The University of Macau (UM) hosted the World Universities Public Speaking Invitational Championship 2025 on Saturday, bringing together students from 11 leading universities worldwide to showcase their English public speaking skills and promote cross-cultural exchange, according to a UM statement yesterday.
After evaluation by an international panel of judges, Kamal Ashraf Bin Kamil Jumat from the National University of Singapore was crowned champion. Sofia López Castillo from the University of British Columbia and Benjamin Thomas from Stanford University were awarded first and second runner-up respectively, the statement said.
According to the UM statement, the participating contestants represented their respective universities, namely Oxford University, Stanford University, Tsinghua University, Peking University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Tokyo, the University of British Columbia, UM, Korea University, and the University of Lisbon.
The contest also featured awards for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) speakers, with Wang Xinyi of Tsinghua University winning this segment of the championship, followed by UM’s Li Xiang and Chen Shihua of Peking University, the statement added.
UM Rector Song Yongshua (aka Yongshua Song) emphasised the importance of dialogue across cultures, adding that the contest provided an important platform for outstanding students from around the globe to showcase their public speaking skills and share their insights, thereby promoting cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.
Under the theme of “Create a Diverse Future Together”, participants delivered speeches on topics such as dreams, perseverance, cultural exchange, and inclusion, the statement said. Kamal Ashraf noted that, as a member of an indigenous Malay community, he was honoured to contribute to the discussion, dedicating his achievement to his family and friends. Meanwhile, Wang remarked that her first visit to Macau and UM had deepened her understanding of multiculturalism.
The statement added that the judging panel included previous public speaking winners and coaches such as Sherrie Su Zifang, 1st runner-up of the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2018; Brian Hodgson, an experienced public speaking coach; and Yuki Wong, a professional multilingual emcee.
This handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) shows the National University of Singapore’s Kamal Ashraf Bin Kamil Jumat delivering his speech at the World Universities Public Speaking Invitational Championship 2025 at the public university on Saturday.
