The 9th Padjadjaran English Competition, held on November 30th and December 1st, 2024, successfully gave the younger generation an opportunity to voice their ideas. This year, the competition welcomed international participants and expanded its categories, featuring Speech, Essay Writing, Poetry Reading and Writing, and Short Story Writing for the Varsity Level, as well as Speech, Storytelling, and Short Story Writing for the High School level. A total of 258 participants from 17 provinces in Indonesia, along with Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, showcased their talents in this year’s competition.
As mentioned in the previous article, this year's Padjadjaran English Competition not only invited judges from Indonesia but also from abroad. Two of the judges; Angelo R. (Sarge) Lacuesta and Joselito D. delos Reyes, are multiple award winners from the Philippines. Another judge is Mark Spears, an indie writer from Kentucky, and author of My Father’s Secrets.
Not only that, several judges, including Keni K. Soeriaatmadja, and Catur Surya Permana, who served last year, returned this year, offering many participants valuable guidance and inspiration. This ongoing support is reflected in the words of Karlita Karolina, the winner of Poetry Reading and Writing at the Varsity Level from Universitas Widyatama and a regular participant for 3 consecutive years, who said, “The judges of Padjadjaran English Competition never fail to give proper critiques that help me improve.”
Nadira Dhaifina, who first organized the event in 2015, continues to support the competition by serving as a supervisor or judge. She has had high aspirations for the competition, evident in her comments, saying “The competition itself was very advanced and exceeded my expectations. I hope next year’s participants will continue to improve, bringing even more stories and ideas to the table.”
This year, the Padjadjaran English Competition experimented with varying competition locations, dividing them into indoor and outdoor settings. The Storytelling competition, held outdoors, challenged participants to a higher level of difficulty and encouraged them to be more creative in their performances. Similarly, while the Poetry Reading and Writing competition is usually held outdoors, it was held indoors this year, in the lobby of the dean's office building, near Poeta Coffee.
Over the past 9 years, the Padjadjaran English Competition has successfully brought together individuals, not only participants but also judges from diverse backgrounds. It serves as a platform for everyone to connect, exchange ideas, share the same interests, and support each other. This sense of community is what keeps participants coming back and helps them improve their abilities. Hopefully, the next Padjadjaran English Competition will be able to provide the same experience, allowing many more people to grow and be inspired by each other.
