Results of the 37th Japanese Public Speaking Contest (March 8, 2026)
2026/3/11
On Sunday 8 March 2026, “The 37th Japanese Speech Contest was held at Leiden University.
At the opening, Ambassador MICHII expressed sincere appreciation to the many corporate and organizational sponsors who have, over many years, offered prizes and assisted with the judging. He also noted that this event marked the 37th edition of the competition, witnessing close to 10% of the exchanges between Japan and the Netherlands that span more than 4 centuries.
The participants delivered their speeches before a panel of judges and the audience. Following each presentation, the judges asked the speaker some questions to evaluate their spontaneous speaking skills. While speaking under pressure could be daunting, the contestants mustered great courage and showed off everything they have got in their pursuit of Japanese proficiency.
The event once again illustrated the diversity of Japanese language learners: some participants stood up to the challenge after discouraging results in the previous year, while others—despite having never visited Japan—succeeded in winning the Excellence Prize. These outcomes reaffirmed that the Japanese Speech Contest served as an important platform for learners from a wide range of backgrounds to present their abilities.
Prize winners were awarded with certificates and trophies, along with generous prizes provided by the sponsoring companies and organizations. In addition, all participants received goodies.
The Grand Prize ：Mr. Luca Alexander Fiaschi
The Excellence Prize ：Mr. Allard Pieterse
The Excellence Prize ：Mr. Martin Nicolas Lelarge
The best Impression Prize : Ms. Karine Barcia Rodrigues
The ”YOSAKOI” Kochi Prize：Ms. Katja Jacoba Cornelia Hoogers
The Encouragement Prize ：Ms. Cristiana Elena Necula
At the opening, Ambassador MICHII expressed sincere appreciation to the many corporate and organizational sponsors who have, over many years, offered prizes and assisted with the judging. He also noted that this event marked the 37th edition of the competition, witnessing close to 10% of the exchanges between Japan and the Netherlands that span more than 4 centuries.
The participants delivered their speeches before a panel of judges and the audience. Following each presentation, the judges asked the speaker some questions to evaluate their spontaneous speaking skills. While speaking under pressure could be daunting, the contestants mustered great courage and showed off everything they have got in their pursuit of Japanese proficiency.
The event once again illustrated the diversity of Japanese language learners: some participants stood up to the challenge after discouraging results in the previous year, while others—despite having never visited Japan—succeeded in winning the Excellence Prize. These outcomes reaffirmed that the Japanese Speech Contest served as an important platform for learners from a wide range of backgrounds to present their abilities.
Prize winners were awarded with certificates and trophies, along with generous prizes provided by the sponsoring companies and organizations. In addition, all participants received goodies.
The Grand Prize ：Mr. Luca Alexander Fiaschi
The Excellence Prize ：Mr. Allard Pieterse
The Excellence Prize ：Mr. Martin Nicolas Lelarge
The best Impression Prize : Ms. Karine Barcia Rodrigues
The ”YOSAKOI” Kochi Prize：Ms. Katja Jacoba Cornelia Hoogers
The Encouragement Prize ：Ms. Cristiana Elena Necula
Supported by (in alphabetical order)
