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VIDEO: Maple Ridge student places second in Canadian French-speaking competition

Eva Liu talked about her passion for figure skating

A student from Maple Ridge has placed second in a national French speaking competition.

Eva Liu, a Grade 9 student at Meadowridge School, was victorious in the Core French 9 category of Concours Virtuel, receiving $150.

Liu’s speech, “Mon Parcours en Patinage Artistique”, or, “MY Journey in Figure Skating”, was one of more than 360 entries submitted by students in Grades 6 to 12 for the second annual event.

The inaugural online public speaking competition took place in the spring of 2020 and received videos from more than 900 students who shared stories about their daily lives and how they were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What launched as a way to connect youth last year at the onset of school closures morphed in 2021 to offer students a digital platform to express themselves,” said Jensen Edwards, with the B.C. and Yukon branch of Canadian Parents for French.

Speeches this year ranged from the somber topic of Residential Schools to light-hearted subjects like family recipes.

“We’ve learned a lot from this year’s participants,” noted Edwards. “We’re so proud of the quality of French that students showcased in their Concours virtuel videos, and of the spirit they shared.”

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Submissions for the contest were open to any student from kindergarten to Grade 12, however, they are only judged competitively from Grade 6 and up.

Videos had to be presented entirely in French that demonstrated the participant’s ability to speak in full sentences. Entries had to be between one minute and three minutes in length with a minimum of one minute of French speaking. Editing and music were allowed.

Competitors were judged on vocal expression, coherence of presentation, language, their delivery and presentation of the video.

Cash prizes were awarded to the first, second, and third places of each group and each cash prize was matched with a donation to a registered Canadian non-profit of the winner’s choice.

There were three groups for Grades 6-8, three groups for Grades 9 and 10, and another three groups for Grades 11 and 12.

Canadian Parents For French formed in 1977 to support French language learners and educators and to advocate for strong programs across the country. The B.C. and Yukon branch was formed a year later and has since grown to more than 10,000 members in 40 community chapters.

Winners were announced in June.


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Eva Liu, a student at Meadowridge School, came second in a national French speaking competition about her passion for figure skating. (Screen grab YouTube)