JaLaChamp Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK

Who is it for?

• The competition is open to all UK primary and secondary schools across the UK.
• All students in full time education in UK Primary and Secondary Schools and there are three age groups: 7-11, 12-15 and 16-18.

When will it happen?

The JaLaChamp annual contest runs from September 2024 to:

• 3pm on 4th February 2025 – Speech category, where students give a speech on a theme of their choice
• 3pm 4th March 2025 – Video category, where students are asked to create an original video either by individual or part of a group

What is the activity?

The JaLaChamp annual contest is for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese. Students are encouraged students to share their thoughts and viewpoints, as well as show their creativity and have fun challenging themselves by entering this contest and using their Japanese.

Students can choose the category/division they apply for according to their age and level of Japanese.

The world is changing very quickly. Technology is advancing and nowadays, if we have a computer or a smartphone, we can send a message to anyone in the world. In a time like this, we should always consider the following questions: “What message do I want to convey and how?” Using the voice, the written word, visuals, design and more – there are many ways to express ourselves. It is important to be able to combine these different choices of expression to create a way of expressing ourselves that others can understand, empathise with or be persuaded by.

For the Speech Category students give a speech on a theme that they choose.

JaLaChamp 2025 video category themes are:

• Primary School: わたし（たち）の好すきな場所ばしょ “My/Our Favourite Place”
• Secondary School 1: 私わたし（たち）がやってみたいこと “Something I/We Want to Try”
• Secondary School 2: 私わたし（たち）が過去かこから学まなべること “What I/We Can Learn from the Past”

The Finals Day is scheduled to be held on Saturday, 10^th May 2025, in London.

How do I get involved?

For more information about each category and about eligibility, please see the application guidelines below:

• Download English Guidelines/ Japanese Guidelines
• Please click here for the Speech Category Application Form (deadline 3pm 4th February 2025).
• Please click here for the Video Category Application Form (deadline 3pm 5th March 2025) and download the JaLaChamp video consent form
• Download the JaLaChamp 2025 poster
• Watch videos from JaLaChamp 2024 Finals Day

Further information and links

• Click here to find out more about the Japan Foundation London
• Click here to find out about other events from the Japan Foundation London
• Follow The Japan Foundation on social media: X (twitter), facebook, instagram, youtube
• Click here to see other Festival events and activities relating to Japan and Japanese, plus links and resources from The Japan Society and The Japan Foundation.

Who is organising this?

The competition is organised by the Japan Foundation London.