Hana Laan of Victoria (Age 4-7, Filipino) was chosen as one of the five winners of SBS National Languages Competition. The winners were announced by SBS Radio today at an awards ceremony held at SBS in Sydney.
The ceremony was hosted by SBS Managing Director, James Taylor and SBS’s Director of Audio and Language Content, Mandi Wicks, with special guest Julian Leeser MP, Federal Member for Berowra, NSW.
“We’re thrilled that more Australians are embracing the SBS National Languages Competition each year, with inspiring stories that reflect a passion, dedication and commitment for language learning,” Mandi Wicks said.
“With the power to deepen cultural understanding and a sense of belonging, multilingualism drives significant benefits for individuals, employers and societies as a whole. As countries become increasingly diverse, those that proactively nurture these capabilities are not only reaping the immediate benefits but are preparing effectively for the future,” Wicks added.
The SBS National Languages Competition 2019 is a nationwide initiative celebrating a love of learning languages and language retention in Australia.
The competition received nearly 3,600 entries from all states and territories, spanning 90 languages, including Indonesian, German, Japanese and Auslan.
In the UN International Year of Indigenous languages, the competition also received more submissions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages than ever before.
The winners were selected across five age categories based on their unique stories and creative approach.
The winners
- Hana Laan, VIC (Age 4-7, Filipino)
- Adam Wahby, VIC (Age 8-12, Arabic)
- Felicity Nop, NSW (Age 13-15, French)
- Nehal Nafcy, NSW (Age 16-18, Bangla)
- Lidia Veljanovski, NSW (Age 18+, Macedonian)
Now in its fourth year, the SBS National Languages Competition 2019 that was launched in August 2019 is an SBS Radio initiative to encourage and celebrate a love of learning languages in Australia.
This year, Australians of all ages who are learning a language, including those learning English and AUSLAN, participated by sending a drawing or a written entry answering the question: ‘How does learning a language make a world of difference?’.
Selected across five age categories, the winning entries were chosen based on their creative approach and unique stories.
Hana Laan’s winning entry
Dahil nag-aaral ako ng Filipino, nagkakaintindihan kami nina Lolo, Lola at Tito Justine. Napaparamdam ko na mahal ko sila kahit nasa Pilipinas sila. Napapasaya ko rin sila.
Because I’m learning Filipino, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Justine, and I can understand each other. I’m able to make them feel loved even though they’re in the Philippines. I’m also able to make them happy.
