A student shows off her English-speaking skills during the preliminary round for the Hong Kong region in the runup to the national contest, the 21st Century National English Speaking Competition. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Students from Hong Kong secondary schools will show off their English speaking skills by competing to represent the city in a nation-wide contest this Saturday.

Jointly hosted by China Daily Asia Pacific, VDO English and the Seeding’s Culture Youth Exchange Centre, the Hong Kong regional contest finale of the 21th Century National English Speaking Competition - one of the largest of its kind in the country - will be held on Feb 3 at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Following preliminary rounds, 21 finalists have been chosen from among 50 Hong Kong schools

Following preliminary rounds, 21 finalists have been chosen from among 50 Hong Kong schools. They will be divided into junior and senior groups to give speeches on two topics entitled “One Thing You Need to Know about China” and “Technology 2030”.

The champions of both groups will represent the SAR in the national finale to be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in March this year.

“Their speeches are very contagious. The students are truly passionate about English. It would be better if they could use more public speaking skills, such as body language gestures and eye contact,” the panel of judges commented after the preliminary contest.

Founded in 1996, the contest has become famous on the mainland and has garnered growing influence in Hong Kong. This year’s competition has invited 400 Hong Kong secondary schools to participate, attracting the attention of tens of thousands of students, teachers and parents.The contest, established by China Daily, aims to encourage secondary school students to improve their English language prowess and prepare them before entering society and the highly competitive employment market.

The “21st Century Cup” is supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club (Title Sponsor), Hong Kong Disneyland (Gold Sponsor), SKT (Sliver Sponsor), British Council and Hong Kong United Youth Association. The competition is also supported by several bureaus: EDB, HAD & LOCPG (HK).

Launched in 2015, VDO English is a free interactive English learning platform with Facebook page, application software, and website. It provides English learners with original English-teaching videos.