Taipei, Taiwan. TutorABC Junior, the primary-school English division of online education provider TutorABC, has concluded the 2026 Summer Children English Speech Contest, held in partnership with Oxford University Press. The final took place at the Gis Convention Center on the National Taiwan University campus in Taipei on 29 August.
Registration opened in July. More than one hundred primary school children submitted single-take speech videos for the preliminary round, and 35 finalists advanced to the live final after a professional selection process.
Judging panel and format
Mark Avery, official representative of Oxford University Press, travelled to Taiwan for the final and sat on the panel alongside Sidney Huang, Group Marketing Vice President of TutorABC, and Arthur Schmitt, Assistant Academic Director of the TutorABC academic team.
After delivering a prepared speech, each finalist faced an unannounced question from the panel. The round allowed no script and no preparation time and was scored independently of the prepared speech. According to the TutorABC academic team, a rehearsed script rarely indicates a child's actual level, while an unannounced question shows whether a child can understand a question, organise a line of reasoning and respond clearly in English without preparation.
Preparation provided to entrants
All entrants received a speech skills preparatory course on registration, covering topic selection, speech structure, intonation and stage presence, before recording the preliminary video.
The 35 finalists received one-on-one tuition with live foreign teachers, refining script logic line by line, correcting pronunciation and running simulated question and answer practice.
A 45-minute workshop was held on site before the final, covering stage movement, speech technique and body language.
Certification
All 35 finalists received an English Speech Honour Certificate co-signed by TutorABC Junior and Oxford University Press, intended for use in school applications and learning portfolios. TutorABC is the only online education partner in Taiwan holding Oxford Quality assurance certification, and its foreign teachers receive regular training from Oxford.
About TutorABC Junior
TutorABC Junior is the English learning brand created by TutorABC for children and secondary students. Its curriculum is aligned with the core competencies of Taiwan's 108 Curriculum and incorporates officially licensed Oxford and National Geographic Learning materials.
TutorABC was founded in 2004 and has delivered more than 100 million online classes worldwide, providing English and Chinese-language learning, examination preparation, corporate training and study-abroad services.
Sources: TutorABC Junior programme page; TutorABC blog announcement.
