Challenges & Competitions
A number of ALL's member-led local groups (Branches, Networks and Primary Hubs), Language Networks and partners run challenges and competitions for language learners in their local area, or at a regional or national level. Information about competitions which are currently open for entry can be found below. Competition results and success stories can be found under the News tab.
Competitions
European Challenge – Friday 28th June 2024
European ChallengeFriday 28th June 2024Faversham£175 plus VAT for a team of 6 Year 9 & 10 Languages together with Marketing and Selling for Years 9 and 10. Students learning French, German or Spanish will be planning to take a typically British product to a...
International Space Challenge – Tuesday 25th April 2024
International Space ChallengeTuesday 25th April 2024RAF Henlow (near Stevenage)£175 plus VAT for a team of 6 Year 10 A great cross-curricular challenge showing how languages can open opportunities in science careers. For students in Year 10 learning French, German or...
Annual Competitions
French Pop Video
Organised by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, students compete in age-group categories across primary and secondary
Have Your Say
Have Your Say is a speaking competition for pupils in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10
German Debating
Debating competition for Year 11 and 12 organised by the Goethe-Institut, London
UK Linguistics Olympiad
Competition for any age, any ability level where competitors have to solve linguistic data problems
Strictly Speaking
An outline of how to run a Strictly Speaking Poetry Recitation competition within a class, your school or between a group of schools, complete with sample anthologies in three languages.
Strictly in Isolation
The Strictly Speaking competition as modified for use remotely.
Poetry Live
'Poetry Live' is a recitation competition run for local schools at St Mary's University, Strawberry Hill. Here you will find documentation to help you run your own version according to your context.
Foreign Language Spelling Bee
Competition for Year 7 to practise and improve vocabulary, spelling and memory skills in French, German or Spanish
Foreign Language Translation Bee
Competition for Years 8 & 9 to practice and improve vocabulary, spelling and memory skills in French, German or Spanish
German Language Competitions
The 2022 DAAD/IMLR German Language Competition focussed on coming together, celebrating friendship and collaboration between people, countries and institutions beyond borders and across cultures.
Please click here for full details.
European Day of Languages
ALLNE, NfLNE and partners are once again organising an annual European Day of Languages writing competition for Schools, and in 2024 it is once more open to the whole country!
The organising committee invites language learners in any key stage to create a piece of text in a language they are learning on the theme: Together.
Strictly Speaking 2022 - a school / student review
Review of a Strictly Speaking celebration in German 2022
Strictly Speaking is a poetry recitation event, with a class round of a rehearsed poem, and, for those who proceed to a second round, an unseen poem. An outline of how to run your own event is available to download here.
As teachers, we were really delighted to see how positively and enthusiastically the students participated in the event. All 120 of our Year 8s joined in, and in the class rounds they all had a chance to perform their poem and listen to each other. The students demonstrated great creativity in performing the poems. Some participants sang or rapped their poem to great effect, and all of them enjoyed the Year group final. It was a really fun celebration of German poetry.
Oscar Year 8 (winner)
When I first stepped on stage I felt overwhelmed and extremely nervous. After I performed my first poem though, the crowd went wild, and this gave me the confidence to then perform my mystery poem. Thinking of a musical rhythm was a great way to pronounce and deliver the words in an easier but sophisticated way.
When my name was called out as the winner I was astonished and extremely happy, I was very grateful, and loved performing.
It was a great achievement and am really hoping to continue my German into the future.
Alfie Year 8
I found the German speaking competition something that really brought everyone taking German together, I can remember after I finished that all of the other contestants congratulated me on my performance. I think this is this sort of environment that makes me enjoy speaking German so much.
Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2023 - a school and student view from N Ireland
You can take the skills you learn in class a little bit further. We both really enjoyed seeing texts, poems and stories in different languages. We see lots of books in English, but it was fun to see real texts in French and Spanish.
Please click here for more information.
Languages East Competition Winners 2023
Congratulations to all who participated in 2023 in any of the RiL Bees or other activities. Details of the winners are here, along with a description of the activities and how schools can access them.