The English-Speaking Union

The ESU Performing Shakespeare Competition grand final is approaching, and our judges are ready to be wowed! 🎭

Before you take to the stage, make sure you know what they’re looking for…

Read more: esu.org/news-and-views

Has this week of celebrating our wonderful volunteers inspired you? Whether you've done it before or you're completely new to the ESU, we would love to hear from you!

Find out more and sign-up today: esu.org/volunteer/

And we want to round up our feedback with a massive thank you! 🌠

The mission of the ESU is to equip young people with the communication skills and cross-cultural understanding they need to thrive and build a more collaborative world, and that isn't possible without our volunteers.

Swipe to see what our teachers and students have to say!

One of the key roles our volunteers do is judge and, with the standard of our competitions, that isn't an easy job!

The overarching narrative we receive is how constructive and gracious our volunteers are when providing feedback to the young people who take part 📝

Scroll to see a snapshot of what others have said! 👇

We are thrilled to share that we have recently received Commonwealth accreditation, formally recognising our work to champion civil society. We join more than 90 other accredited organisations, from global networks to grassroots groups working across peace, education, human rights, sustainability and more.

'There are many organisations within the Commonwealth that focus on education as a way out of poverty,’ says Consola Evans, our Director of Global Engagement. ‘We look forward to working alongside them to show how young people’s communication skills are a vital step on that pathway.'

Our ESU volunteers help young people discover their voice, and that doesn't go unnoticed! 🌟

Here are just a few of the many positive comments from the teachers and students that have benefitted from the time you have given to our mission...

A huge congratulations to the winners of our ESU Public Speaking Competition 2026! After a day of sensational public speaking, one team and three individuals came out on top:

🏅 Best Team - Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe (speaker: Jamie Williams, chair: Don Herh, questioner: Emad Haroon)
📢 Best Speaker - Charlotte Hagelthorn from South Wilts Grammar School
🙋 Best Questioner - Hamish Clarke from Oundle School
🎤 Best Chair - Ademide Adegoke from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys

This year’s competition was a fantastic celebration of oracy, with students speaking, presenting and analysing confidently on a wide array of topics from authenticity and performance, to success and individuality, and everything in between.

And, as always, we want to extend a massive thank you to the teachers, volunteers and staff who joined us and made this event possible!

Interested in taking part? Keep your eyes peeled, competition registration opens soon!

Our volunteers help make our mission possible, and what better way to show that than with a few statistics! 🌟

Take a look below for some of the highlights 👇

From competitor to mentor to judge, Giulia Chiriac knows first-hand the transformative power of public speaking, and we're excited to have her as part of the Public Speaking Competition grand final panel!

After becoming Romania’s ESU National Champion and Runner-Up in the 2024 International Public Speaking Competition, Giulia is now helping the next generation find their voice as part of the ESU Competition Lead team.

We’re delighted to welcome Andrew Graham-Dixon as a judge for this year’s Public Speaking Competition grand final! 🏆

One of the English-speaking world’s leading art critics and broadcasters, Andrew is renowned for his acclaimed television series, award-winning journalism and bestselling books on art and artists.