The 37th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest Result
15 April 2026
The Prince Takamado Japan Centre had the honour of hosting the 37th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest on March 29, 2026, at the University of Alberta.
Twenty-five contestants who had won first place in seven districts—British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Ottawa, Quebec, and Atlantic—participated in the contest and delivered their best speeches in front of the judges and audience.
The following are the results of the contest:
Beginner Category
1 Jinnie Lee (University of Toronto)
2 Noémie Benoit (Université du Québec à Montréal)
3 Elham Sajedi (University of Alberta)
Intermediate Category
1 Alyssa MacKenzie (Mount Allison University)
2 Jeff
3 Sami El-Agha (Université du Québec à Montréal)
Advanced Category
1 Rivka Zickler (Mount Allison University)
2 Hyerim Song (University of Toronto)
3 Janice Lee
Open Category
1 Dylan Kim (Mount Allison University)
2 Ezgi Ince
3 Nina Tadano
Grand Prize
Alyssa MacKenzie (Mount Allison University)
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. The PTJC would also like to extend our gratitude to our generous supporters and partners:
Blue Tree Books, Canon Canada Inc., Consulate-General of Japan in Calgary, IACE Travel Canada Inc., Japan Communications Ltd., Mitsui Canada Foundation, MYNDS Inc., Panasonic Canada Inc., The Japan Foundation, Toronto, The Prince Takamado Japan Canada Memorial Fund, ShowFlex International Inc., Toyota Canada Inc., Yamaha Canada Music Ltd.
The digital program can be viewed through the CAJLE website, and the photo package can be downloaded here.