Three CFLC freshmen majoring in English ? Deng Qiao, Gao Yiming, and Chen Qian ? turned in impressive performances in the semi-finals and finals of the Fujian round of the 2016 CCTV “Star of Outlook” English Talent Competition held on May 27-28 in Xiamen. Deng and Gao claimed the first prize in the “university students” category in the finals of the Fujian round of the competition and will advance to the national finals, while Chen captured the second prize.

Participants in the contest competed for prizes in six categories ? preschoolers, 1^st-3^rd graders, 4^th-6^th graders, middle school students, high school students, and university students. In the semi-finals in the “university students” category, the contestants made a self-promotion and took part in a story solitaire, and 12 of the top-scoring contestants advanced to the finals. In the finals, the contestants each gave a one-minute speech on the topic “Please Choose Me”, in an effort to convince the jury why they should be considered for the grand prize. They also answered a number of questions displayed on the screen. The five top-scoring contestants in the finals would advance to the national finals to be held in Beijing in June.

The three CFLC contestants had been coached by Professor Xin Zhiying and made intense preparations for the competition. They said that the contest had provided them with a great learning opportunity and enabled them to better understand their strengths and weaknesses. They also stated that their participation in the competition would inspire them to work harder in future study.

The CCTV “Star of Outlook” English Talent Competition is the nation’s most watched live contest of its kind. The competition provides a platform for students to show off their English language skills to a national audience.

Launched in 2000, the competition is now in its 16^th year.