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.
Results and winning stories will be published on our blog, Adventures on the Bookshelf by the end of May. Last year's winning entries can be read here.
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 2024 competition is now closed.
Results and winning stories will be published on our blog, Adventures on the Bookshelf in mid- to late-May. Last year's winning entries can be read here.
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.
In 2024, the Oxford German Network invited students to read Friedrich Schiller’s Die Räuber (1781). The play revolves around the big questions of sentiment and reason, freedom and law. The plot centres on the brothers Karl and Franz Moor and their dispute over their father’s affection and inheritance. Karl is slandered by his younger brother Franz, whereupon their father disowns Karl. Karl becomes the leader of a feared band of robbers but remains both haunted by his bad conscience and true to his noble intentions. Meanwhile the greedy and calculating Franz sets out to claim his father’s inheritance for himself and win over Karl’s fiancée Amalia.
This competition is now closed for entries.
For more information about the competition, click 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.
