The 50th Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest (2026)
1st Announcement Chinese Language Teachers Association of California
第 50 届中文（普通话／国语）演讲比赛一号通知（2026)
第 50 屆中文（普通話／國語）演講比賽一號通知（2026）
Registration Deadline: February 26, 2026
Contest Date: April 12, 2026
Location: Menlo School, Atherton
The Chinese Language Teachers Association of California (CLTAC) is pleased to announce that the 50th CLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest will be held at Menlo School, Atherton, on April 12, 2026. Please refer to the official rules of the speech contest in this file for more details.
As a signature event of CLTAC, the annual Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest aims to provide a platform for students at all educational and proficiency levels to demonstrate what they have accomplished in their study of the language and culture. Since the first session held in the 1960s, the Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest hosted by CLTAC has attracted more than several hundred contestants in recent years, with over a thousand teachers and parents participating annually. Seen as one of the highlights of the Chinese language teaching calendar, the contest has not only done much to promote teaching the Chinese language in California but has also been viewed locally as a highly influential event.
To participate in the 50thCLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest, each contestant will prepare a speech in Mandarin commensurate with their learning experience and level of proficiency and deliver it in person on the day of the competition. The teachers, who must be current members of CLTAC, will register their students by February 26, 2026, following the registration guidelines below.
Topics
Contestants may speak on any appropriate topic that is commensurate with their level of Chinese proficiency. Sample topics include Learning Chinese, Family Life, Favorite Sports, A School Event, My 2026, and Travel to China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, etc. The purpose of the speech contest is to foster strong language skills. Evaluation will emphasize accuracy in pronunciation and tones, fluency, delivery, cadence, and content.
How to Register:
All contestants must register through their teachers. Registrations must be submitted online through the Speech Contest Registration by February 26, 2026. (Please find the link below under Registration Checklist)
Teachers must fill out two online forms to complete the registration process. the Speech Contest Registration and the Teacher Information and Payment Form (see links below). If you are not a current member of CLTAC, you can renew your membership by filling out the membership application form and submitting payment when you fill out the Teacher Information and Payment Form.
How to Pay the Registration Fee Online
The registration fee is $20 per contestant. We ask each teacher to collect the registration fees for all contestants in their classes and submit the total payment when filling out the “Teacher Information and Payment Form.” Please make notes of the teacher’s name, school name, and contestant’s name in the online payment. Registrations must be submitted, and payments should be received by March 15, 2026. Once the registration fee is paid, it is non-refundable.
The teachers who register the contestants must be active members in good standing of CLTAC. The instructor’s annual membership fee ($20.00) is expected before the registration deadline to process the registration for the speech contest. If you are not a current member, you can fill out the membership application form and pay the membership when filling out the “Teacher Information and Payment Form.” Life membership is reduced to $180 from $200 from January 1 to April 1, 2026; please take this great opportunity to become a life member.
Registration Checklist
For CLTAC Current Members, please submit the following forms/documents:
(1) Speech Contest Registration Form(Google Form)
(2) Teacher Information and Payment Form (Google Form)
If you are not a CLTAC current member, please submit the following
forms/documents:
(1) CLTAC Membership Application (You can submit it while filling out the Teacher Information and Payment Form)
(2) Speech Contest Registration Form (Google Form)
(3) Teacher Information and Payment Form (Google Form)
Speech Contest Judge Recruiting
If you are a Mandarin Chinese instructor, we invite you to be a judge for this year’s speech contest. Given the size of our speech contest, we need to recruit at least 90 judges. Your help is much needed and appreciated. Please go to the Speech Contest Judge Invitation Form and sign up by March 8, 2026.
Speech Contest Performance Registration
We are seeking performers and volunteer speakers for our entertainment program on Sunday, April 12, 2026. If you have students who are interested in showing their talents or who would
like to practice their public speaking skills, we welcome their participation in the entertainment program.
Each performance should be no longer than 5 minutes. Please submit your registration form with the link by March 15, 2026.
Thank you very much for your continued support! If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
As a signature event of CLTAC, the annual Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest aims to provide a platform for students at all educational and proficiency levels to demonstrate what they have accomplished in their study of the language and culture. Since the first session held in the 1960s, the Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest hosted by CLTAC has attracted more than several hundred contestants in recent years, with over a thousand teachers and parents participating annually. Seen as one of the highlights of the Chinese language teaching calendar, the contest has not only done much to promote teaching the Chinese language in California but has also been viewed locally as a highly influential event.
To participate in the 50thCLTAC Mandarin Chinese Speech Contest, each contestant will prepare a speech in Mandarin commensurate with their learning experience and level of proficiency and deliver it in person on the day of the competition. The teachers, who must be current members of CLTAC, will register their students by February 26, 2026, following the registration guidelines below.
Topics
Contestants may speak on any appropriate topic that is commensurate with their level of Chinese proficiency. Sample topics include Learning Chinese, Family Life, Favorite Sports, A School Event, My 2026, and Travel to China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, etc. The purpose of the speech contest is to foster strong language skills. Evaluation will emphasize accuracy in pronunciation and tones, fluency, delivery, cadence, and content.
How to Register:
All contestants must register through their teachers. Registrations must be submitted online through the Speech Contest Registration by February 26, 2026. (Please find the link below under Registration Checklist)
Teachers must fill out two online forms to complete the registration process. the Speech Contest Registration and the Teacher Information and Payment Form (see links below). If you are not a current member of CLTAC, you can renew your membership by filling out the membership application form and submitting payment when you fill out the Teacher Information and Payment Form.
How to Pay the Registration Fee Online
The registration fee is $20 per contestant. We ask each teacher to collect the registration fees for all contestants in their classes and submit the total payment when filling out the “Teacher Information and Payment Form.” Please make notes of the teacher’s name, school name, and contestant’s name in the online payment. Registrations must be submitted, and payments should be received by March 15, 2026. Once the registration fee is paid, it is non-refundable.
The teachers who register the contestants must be active members in good standing of CLTAC. The instructor’s annual membership fee ($20.00) is expected before the registration deadline to process the registration for the speech contest. If you are not a current member, you can fill out the membership application form and pay the membership when filling out the “Teacher Information and Payment Form.” Life membership is reduced to $180 from $200 from January 1 to April 1, 2026; please take this great opportunity to become a life member.
Registration Checklist
For CLTAC Current Members, please submit the following forms/documents:
(1) Speech Contest Registration Form(Google Form)
(2) Teacher Information and Payment Form (Google Form)
If you are not a CLTAC current member, please submit the following
forms/documents:
(1) CLTAC Membership Application (You can submit it while filling out the Teacher Information and Payment Form)
(2) Speech Contest Registration Form (Google Form)
(3) Teacher Information and Payment Form (Google Form)
Speech Contest Judge Recruiting
If you are a Mandarin Chinese instructor, we invite you to be a judge for this year’s speech contest. Given the size of our speech contest, we need to recruit at least 90 judges. Your help is much needed and appreciated. Please go to the Speech Contest Judge Invitation Form and sign up by March 8, 2026.
Speech Contest Performance Registration
We are seeking performers and volunteer speakers for our entertainment program on Sunday, April 12, 2026. If you have students who are interested in showing their talents or who would
like to practice their public speaking skills, we welcome their participation in the entertainment program.
Each performance should be no longer than 5 minutes. Please submit your registration form with the link by March 15, 2026.
Thank you very much for your continued support! If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].