Challenges & Competitions
A number of ALL's member-led local groups (Branches, Networks and Primary Hubs), Language Networks and partners run challenges and competitions for language learners in their local area, or at a regional or national level. Information about competitions which are currently open for entry can be found below. Competition results and success stories can be found under the News tab.
Competitions
Oxford University Flash Fiction Competition
Celebrate Speaking! A festival of languages
Arabic Reading Competition 2025
University level creative writing contest in French on the theme of “La justice”
Durham University’s School of Modern Languages and Centre for Foreign Language Study are delighted to launch their third creative writing contest in French on the theme of “La justice”. The contest is open to specialist and non-specialist learners of French who are...
“HAVE YOUR SAY” 2025
ALL Essex & East Anglia - Have Your Say competition. We're back! The Have Your Say competition (HYS) is relaunching for 2025. Schools in Essex & Suffolk who have previously participated in this event (prior to 2020) should have received an entry form from our...
Annual Competitions
ALL Calligrams Celebration
The ALL Calligrams Celebration for Primary Schools will run again from January and February in 2026. Reports on earlier celebrations are Here
Have Your Say
Have Your Say is a speaking competition for pupils in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10
UK Linguistics Olympiad
Competition for any age, any ability level where competitors have to solve linguistic data problems
Strictly in Isolation
The Strictly Speaking competition as modified for use remotely.
Poetry Live
Poetry Live is a competition for Year 8 pupils with a focus on spoken poetry performance in French, German and Spanish.
French Pop Video
Organised by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, students compete in age-group categories across primary and secondary
Arabic Reading Competition
The Arabic Teachers' Council in London and Southern England launched this competition Read more
Foreign Language Spelling Bee
Information on Spelling Bee , other Bees and further projects is available on the Routes into
Languages website or by email to Sarah Schechter: [email protected]
Foreign Language Translation Bee
Information on Spelling Bee , other Bees and further projects is available on the Routes into
Languages website or by email to Sarah Schechter: [email protected]
German Language Competitions
The 2025 German Language Competition details will appear here: Click Here
European Day of Languages
ALLNE, NfLNE and partners are planning the annual European Day of Languages writing competition for Schools 2025. Details will be posted here.
The Stephen Spender Prize
This annual prize for poetry in translation is open for submissions for 2025!
For further information please: Click here
Strictly Speaking
An outline of how to run a Strictly Speaking Poetry Recitation competition within a class, your school or between a group of schools, complete with sample anthologies in three languages.
Read more here
Strictly Speaking 2022 - a school / student review
Review of a Strictly Speaking celebration in German 2022
Strictly Speaking is a poetry recitation event, with a class round of a rehearsed poem, and, for those who proceed to a second round, an unseen poem. An outline of how to run your own event is available to download here.
As teachers, we were really delighted to see how positively and enthusiastically the students participated in the event. All 120 of our Year 8s joined in, and in the class rounds they all had a chance to perform their poem and listen to each other. The students demonstrated great creativity in performing the poems. Some participants sang or rapped their poem to great effect, and all of them enjoyed the Year group final. It was a really fun celebration of German poetry.
Oscar Year 8 (winner)
When I first stepped on stage I felt overwhelmed and extremely nervous. After I performed my first poem though, the crowd went wild, and this gave me the confidence to then perform my mystery poem. Thinking of a musical rhythm was a great way to pronounce and deliver the words in an easier but sophisticated way.
When my name was called out as the winner I was astonished and extremely happy, I was very grateful, and loved performing.
It was a great achievement and am really hoping to continue my German into the future.
Alfie Year 8
I found the German speaking competition something that really brought everyone taking German together, I can remember after I finished that all of the other contestants congratulated me on my performance. I think this is this sort of environment that makes me enjoy speaking German so much.
Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2023 - a school and student view from N Ireland
You can take the skills you learn in class a little bit further. We both really enjoyed seeing texts, poems and stories in different languages. We see lots of books in English, but it was fun to see real texts in French and Spanish.
Please click here for more information.
Languages East Competition Winners 2023
Congratulations to all who participated in 2023 in any of the RiL Bees or other activities. Details of the winners are here, along with a description of the activities and how schools can access them.