2022 General Guidelines

Introduction


Initiated in 2002 by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), the “FLTRP · ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Contest has gained great attention and credit both at home and abroad. All participants eagerly embrace the opportunity to challenge and improve themselves. The contest has been of great help to participants by improving their English proficiency and cultivating their communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills. Nationally recognized as being both authoritative and professional, the English Public Speaking Contest has been listed, since 2018, by the “The Ranking of National College and University Student Competitions” released by the China Association of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China.

The 2022 “FLTRP · ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Contest consists of an offline contest and an online contest, with winning contestants from both contests to compete at the National Final. 

The offline contest is composed of three parts: Preliminary, Provincial Final, and National Final. The procedure is as follows: the Preliminaries will be held by colleges and universities in each province; the winners will compete in the Provincial Finals organized by the provincial organizing committees and co-organized by local branches of FLTRP; the top 3 contestants from each province will compete at the National Final.

The online contest will be held on the “U等生” app where applicants can sign up to participate. This year, wildcards will be provided for eligible applicants of the online contest. To apply for the wildcards, an applicant must: 

a) take the English Test for International Communication, i.e. ETIC (http: //etic.claonline.cn), held in the first half of 2022; 

b) be awarded “Pass with Distinction” in the ETIC (Intermediate) / “Pass with Merit” or above in the ETIC (Advanced) / “Pass” or above in the ETIC (Superior); 

c) win a score of 230 or above in the “Oral Communication” of the test. 

The Committee will rank all the applicants for the wildcards based on their scores in the “Oral Communication” and offer the wildcards to the top 30. Candidates with the same score will be ranked in the order of registration. Candidates with the wildcards will directly reach the final phase of the online contest, which requires the contestants to give an impromptu speech. The top 90 candidates in the online contest will reach the National Final.

Participants from overseas as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be invited to attend the National Final competing for the final Grand Prizes and other special prizes.


 
Organization
 
Host:
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP)
 
Organizers:
Beijing Waiyan Online Digital Technology Co., Ltd.
China Language Assessment

 

Contestants
 
The offline contest: The offline contest is open to college students, undergraduates and postgraduates under the age of 35 and of Chinese nationality.
 
The online contest: The online contest is open to college students, undergraduates and postgraduates under the age of 35, including international students studying in China. 

   

Key Events
 

June 1st - October 16th, 2022 Registration for the “FLTRP·ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Online Contest is open and contestants can submit their video of the prepared speech .

November 22nd, 2022: The results of the online contest will be announced.
December 7th-11th, 2022 The National Final
  

The Organizing Committee reserves the right of final explanation of this general guideline.

 
“FLTRP · ETIC Cup”English Public Speaking Contest
Secretariat of the Organizing Committee
May, 2022

General Guidelines

Introduction


Initiated in 2002 by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), the “FLTRP · ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Contest has gained great attention and credit both at home and abroad. All participants eagerly embrace the opportunity to challenge and improve themselves. The contest has been of great help to participants by improving their English proficiency and cultivating their communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills. Nationally recognized as being both authoritative and professional, the English Public Speaking Contest has been listed, since 2018, by the “The Ranking of National College and University Student Competitions” released by the China Association of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China.

The 2022 “FLTRP · ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Contest consists of an offline contest and an online contest, with winning contestants from both contests to compete at the National Final. 

The offline contest is composed of three parts: Preliminary, Provincial Final, and National Final. The procedure is as follows: the Preliminaries will be held by colleges and universities in each province; the winners will compete in the Provincial Finals organized by the provincial organizing committees and co-organized by local branches of FLTRP; the top 3 contestants from each province will compete at the National Final.

The online contest will be held on the “U等生” app where applicants can sign up to participate. This year, wildcards will be provided for eligible applicants of the online contest. To apply for the wildcards, an applicant must: 

a) take the English Test for International Communication, i.e. ETIC (http: //etic.claonline.cn), held in the first half of 2022; 

b) be awarded “Pass with Distinction” in the ETIC (Intermediate) / “Pass with Merit” or above in the ETIC (Advanced) / “Pass” or above in the ETIC (Superior); 

c) win a score of 230 or above in the “Oral Communication” of the test. 

The Committee will rank all the applicants for the wildcards based on their scores in the “Oral Communication” and offer the wildcards to the top 30. Candidates with the same score will be ranked in the order of registration. Candidates with the wildcards will directly reach the final phase of the online contest, which requires the contestants to give an impromptu speech. The top 90 candidates in the online contest will reach the National Final.

Participants from overseas as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will be invited to attend the National Final competing for the final Grand Prizes and other special prizes.


 
Organization
 
Host:
Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP)
 
Organizers:
Beijing Waiyan Online Digital Technology Co., Ltd.
China Language Assessment

 

Contestants
 
The offline contest: The offline contest is open to college students, undergraduates and postgraduates under the age of 35 and of Chinese nationality.
 

The online contest: The online contest is open to college students, undergraduates and postgraduates under the age of 35, including international students studying in China. 




The Online Contest

Registration:

All participants must register on the “U 等生” app between June 1st and October 16th, 2022. The registration fee is 100 RMB per person. Participants must ensure that their registration information is true and accurate, otherwise they will be disqualified and the Organizing Committee reserves the right to take further legal actions.



Terms of Participation:
Participants of the online contest must submit a video of their prepared speech. Specific requirements are as follows: 

1. Timeline: 

Submission Dates: June 1st - October 16th, 2022

2. Submission Requirements: 

1) A title. (Please refer to the video of the topic released by the Organizing Committee on  the official website)

2) A 3-minute speech video (Size: 50M-500M. Length: 2'45''-3'15''). For optimal audio-visual effects, please make sure your video is shot horizontally and is clear visually  and audibly. The video must NOT be edited in any way such as adding title and closing,  soundtrack, subtitles, etc.

3) Follow the format requirements of the video available on the “U 等生” app. 

4) There will be prizes for instructors in the online contest. Each contestant can have up to three instructors. Please fill in the information if you have instructor(s). The information  cannot be added or modified after registration deadline.

 

Online Contest Schedule:

1. The preliminary: From October 17th to November 7th, the online contest judging panel organized by the Organizing Committee will assess all submitted videos and select 300 videos for the next round of the online contest. The shortlist of the 300 contestants will be announced on the official website. 

2. The semi-final: From November 8th to 14th, the online contest judging panel organized by the Organizing Committee will assess the 300 videos and select 150. The shortlist of the 150 contestants will be announced on the official website.

3. The final: From November 15th to 20th, the 150 contestants and 30 wildcard contestants will be given their impromptu speech topic on the official website at a designated time (The specific time will be notified by the Organizing Committee). They will be required to upload their speech video within 30 minutes. The online contest judging panel organized by the Organizing Committee will assess and score all submitted videos and the top 90 contestants ranked by scores will go to the National Final.

4. Announcement of the online contest results: On November 22nd, the Organizing Committee will announce the results of the online contest for public notification for 2 days on the official website. Any ontestants found violating the contest requirements will be disqualified.

 

Awards to Online Contestants:

Grand Prizes: to the 90 contestants advancing to the National Final in Beijing. These contestants will have an opportunity to sit for one free test by the English Test for International Communication (ETIC) to be taken before December 31st, 2023 (see more details on http: //etic.claon-line.cn).

First Prizes: to the 90 contestants who advance to the final of the online contest but do not advance to the National Final.

Second Prizes: to the 150 contestants who advance to the semi-final of the online contest but do not advance to the final of the online contest.

All participants can check and download their electronic certificates of participation on the “U 等生” app. Prize winners can check and download their electronic certificates of prize on the “U 等生” app. 

Instructors of prize winners will receive electronic certificates for Grand Prizes, First Prizes or Second Prizes.


Judging Panel for the Online Contest:

1. The preliminary: The judging panel consists of no less than 5 judges (at least 1 international judge), among whom the Chinese judges must possess the title of Lecturer or above. 

2. The semi-final:  The judging panel consists of no less than 5 judges (at least 1 international judge), among whom the Chinese judges must possess the title of Associate Professor or above. 

3. The final: The judging panel consists of no less than 5 judges (at least 1 international judge), among whom the Chinese judges must possess the title of Associate Professor or above. 

4. Scoring Criteria: The principles of justice, fairness and adherence to agreed criteria must be reflected in the scoring at all contests.


The National Final


Eligibility: Contestants for the National Final include the top 3 finalists from each province (altogether 93 nationwide) from the offline contest, the top 90 contestants from the online contest, and the contestants invited from overseas and from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

Location: Beijing
Date: December 7th to 11th, 2022
Determine the Order: The contestants will draw lots to determine the order of participation in each phase of the National Final. The order cannot be changed once lots drawn. 
Judging Panel: The judging panels for Phase 1 and Phase 2 consist of no less than 5 judges (at least 1 international judge). 

The judging panels for Phase 3 and Phase 4 consist of no less than 9 judges (at least 2 international judges). 

A judging panel meeting must be held before each phase of the contest to discuss and determine the scoring criteria in order to ensure the validity and fairness of the contest. 

Professorship is a prerequisite for the Chinese judges.


The contest consists of four phases, the first three upgrading and the last one ultimate.

 

Phase 1
The contestants for the National Final will be divided into 8 groups by drawing lots. The order of participation in each group will be determined by lots drawn.
Date: December 7th, 2022
Procedure:
1. Prepared speech: Each contestant is required to deliver a 3-minute prepared speech on the topic released by the Organizing Committee.
2. Response to questions: The speech is immediately followed by questions raised by the judges. A total of 2 questions will be asked about the speech and the contestant has 1 minute to respond to each question. 
The top 11 contestants from each group will advance to the second phase of the contest.
 
Scoring:
1.  The scores for Phase 1 will be calculated by using a trimmed mean (the highest and lowest scores will be discarded and the remaining scores will be averaged).
2.  The first 5 contestants in each group will be scored together through a discussion by the judging panel and their scores will then be announced; the scores of other contestants will be announced immediately after the Response-to-Questions session.
 
Scoring Criteria (100 points)

Phase 2

The 88 qualified contestants advancing to Phase 2 will be divided into 4 groups by drawing lots. The order of participation in each group will be determined by lots drawn. The scores for Phase 1 will not be counted in Phase 2. 
Date: December 8th, 2022
Procedure:
1. Impromptu speech: The contestants will receive a topic for their speech according to their order of participation and will have 30 minutes for preparation. They then deliver a 3-minute speech. All topics will be kept confidential before use. 
2. Response to questions: The impromptu speech is immediately followed by questions raised by the judges. 2 questions about the speech will be asked by the judges and the contestant has 1 minute to respond to each question. 
3. Quizzes: Each contestant will answer 4 general knowledge questions and will have only 5 seconds to respond to each question. The total point is 1 (0.25 points for each question), which will be included in the final score for Phase 2. The questions will be varied, under the categories of common sense and specifically knowledge of language, history, culture, and current affairs. The questions will be kept confidential before use. 
 
The top 6 contestants from each group will enter Phase 3 of the contest.
 
Scoring:
1. The scores for Phase 2 will be calculated by using a trimmed mean (the highest and lowest scores will be discarded and the remaining scores will be averaged). 
2. The first 5 contestants in each group will be scored together through a discussion by the judging panel and their scores will then be announced; the scores of other contestants will be announced immediately after the Response-to-Questions session.
 
Scoring Criteria (101 points)

Phase 3
The 24 contestants in Phase 3 will be divided into 8 groups. The top 2 contestants in each group from Phase 2 (a total of 8) will be assigned to 8 different groups. The other 16 contestants will be randomly distributed to 8 groups by drawing lots. In each group, the contestants will use the same speech topic and the order of speeches will be determined by lots drawn. The scores for Phase 2 will not be counted in Phase 3. 
Date: December 10th, 2022
Procedure:
1. Assigned speech: The speech topics will be kept confidential and the 24 contestants will choose a topic one day before the contest by drawing lots. The contestants will each deliver a 2-minute speech on their assigned topic according to the order determined by lots drawn.
2. Response to a question: After all 3 contestants of each group finish their speeches, the judges will ask the contestants questions according to the order in which the speeches were given. Each contestant will be asked 1 question and will have 1 minute to respond to the question.
3. Extension speech: The 3 contestants of each group will each make a 1-minute extension speech and these speeches will be given in reverse order.
4. Group quizzes: The 3 contestants in each group will compete against each other to answer a group of questions (5 questions). The contestants will receive 0.2 points for each correct answer and 0.1 points will be deducted for each incorrect answer.
 
The contestant with the highest score from each group (a total of 8 contestants) will go on to Phase 4 of the contest. All members of the Organizing Committee will be asked to vote and choose 1 contestant out of the remaining 16 to compete in Phase 4. 
 
Scoring: The scores for Phase 3 will be calculated by using a trimmed mean (the highest and lowest scores will be discarded and the remaining scores will be averaged).
 

Scoring Criteria (101 points)

Phase 4
The 9 contestants in the final phase will compete for the championship, the runner-up and second runner-up places. 
The scores for Phase 3 will not be counted in Phase 4.
The contest procedure will be announced by the Organizing Committee.
Date: December 11th, 2022
 
NOTES


1. Any changes regarding the contest rules are subject to a final announcement by the Organizing Committee. Announcements will be made on the official website.

2. The contestants must guarantee that all their works are original and do not involve any violation of other people's lawful rights. Otherwise, once the violation is confirmed, the contestants will be disqualified and have to undertake all the consequences caused. 

3. Drawing lots: The contestants will draw their contestant number before the National Final but an agent can be appointed to draw the number if a contestant cannot be present in person. In this case, a letter of authorization with the contestant's signature must be delivered to the Organizing Committee for reference. If the contestant fails to appoint an agent before the lots are drawn, (s)he will be deemed to have abstained from participation. 

Contestants must draw lots by themselves for the order of speeches, and an agent cannot be accepted. If a contestant fails to take the draw, (s)he will be deemed to have abstained from participation and the position will be filled by the contestant with the highest score among the remaining contestants of the previous phase.

4. Tiebreak: There will be a tiebreak if the last two or more contestants tie for the next phase in Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the National Final. The competition order during a tiebreak will be decided by lots drawn. Each contestant will randomly draw a topic and have 10 minutes to prepare for a 2-minute impromptu speech, and then respond to 2 questions asked by the judges. Results will be announced immediately after the speeches and the contestant with the highest score will go to the next phase. If there is a tie in Phase 3 or Phase 4, the judging panel will discuss and decide which contestant should go to the next phase.

5. Instructors: Each contestant can have up to 3 instructors and needs to assign the principal instructor. Once confirmed, the principal instructor shall not be changed and only (s)he can accompany the contestant to the National Final in Beijing. 

6. The Award Ceremony: All contestants at the National Final are required to attend the final phase and the Award Ceremony.

7. Certificates and awards: Certificates and awards for the National Final will be issued at the Award Ceremony and will not be re-issued if the contestants fail to attend the ceremony. The certificates for the online contest can be downloaded from the official website.

8. All participants, including contestants and instructors, are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. (The Organizing Committee will make arrangements for accommodation.)

Awards


 Contestants’ Awards

Grand Prize:
To the top 9 contestants advancing to Phase 4 of the National Final, including 1 Champion, 2 Runners-up, and 6 Second Runners-up.
    Champion
    The Champion will receive a trophy, a certificate, and the opportunity to attend an exchange program at George Mason University in July 2023.
    Runner-up
    The Runners-up will each receive a certificate, and the opportunity to attend an exchange program at George Mason University in July 2023.
    Second Runner-up

   The Second Runners-up will each receive a certificate and the opportunity of training and competing at the Asian Debate Institute in August 2023.

 

First Prize: 

To the top 15 contestants advancing to Phase 3 of the National Final but failing to reach Phase 4. 

First Prize winners will each receive a certificate and an opportunity to go abroad or to Hong Kong and Macao on an exchange visit.

Second Prize: 

To the 64 contestants advancing to Phase 2 of the National Final but failing to reach Phase 3. 

Second Prize winners will each receive a certificate and an award.


Third Prize: 

To the contestants advancing to Phase 1 of the National Final but failing to reach Phase 2. 

Third Prize winners will each receive a certificate and an award.


Special Awards: 

These awards will be granted to the individuals for their special accomplishments. 

The winners will each receive a certificate and an award.

* The time arrangements of the exchange programs are subject to the final announcement by the Organizing Committee, and the current time arrangements are for reference only.

 
Instructors’ Awards
Grand Prize to Instructors: to the instructors of the 9 Grand Prize winners. 
    Champion’s Instructor
   The Champion's instructor(s) will receive a Grand Prize certificate and the opportunity to attend the IATEFL conference in March or April, 2023.
    Runner-up Instructor
   The Runners-up's instructors will each receive a Grand Prize certificate and the opportunity to attend the IATEFL conference in March or April, 2023.
    Second Runner-up Instructor
    The Second Runners-up's instructors will each receive a Grand Prize certificate and the opportunity to attend the Asia TEFL International Conference in July or August 2023.
 

First Prize Instructor: 

This award will be presented to the instructors of the First Prize winners. 

Instructors of the First Prize winners will each receive a First Prize certificate and an opportunity to go abroad or to Hong Kong and Macao on an exchange visit.


Second Prize Instructor: 

This award will be presented to the instructors of the Second Prize winners. 

Instructors of the Second Prize winners will each receive a Second Prize certificate and an award.


Third Prize Instructor: 


This award will be presented to the instructors of the Third Prize winners. 

Instructors of the Third Prize winners will each receive a Third Prize certificate and an award.

* The time arrangements of the exchange programs are subject to the final announcement by the Organizing Committee, and the current time arrangements are for reference only. If the winner has more than one instructor, only the principal instructor can attend the exchange programs and shall not be replaced by the other instructors.

 
Notes about the exchange programs


1. Please note that the schedule of the exchange programs may be subject to change. FLTRP will notify all participants immediately if there is a change and will make every effort to help make other arrangements. Any disagreement by a prize winner about the arrangements made by FLTRP will be deemed as withdrawal from the program. The exchange programs will be postponed to the next year in the case that they are canceled due to force majeure such as epidemics.

2. FLTRP will cover the cost of travel (a return ticket for flights between Beijing or other designated departure cities and the destination), registration and accommodation for prize winners. The prize winners will bear any other expenses.

3. The exchange programs are valid for only one year. The prize winners who are unable to join the exchange programs due to passport or visa application problems will forfeit the opportunity.

4. A contestant who wins more than one prize can only choose to attend one exchange program.



   

Key Events
 

June 1st - October 16th, 2022 Registration for the “FLTRP·ETIC Cup” English Public Speaking Online Contest is open and contestants can submit their video of the prepared speech .

November 22nd, 2022: The results of the online contest will be announced.
December 7th-11th, 2022 The National Final
  

The Organizing Committee reserves the right of final explanation of this general guideline.

 
“FLTRP · ETIC Cup”English Public Speaking Contest
Secretariat of the Organizing Committee
May, 2022
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