Canning House Essay Competition 2009
"THE LATIN AMERICAN I MOST ADMIRE"
Hannah Gelbart - 2009 Winner of 1st Prize in the Spanish Category
"The superb prizes on offer weren't the only allure of entering the Canning House Essay Competition; I also thoroughly enjoy writing in Spanish and, having long-considered spending my Gap Year in South America, I was interested in finding out about influential figures there.
That dream has now become a reality: I'm writing from Iberia flight IB3169 from Madrid to Bogotá, capital of Colombia. I will be travelling for 6 and a half months in South America, spending about 3 months backpacking solo - though I'm excited about making lots of friends along the way - visiting around 6 South American countries and returning from Quito, Ecuador in June.
For the competition I chose to write about Ingrid Betancourt, as I found her an interesting, influential and very current figure with an exciting story. I was thrilled to be invited to the prize-giving ceremony and overjoyed to be awarded the first prize by none other than Michael Portillo.
Now I intend to use my award to further develop my cultural and linguistic awareness by undertaking this journey through South America. I plan to participate in voluntary programmes, teaching English and working with underprivileged children, and I've already got my eyes on an intensive Tango course in Buenos Aires.
I'm nervous about venturing into the unknown, excited by the prospect of the adventures to come and immensely grateful to both Canning House and Iberia for making this journey possible."
Definitely Apply!
To read the winning essays, please click on the following links:
On Tuesday 24 March 2009, the Rt Hon Michael Portillo, writer and broadcaster, presented the prizes for the Canning House Essay Competition for excellence in Spanish and Portuguese. The theme for this year's essays was 'The Latin American I most admire' and the six finalists, from schools in Ascot, Cambridge, London and the Isle of Lewis, wrote about a wide range of Latin American figures.
The two best essays were generously rewarded, with the winner of the first prize for Spanish receiving a return air ticket to Latin America and £250, and the winner of the first prize for Portuguese receiving a cheque for £300.
During the ceremony Michael Portillo congratulated all the finalists, praising both their language skills and the detailed research they had undertaken, and commenting on the life-changing opportunity that the competition represents. Professor Tim Connell, who chaired the Panel of Judges, commented both on the overall quality of the essays entered and the range of subjects addressed.
The prize-giving ceremony was hosted by Baroness Hooper CMG, Vice-President of Canning House, who is keen to develop the essay competition as a core initiative in the educational work of Canning House, as a means of encouraging students to learn more about the Spanish and Portuguese speaking worlds.
Winners
SPANISH ESSAY COMPETITION
- First Prize:
- Hannah Gelbart, City of London School for Girls
Prize: An airline ticket to Latin America, generously donated by Iberia, and £250 - Second Prize:
- Joanne Nicolson, The Nicolson Institute, Isle of Lewis
Prize: £150 - Joint Third Prize:
- Isobel Gordon, Stephen Perse Sixth Form College, Cambridge
Prize: £100 - Joint Third Prize:
- Jessica Sandelson, City of London School for Girls
Prize: £100
PORTUGUESE ESSAY COMPETITION
- First Prize:
- Mónica Marques, Battersea Park School, London
Prize: £300, generously donated by Banco Itaú Europa - Second Prize:
- Victoria Symington, St Marys School Ascot
Prize: £100
Hannah Gelbart (First Prize, Spanish), Michael Portillo and Mónica Marques (First Prize, Portuguese)
The six finalists: Victoria Symington, Isobel Gordon, Mónica Marques, Joanne Nicolson, Jessica Sandelson and Hannah Gelbart
Highly Commended Entries
Alon Margolin, City of London School for Boys
Antonia Eklund, Guildford High School
Daniel Murray, The King's School, Tynemouth
Ellina Astakhova, Southbank International School
Kevin Watson, St Ninians High School
Linda Du, North London Collegiate School
Lucy Crabtree, King Edward VI High School
Lucy Curtis, Clifton College
Nihan Hudson, Nonsuch High School
Oli Munns, Dulwich College
Robert Nicholson, Winchester College
Sonia Black, Hutchesons Grammar School
Final Report on the Essay Competition by the Chair of the Panel of Judges, Professor Tim Connell, Director of Language Studies at City University
The essay competition this year (on the theme of 'The Latin American I most admire') has gone well. We were struck by the range of subjects: historical figures, saints, political leaders, novelists, artists, footballers and Shakira.
Essay structure, intellectual argument and presentation were by and large very good. Very few candidates were limited in their expression or argument by linguistic factors. Most were comfortable with the subjunctive and could express themselves at a sophisticated level. In addition to the winners, a number of students performed very creditably and they will receive a Highly Commended certificate. All the winners and commended entrants have been offered Honorary Cultural Membership of Canning House.
With regard to language, all the common errors were present, and so many of the errors were just silly slips. Students should be encouraged to think TANGA: Tenses, Agreements, Number, Gender, Accents - and read through once each time, checking these small but vital aspects of the language.
Almost all entries were word processed, and the level of presentation was uniformly high. Handwritten entries are acceptable, but should be as neat as possible. Candidates should use headers or footers to put their name on every page. Illustrations may be included if they are relevant to the essay, but no extra credit will be given for presentation or layout.
The number of candidates and schools increased this year, and the geographical spread covered the entire UK, all of which is to be strongly encouraged. We received 97 essays in Spanish and 3 in Portuguese, compared with 85 in Spanish and 3 in Portuguese last year, which represents a 14% increase in interest in the Spanish competition. Entries came from 47 different schools, compared with 42 last year, which represents a 12% increase.
This initiative has been made possible thanks to the generosity of:
Anglo American plc; Banco Itaú Europa; BP; British American Tobacco; Cable & Wireless; Cayo Foundation; Heinrich Deichmann-Schuhe GmbH & Co KG; HSBC; Iberia; NM Rothschild & Sons; PDV (UK) S.A.; Reuben Brothers Foundation; Rio Tinto; The Headley Trust; UBS.