Students Display Their Skills at English Talent Show 2026

Shanghai Daily's 2026 English Talent Show, where students of all ages from across the Yangtze River Delta region showcased their command of English and public speaking skills, concluded on Thursday.

Under the guidance of the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau and Shanghai Global News Network of Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG), Shanghai Daily hosted the competition. The event provided a platform for children to demonstrate their English communication skills while bringing about unique cultural insights and ideas on the 48th WorldSkills Competition's theme: "Master Skills Change Your Future."

Around 300 students from over 30 international, bilingual and public schools in the region submitted their essays on the topic "I light up the world with my skills" in the first round. Following professional evaluation, the top 50 students from the primary and secondary categories advanced to the next stage: the video segment. After further review and online vote, the 20 finalists of each group made it to the final: the public speaking stage.

Winners: Our Future Leaders

In the primary school group, Scarlett Yu Zetong, a Grade 2 student from Shanghai United International School (Hongqiao), won the first prize by sharing a touching piece on her relationship with the piano: how she practices the musical skill daily to improve and her ambition to play in a public space, hoping that her music can lift the spirits of even strangers, be it for just a moment.

"I practised for this speech daily. I even took my script on the (metro) train to practice," she said, reflecting on her hard work that paid off with the outstanding result.

In the secondary school group, Sofia Lapaz, a 9th-grader at Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), impressed the judges with a thought-provoking speech: Language as a Flashlight. Bringing cross-cultural insights into her speech, Sofia was able to bring out her unique experience learning Mandarin and living in a foreign land.

"It is important to learn not just the meaning of the words, but the culture behind the language," she said, echoing her script's message of learning Mandarin not just for literal translations, but for the deep-rooted culture behind the phrases and to develop real skills to communicate and connect.

The champions will also be invited to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) to watch young competitors from across the globe showcase their skills at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, join interactive activities and embark on a junior reporter experience.

The event also featured a spelling contest. Eight students participated in the event, where they were divided into two groups to compete in a 15-minute on-stage spelling challenge.

Nathaniel Chang was crowned Spelling Bee MVP in this session. He attributed his stellar performance to his wide reading habit. "I read a lot of books, and that makes it easier for me to think of words when I see the cluster group," he noted.

High Praise from the Audience and the Panelists

The event was well received not just by the contestants, but their parents and guardians as well as the judges, who all praised the experience.

Kim Jungmyoung, a parent of one of the students in the primary school group, was impressed by all the children's performances. She shared that the event and the experience also helped her daughter holistically, as she picked up skills like public speaking while finding ways to express herself in a language that is not spoken at home.

Emma Leaning, a Shanghai Daily columnist and one of the panelists for the competition, shared her happiness and surprise at the students' command of English and their courage to stand on stage and deliver their speech.

As someone who is familiar with public speaking, having worked with TEDx (a famous organization aimed at inspiring the audiences through speech) before, Emma also shared some tips about public speaking.

She emphasized three points: choose just one main point to talk about your topic instead of trying to cram every point; choose simple words instead of big words to better convey your message; and finally, present a message or idea for what the audience can do with the information you shared.

"In fact, what I was looking out for today was the message behind the speakers' content. What is the call to action; what do you want the listeners to do with the information you have shared," Emma said.

Norwegian high-end office furniture brands Flokk and HÅG sponsored prizes for the first, second and third place winners as well as the Spelling Bee MVP.

Check out the full list of winners below: