2026 International Public Speaking Competition
Congratulations to ESU National Public Speaking Finalist Sanaa Roberts and Winner Katherine Zhou, who competed at the ESU National Headquarters in NYC! Both Katherine and Sanaa delivered riveting speeches on the theme of “Churchill & Eisenhower, Free Speech, Civic Responsibility, & Democratic Dialogue. ” A junior at Choate Rosemary Hall, Connecticut, Katherine will receive an all-expense-paid trip to London this summer to represent the ESU-US at the ESU International Public Speaking Competition July 13 – 18th, 2026.
Across everything she has done—research at Brown University, founding a youth civic organization, leading Choate as the newly elected Student Body Vice President, performing as a violist across international stages—Katherine has operated from a single belief: that the gap between a powerful idea and the people who need it is not permanent. It can be closed. And closing it is the work she intends to spend her life doing.
She sees the ESU International Competition not only as the honor it is, but as something rarer—an opportunity to meet extraordinary young people from across the globe, to listen to their perspectives, share her own, and deepen her understanding of the world through genuine exchange. Katherine believes that each conversation expands the way she thinks—making her more thoughtful, more attentive, and better prepared to engage with and represent others in whatever path she pursues.
Public speaking, for Katherine, is not a chapter—it is a throughline. Wherever life takes her, she will be looking for the next room to enter, the next idea worth saying aloud. She plans to pursue a double major in Statistics and Political Science in college, chasing the intersection where hard evidence and powerful language meet—convinced that this is where the most lasting change is made, and where she most wants to be.
Timeline
2026 ESU International Public Speaking Competition
March 16, 2026 Video Submissions for ESU US National IPSC Competition Due
April 8, 2026 ESU US Finalists Notified of Churchill/Eisenhower Theme to prepare for Finals Competition at ESU National Headquarters in New York City
April 24, 2026 at the ESU in NYC Finals Competition to Select ESU US Delegate to send to London
May 1, 2026 ESU US National Delegate Registration Form Due in London
May TBA 2025 IPSC Participant Q&A via Zoom with London
The ESU US National Delegate receives: an all-expense paid trip to London July 13-18, 2026 to represent the United States in the ESU International Public Speaking Competition !
About Submitting
2026 ESU IPSC Themes & Registration
- The ESU National/Regional Theme Is: “The light of a candle, Is transferred to another candle, Spring twilight” – Lighting One Candle, a haiku by Yosa Buson
- The Theme for the ESU International Public Speaking Competition Semi-Final Prepared Speech Heats 2026 Is: “The power to question is the basis of all human progress” – Indira Gandhi, first female Prime Minister of India
- Please Note: the winner of each country advancing to the IPSC Final in London will be asked to present for the Semi-Final Prepared Speech Heats their prepared speech on:
- “The power to question is the basis of all human progress” (Indira Gandhi)
Video speech submissions for the ESU US National/Regional Competition are due: Monday, March 16, 2026
As you prepare your video entry, please review the Guidance for IPSC Speakers 2025 packet as reference. Then, Record a 5 minute video speech and on this year’s IPSC National/Regional Competition Theme:
“The light of a candle
Is transferred to another candle —
Spring twilight
— — Lighting One Candle, a haiku by Yosa Buson
“Please upload your video to YouTube and enter the complete video address in the submission link below. PLEASE MAKE YOUR VIDEO UNLISTED.
Any questions, please contact Alice Uhl at auhl@esuus.org
2025 ESU International Public Speaking Competition
A celebration of young people’s voices, world-class competition and global cultural exchange, the 2025 IPSC took place Monday, Mary 12 to Saturday, May 17, 2025. Rishabh Barve, a Senior from Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas represented the ESU US as the American delegate.
Rishabh Barve has dedicated himself to bringing words to life—whether on stage in the courtroom, or on the page. From Anaheim to D.C., from TEDx talks focused on restorative justice in youth court programs to national speech tournaments, he has competed as an orator and refined his voice as a public speaker. A storyteller at heart, both as a novelist and a policymaker in training, Rishabh is excited to take the stage at the International Public Speaking Competition in London this May. Rishabh plans on attending Stanford this fall, majoring in Management Science and Engineering with a minor in international relations.
Program Contact
Alice Uhl, Director, International Scholarships, Shakespeare & Debate Programs
Past International Public Speaking Competition Winners:
Congratulations to Carina Bruno, who represented the ESU US at the 2024 ESU International Public Speaking Competition!
Carina, a Communications Major from Lancaster Pennsylvania with a passion for public speaking, joined participants aged 16-20 from 30 countries for a week of cultural exchange and public speaking competition.
“This week in London for the ESU International Public Speaking Competition has been absolutely enriching, I have loved every second of it! The other ESU IPSC delegates are wonderful and are teaching me so much. I have enjoyed all of the sightseeing and training with the coaches. I feel so grateful to the ESU to be here!”
Congratulations to Md Zaman, who represented the ESU US at the 2023 ESU International Public Speaking Competition in London in May. He participated with students from 30 countries during a week of cultural exchange and public speaking workshops and competitions.
Newsletter from MD’s high school
IPSC in the News
Wrangler News – June 13, 2018
For many high school students, the end of the spring semester and the advent of the warmer summer months are a time to relax from the rigors of academia, maybe by sleeping in or just sitting beside the pool.
Let’s just say that Ali Cohen has an entirely different agenda on tap. Read full story.
East Valley Tribune – May 27, 2018
Ali Cohen of Chandler spoke in London last week as the American delegate at the Grand Final of the English-Speaking Union International Public Speaking Competition.
The Chandler Preparatory Academy junior used her platform to urge those who have power and influence in the world to speak out for uneducated girls in their fight for education, opportunity and equality. Read full story.
Inquirer.net – May 23, 2018
In chilly London last week, Johanne Jazmin Tan Jabines was given five minutes onstage. It was all the time the 20-year-old needed to share her meeting with a dearly missed relative and wow the competition’s judges and her global audience. Read full story.
MENAFN – May 21, 2018
Chandler Prep Academy junior is a Grand Finalist at the International Public Speaking Competition — English in Action. Read full story.