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SZTE Student Wins Hungarian Round of English Speaking Competition – Heads to China for Global Final

SZTE Student Wins Hungarian Round of English Speaking Competition – Heads to China for Global Final

2025. June 06.
6 perc

Schauer Flávia, a student at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Szeged, has won the Hungarian final of the 7th Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition, securing her place in the global final to be held in China this autumn.

A strong field of talented young speakers from across Hungary competed in the Hungarian qualifier of one of the world’s most prominent English-language speech contests. The event took place on Wednesday, 4 June 2025, at the Main Building of the University of Szeged.

The Hungarian round of the 7th Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition (BRESC) was hosted by China Daily, China’s leading English-language newspaper. The final was jointly organized by 21st Century Media, the University of Szeged, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), and the Confucius Institute at SZTE.

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Photo Gallery by István Sahin-Tóth

The Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition (BRESC) was established in 2019 by China Daily, the most widely read English-language newspaper in China. The competition aims to provide a dynamic platform for cultural exchange between China and the countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past six years, young people from more than 50 countries have participated in the competition. Among them, Hungarian participants have performed exceptionally well on the global stage: in 2024, Adrienn Zoller, winner of the Hungarian qualifier, went on to achieve global second prize at the international final held in China.

 

At the competition’s opening ceremony, Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Affairs at the University of Szeged, delivered the welcome address. She noted that the University takes great pride in its international character, with one-fifth of its student body coming from abroad and representing more than 100 countries – making the SZTE community truly diverse. She also highlighted that the University’s network of Chinese partnerships continues to grow and strengthen across the areas of education, research, and innovation. She wished the contestants the best of luck, adding that those who have the opportunity to represent themselves and their communities at the global final in China are sure to have the experience of a lifetime. At the same time, she encouraged all participants to consider themselves winners, as the competition provides each of them with valuable, real-world experience.


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Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Affairs at SZTE

Photo by István Sahin-Tóth

In the first round of the competition, participants delivered a three-minute speech on a pre-assigned topic: “As global citizens in the digital age, how can we overcome bias as we build a connected world?” Following this, after a brief preparation period, they demonstrated their skills with a two-minute impromptu speech on a second topic.

 

The competition took place before a distinguished panel of judges, which included Dr. Anett Árvay, linguist and expert in Hungarian studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Szeged; Charles Richard Marshall, a secondary school teacher from Manchester and instructor at the József Attila Secondary School in Makó; Dr. Wang Rui, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Szeged and English language lecturer at Shanghai International Studies University; Dr. Béla Kempf, Assistant Professor at the Department of Altaic Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Szeged; and Anita Szécsi-Hetényi, staff member of the Rector’s Cabinet for International and Public Relations at the University of Szeged.


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Among the attendees was Dr. Tibor Gera, Director of the Eötvös József Secondary and Primary School of Szeged, accompanied by the school’s English teachers – Ágota Erdélyi, Ágnes Kisdiné Papós, Pamela Wendler, and Judit Wáiszhárné Kis-Jakab – who had prepared the student contestants for the competition. In addition, Ms. Zou Yinli, National HR Manager of BYD Auto Hungary Kft., was also in attendance.

 

Special guests at the competition included Geng Jie and Teng Weijie, Honorary President and Editor-in-Chief of Xindapbao magazine, as well as SZTE graduate Afiqah Izzati Sundusin, who earned second place at the BRESC 2024 global final and attended the Szeged event as Malaysia’s representative.

 

“Alongside Hungarian participants, this year’s competition also welcomed contestants from Serbia and Pakistan. Indeed, one of the great benefits of learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute is the opportunity to study together with people from so many different nations and cultural backgrounds. During the preliminary rounds, we not only heard the voice of the winner, but also listened to engaging dialogues on a range of topics – reminding us of the importance of stepping beyond the boundaries of our usual ways of thinking. It was also a reaffirmation of the unique and irreplaceable joy of in-person communication. I wish all the contestants the very best – especially the winner, who will soon face new challenges and enjoy even richer cultural experiences in China this autumn,” said Dr. Wang Rui, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Szeged.



Final Results:

 

Champion: Flávia Schauer – student at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged

 

First Prize Winners: Kyara Farkas, Aliz Katalin Szabó

 

Second Prize Winners: Laura Zoé Móricz, Shehroz Tariq, Katalin Németh

 

Third Prize Winners: Lea Vass, Szilárd Faragó, Luca Kamilla Kiss, Dorina Zsoldos

 

“I found out about the competition through the University of Szeged’s news portal. I had never participated in anything like this before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For a long time, I had no idea what to say about the assigned topic – then, one night as I was getting ready for bed, an idea suddenly came to me, and that became the foundation for my speech. I’m really glad I decided to take part; it was an amazing experience. I’ve never been to China before, so I’m very excited about what lies ahead!” said Flávia Schauer, the champion of the Hungarian final.

 

The global semi-final and final of the 7th Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition will take place in China this autumn.

 

Original Hungarian article by Ferenc Lévai

 

Photos by István Sahin-Tóth

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