annual contest, to be held on May 30, 2009.  Contestants will be chosen from a pool consisting of the top three winners of various sub national/regional/state/multi-school Japanese language speech contests held throughout the USA between April 1, 2008 and April 14, 2009.  If more than 15 applications are received, participants will be selected based on evaluations of tape recordings of the applicants' speeches in Japanese.

Eligibility and Application Requirements:
All applicants must :
(1)  Be one of the top three winners of a sub national/regional/state/multi-school Japanese language speech contest held in the USA and its territories between April 1, 2008 and April 14, 2009;
(2)   Provide a recommendation form completed on the applicant's behalf by an official representative of that contest;
(3)   Be high school students at the time of the Aurora speech contest (senior year applicants graduating in May or June, are still eligible);
(4)  Not be native speakers of Japanese or have a Japanese parent (Issei);
(5)  Have not had more than six months of schooling in Japan after age six;
(6)  Not have entered an international speech contest (Japanese Speech Award - organized by E.G.G., JSA Planning Committee) in the past;
(7)  Submit a copy of their speech (script) in applicants' own handwriting and an audio recording of the speech in Japanese with the completed application form. (Please visit our website for more details at www.jlsf-aurora.org)

The application form is to be submitted by either the applicant or the contest representative and must have the signatures of the student, the student's parent or guardian, and the representative of the speech contest.

Judging Criteria:
Each speech must be five minutes or less in length. Choice of topic is open. Judges will base their decisions on content and presentation of speech, and interviews in Japanese with the Judges after each speech presentation.

Deadline:
The completed application form and required materials must be mailed to the Aurora Foundation on or before April 15, 2008. The application form is available online at the Aurora Foundation website, or upon request from the Aurora Foundation office.


Mail submissions to:
Aurora Speech Contest
3127 Nichols Canyon Road
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Tel: 323.882-6545 / Fax: 323.969-9425
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.jlsf-aurora.org

Prizes:
The Grand Prize winner will be invited to the overseas students' Japanese Speech Award (JSA) contest held in Tokyo, Japan, in the summer of 2009. (Total trip tentatively spans 12 days, and includes a Japanese language workshop and cross-cultural exchange program). All the expenses will be paid for the Grand Prize winner's trip to Japan. The Grand Prize winner will also receive a $1,000 scholarship. The 2nd place winner will receive a $500 scholarship. The 3rd place winner will receive a $300 scholarship. All participants will receive a commendation.

Contest Schedule& Venue (Tentative):
The 15 contestants will be invited to Los Angeles the weekend of May 29-31, 2008. The sponsoring organization or the student will be responsible for transportation between the student's home and Los Angeles. The Aurora Foundation will cover all the contestants' appropriate expenses while in Los Angeles. Contestants will home-stay with Japanese host families in the Los Angeles area for two nights, unless a student wishes to make his or her own housing arrangements at his/her own expense.

All inquiries and requests for applications from representatives interested in entering the winners of their own speech contests should contact the Aurora Foundation by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  for further information.

Summer Lovex of the Puyallup High School, Puyallup WA (center) received the 2008 Consul General of Japan Award and $1000 scholarship from the Aurora Foundation.	2008 Contestants, Judges, VIP guests