The deadline for competition entries in 2012 has now passed and we are unable to accept any further entries. The details below are provided for information only.

The British Council and HSBC Global Education Programme are again delighted to support the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition. This is an excellent opportunity to give secondary schools and students the chance to test their Mandarin Chinese speaking skills in front of an audience of a panel of illustrious judges and schools from all over the UK.

How to apply

The HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition is for UK secondary school students* and is designed primarily for non-native speaking learners of Mandarin Chinese who have learnt the language from scratch with no advantage.   For full details of eligibility, please see the Terms & Conditions.  Applications are open until 12 October 2012

* The Competition is for UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man secondary school, sixth form and FE college students who are non-native speaking learners of Mandarin Chinese in years 7-13 (England, Wales, Channel Islands and Isle of Man), years S1-S6 (Scotland) and years 8-14 (N. Ireland).  Students in England in the equivalent of years 7-9 e.g. in preparatory or middle schools are also eligible to enter.    

Schools must read the Terms & Conditions and Judging Criteria before submitting their entry using the online Entry Form.

A copy of the online entry form can be downloaded below. We recommend that you use this document as a guide only to ensure you have all necessary information to hand when completing the online entry form.  Hard copies of this form will not be accepted.

Copy of online entry form

Online Entry form

There are two sections that schools can enter:

Individual Language Ability; with the following categories: Beginner; Intermediate and Advanced. The judges will be looking for real communication and presentation skills, not rehearsed performance.  The winner of each category will be someone who has really got to grips with the Mandarin language appropriate to their level of learning.

Group Performance; for between five and six participants from at least two year groups, the judges will be looking for a group drama performance which has all the participants joining in and using the Mandarin language.

Full details of what is involved in each section and category can be found in the Judging Criteria.

Why get involved?

The competition celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and is increasingly important in helping to prepare young people for living and working in the new global economy where companies are looking for people with a wide cultural perspective and knowledge and awareness of the wider world.

Recent research from Think Global (the Development Education Association) and the British Council shows that employers value knowledge and awareness of the wider world to be more important than degree classification or A levels and 75% of senior executives and CEO’s think the UK is in danger of being left behind by emerging countries unless young people learn to think more globally.

Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken world language globally and it is vital that we all have a wider understanding, knowledge and appreciation of this fascinating country and rich language.    

Watch short videos of the 2011 HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition here:

British Council film

BBC News film

The competition is an excellent way to improve your Mandarin!

‘Taking part in the competition has been a great experience. It has encouraged us to continue our lessons in Mandarin and take our skills to the next level. We hope to be back next year and to take part in many more Mandarin competitions and events in the future’

Winning students will enjoy a fantastic cultural visit to Beijing! (1-9 April 2013 inclusive)

‘We learnt tai chi, traditional mask painting, had a visit to the National Theatre of China, and wonderful Chinese meals’

We are keen to encourage schools that are new to Mandarin teaching this year to apply to take part. We have had several winners among schools competing for the first time, especially in the beginner’s category.

Applications from Scotland have been rising steadily in recent years and in 20011 there were 40 Scottish students who competed, nearly double the number of 2003 entries. The winner of the 2011 beginner’s category was from Hillhead High School in Glasgow. She said, ‘My favourite part by far was speaking to Chinese people. I have learned so much about the country I love so much and it’s been a life-changing experience. I would say to students everywhere to get involved, learn Mandarin and enter this great competition’

We would like to see more applications from schools in Wales.

The competition is a great way to celebrate and share the outstanding commitment from you and your school to an incredibly important world language and your excellent teaching and learning. The school will also be eligible to develop its work for the British Council International School Award.

If you make it through the regional heats, there is a whole day at the British Museum in London for the final, with extra activities provided to see a fascinating range of Chinese exhibits and learn more about Chinese culture and history.   

Where could you be in 10 years time if you enter the competition today?

Read about Nishat Ali, from Kingsford Community School, London, who was the first competitor to walk on stage at the first HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition in 2003.

Important Dates for 2012/13

The closing date for ALL entries is 12 October 2012.  

Regional heat in London – 3 December 2012 – Bloomsbury Theatre, London

Regional heat in Newcastle – 10 December 2012 - Newcastle University.  

The national final will be held at the British Museum in London on 4 February 2013.

A staff member or Language Assistant with an enhanced CRB check is required to accompany students to the competition heats and the final.

The winning students will visit Beijing from 30 March to 8 April 2013

We are very grateful to Newcastle University and Routes into Languages North East for hosting this heat

Please note: these events will be filmed and publicity photographs will be taken. These will only be shown or published with the permission of the parent/guardian of the student(s) concerned.

Online Entry form

For any enquiries, please contact us at the British Council on:

T: 0161 957 7755; Email: chinaschools@britishcouncil.org

This is a great opportunity for secondary schools to win a visit of a lifetime so get involved today!