Young people celebrate linguistic diversity: ORF speech competition in the town hall!

Young people celebrate linguistic diversity: ORF speech competition in the town hall!

Wien, Österreich - On May 16, 2025, the final ceremony of the multilingual speaking competition "Sag’s Multi" took place in the Vienna City Hall. The competition, which was already carried out in its 16th edition, had a high response from all federal states with 397 participants between the ages of 13 and 19. A total of 30 award winners were awarded, including more than a third from Vienna.

The winners offered impressive bilingual speeches in which they switched between German and another language, such as Arabic, English or Ukrainian. The participants had to present their content in a maximum of six minutes. The leading theme of the competition was "movement", which the young speakers interpreted creatively.

meaning of language variety

In the previous 16 rounds of the competition, a total of 90 different languages ​​were used. The high variety of languages ​​in Vienna is also reflected in a study, according to which almost half of the Viennese is able to have everyday discussions in two languages. Mayor Michael Ludwig praised the linguistic diversity and the thoughts of the young people on current topics. In addition, Vice Mayor Bettina Emmerling emphasized the importance of multilingualism for the city and the young people, since it is a key to integration and social cohesion.

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen directed a video message to the participants, in which he described the variety of languages ​​as "superpower". Minister of Education Christoph Return emphasized the relevance of the competition for democracy formation and the appreciation of multilingualism. The event is complemented by a keynote by Ali Mahlodji and a performance of the stand-up comedian Tar.

future of multilingualism

The importance of promoting multilingualism is underlined by programs and initiatives in both Austria and Germany. In recent years, language diversity in Germany has increased steadily through migration and mobility. Almost every second child in major German cities has a migration background, which increases the importance of initiatives for linguistic education.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany is committed to promoting linguistic education and creating favorable conditions for multilingual children and adolescents. The aim is to understand and use multilingualism as an opportunity. This philosophy is also evident in the support of research projects in order to develop the learning success of multilingual children for educational practice and politics.

A documentary about the competition will be broadcast on ORF 1 on May 21, 2025 at 11:25 p.m. Registration for the 17th round of the competition starts on September 17, 2025. It remains to be seen which creative and bilingual speeches will present the next generation of language gifted young people

Further information can be found on the website of the city of Vienna press.wien.gv.at href = "https://www.empirische-bildungforschung-bmbf.de/de/schafts-bildung-und- Mehrsprachikung-1748.html"> Empirical-bildungforschung-bmbf.de .