The Faculty runs annual competitions in French, German, and Spanish. These are open to students from any school and we encourage as may schools and individuals as possible to get involved. All of the competitions involve using languages creatively so would be great for homework tasks, extra-curricular clubs, or even to write about on a personal statement for university applications. Have fun!
French Flash Fiction Competition
Our annual French Flash Fiction competition invites secondary school students learning French to send us a *very* short story written in French to be in with a chance of winning up to £100. We’re looking for a complete story using no more than 100 words.
Our panel of academic judges assess stories on their imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic accuracy. Your use of French is considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we don't expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. The judges award a top prize of £100 in each category, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up. Please note that the submission deadline has now passed and the 2025 competition is now closed.
The results of the 2025 competition can be found here and the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published on our blog, Adventures on the Bookshelf, throughout the summer.
If you have any questions, please email us at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
Spanish Flash Fiction Competition
Our annual Spanish Flash Fiction competition invites secondary school students learning Spanish to send us a *very* short story to be in with a chance of winning up to £100. We look for a complete story, using no more than 100 words.
Our panel of academic judges assess stories on their imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic accuracy. Your use of Spanish is considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we don't expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. The judges award a top prize of £100 in each category, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up. Please note that the submission deadline has now passed and the 2025 competition is now closed.
The results of the 2025 competition can be found here and the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published on our blog, Adventures on the Bookshelf, throughout the summer.
If you have any questions, please email us at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
OGN German Olympiad
This year, the Oxford German Network launched the 13th edition of its annual German Olympiad!
This year's topic is "Spiel und Sport". There are a variety of different challenges aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6 all the way to Years 12 and 13. Some are for individuals to enter, others are aimed at groups. There is even a taster competition for pupils who have never studied German before! From drawing to creating board games, puzzles, and video games, there’s something for everyone! Take a look at the Olympiad website for more details.
The competition is now closed and the winners will be announced in the summer.
If you have any questions, please contact the Olympiad Coordinator, Eva, at: olympiad@mod-langs-ox.ac.uk
OGN German Classic Essay Prize
This competition, hosted by the Oxford German Network, celebrates a different 'German Classic' each year by inviting sixth formers to write an essay inspired by their reading of the chosen text.
This year (2025), we would like to invite you to read with us a selection of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926), widely regarded as one of the most important German-language poets. In addition to our essay competition, we introduce a Discovery Section designed especially for those with no prior knowledge of German, making the competition more accessible than ever. We have put together a free study pack, including a set of multimedia materials, that will help you delve into Rilke’s compelling poems, even if it’s the first time you've read a poem.
Up to three prizes will be awarded for each section:
- for the essay competition, we will award a first prize of £500, a second prize of £300, and a third prize of £100
- for the discovery section, we will award a first prize of £200, a second prize of £100, and a third prize of £50.
Entries can be submitted via two online forms — here and here. The deadline for submitting your entry is Monday 8th September at 12 noon.
More details about the prize — including eligibility, essay questions, submission guidelines, judging criteria, and more — can be found here.
If you have any questions, please email the Prize Coordinator, at germanclassic@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
Dante 700 Competition
In December 2021, the Sub-Faculty of Italian here at Oxford launched a new competition - the Dante700 Competition - in celebration of the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Many students in the UK may never have heard of Dante or his most famous poem The Comedy. The competition aimed to introduce Dante and his work to students of all ages in a fun and engaging way.
Submissions closed in April 2022, and we received over 50 entries to the competition across the different themes and age categories. Our judges were extremely impressed with the hard work and creativity that went into every entry. The final list of winners and a virtual anthology containing their wonderfully creative submissions has been published on our blog here.
The competition's resources are still freely accessible to pupils, parents/guardians, and teachers here.
