Category Archives: Spanish

SPANISH FLASH FICTION 2025: THE WINNERS

We are delighted to publish the winning entries for this year’s Spanish Flash Fiction competition. We’ll be publishing the runners up and the highly commended entries for both languages in each age category over the coming weeks.

Thank you and huge congratulations to everyone who entered! The Spanish judging panel were extremely impressed with all the entries we received this year (over 450 of them!), and commented the following about the competition:

We greatly enjoyed reading all of this year’s entries and, as always, were impressed with the level of creativity and inventiveness. We particularly liked the stories that were playful with their perspectives and structure, which we could see had come from moments of personal thought and showcased different opinions and ways of seeing. It was wonderful to see a good command of Spanish throughout, as well as an ability to manipulate the language imaginatively. 

Without further ado, here are the winning stories! We hope you enjoy reading them as much as the judges did.

Thank you and huge congratulations to everyone who entered!

Year 7-9 Winner

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Emociones coloridas

Los colores se esconden unos de otros. Se esconden para no ser juzgados. El rojo es el amor, se esconde donde cree que no
puede ser encontrado. El amarillo se
esconde no muy cerca pero no muy lejos. El resto de los colores, púrpura es creatividad, blanco es verdad, naranja es ansiedad, verde es naturaleza y crecimiento, están esperando ser encontrados. Ellos esperan ser juzgados por azul, tristeza. Pero azul está triste
porque todos se esconden de él.
Entonces se dieron cuenta que está bien estar triste a veces. Todos se fueron juntos y se volvieron rosa, consuelo.

– Grace Fulcher, Year 9

Year 10-11 Winner

Cesación

-273.15

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Cero absoluto. Donde todo termina, donde el tiempo simplemente cesa. El café me quema las manos, pero ya no siento su calor. Mis dedos, fríos como un demonio, a su alrededor. El mundo sigue moviéndose, pero yo estoy quieto. Dicen que el calor es vida pero ¿y si la calma es la respuesta? En mi mente, los átomos se congelan, y el caos desaparece. El universo se detiene en un suspiro, congelado en el tiempo. Y aún así, sigo aquí, atrapado en un mundo que no quiere dejarme ir.

– Anonymous, Year 10

Year 12-13 Winner

Photo by Stephany Williams on Unsplash

La Piña es la soberana de todas las frutas. Dondequiera que vaya, otras frutas se postran o se levantan y aplauden cuando se declara su nombre. Sobre su cabeza se asienta una corona esmeralda, mientras
lleva una armadura de docenas de otras frutas, cuidadosamente elaboradas en cuchillitos que protege su pulpa dorada. Al comerla, produce una mezcla de sabor y picor que causa un sentimiento de hermoso dolor; tan feroz que se dice que hasta hace llorar a las cebollas. Una reliquia cotidiana que ha sobrevivido desde los Mayas, por eso no es de extrañar que su herencia aún viva.

– Gabriel Dada, Year 12

¡Felicidades a todos los ganadores!

2025 Flash Fiction Competition Results

In December 2024, we launched our annual Flash Fiction competitions, which closed at the end of March. The competitions were open to students in Years 7 to 13, who were tasked with writing a short story of no more than 100 words in French and/or Spanish.

We had an incredible response, with entries coming in from all areas across the country! In total, we received over 1200 submissions across the two languages!

We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition and commend you all for your hard work and creativity in writing a piece of fiction in a different language. This is a challenging exercise, and a significant achievement – congratulations all!

We are delighted to be able to announce the winners, runners up, and highly commended entries for each language below. We will be publishing the stories over the summer so you can read them for yourselves.

French

In the Years 7-9 category, the winner is Alexandra Davies. The runners-up are Christian Thomas and Poppy Simblet.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Tabitha Bridgeman, Sarwin Shangar, Ellie Malloch, Jemima James, Prem Patel, Dhilan Thanki, Laonie Caron, Silvia Herratt, and Eva Gracovia.

In the Years 10-11 category, the winner is Ayami Ginneliya. The runners-up are Benedict Onalo and Arthur Mourot.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Maryam Zulqarnain, Will Eyre, Todd Graham, Zara Amjad, Faith Obum-Uchendu, Elizabella Macleay-Wood, Florence Datta, Izzy Anderson, Aayushi Dhelaria, and Antoinette Aluge.

In the Years 12-13 category, the winner is Sela Keliane Diasivi. The runner-ups are Nini Ren and Ka Kin Andreas Lam.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Sofia McAllister, Dominica Kay-Shuttleworth, Eddie Henderson, Eva Saunders, Preona Mohan, Gia Namoa, Luke Roberts, Amelia Richardson, Andreea Denisa Taranu, and Annabelle Lavin.

The French judging panel were very impressed with this year’s submitted stories, and commented the following about all the entries:

Thank you all for another year of delightful and intriguing stories. In just a hundred words, you impressed us with pieces about family love, mischievous cats, talking music boxes, aeroplane fiascos, mysterious mirrors, alien invasions, snail restauranteurs, and doner kebabs. We particularly enjoyed the creative range of literary styles: verse poetry and prose, theatre and slang, riddles and tongue-twisters. Congratulations to all of you for your courage in experimenting with language in such fascinating ways.

Spanish

In the Years 7-9 category, the winner is Grace Fulcher. The runner up is Willa Stevenson.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Qaya Anand, Benjamin Brown, Maria Temowo, Sai Sudharshana Sathish Kumar, Ella Gabso, Momore Sina-Atanda, Kimora Newby, Chloe Crowther, Jasparan Leeson-Kings, and Zaynah Arshad.

In the Years 10-11 category, the winner is Anonymous. The runners-up are Jaami Sheikh and Jaya Sharma Patel.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Cecilia Linden, Anonymous, Anonymous, Tulaxsaa Sutharsan, Ilana Bartlette, Kashvi Maharshi, Isabel Marchi-Abatti, Jasmine Dix, Madeline Sandford, and Lalith Surapaneni.

In the Years 12-13 category, the winner is Gabriel Dada. The runners-up are Lydia Furniss and Ohemaa Ofosua Bruce Oppong-Agyare.

The judges also identified the following entrants as highly commended: Heloise Morel, Mahi Sainani, Melissa Muthama, Monica Singh, Thea Spackman, Yuet Ching Gabrielle Kam, Samiah Iqbal Kausar, Luke Roberts, Gagani Katugampala, and Amelie Pugsley.

The Spanish judging panel were very impressed with this year’s submitted stories, and commented the following about all the entries:

We greatly enjoyed reading all of this year’s entries and, as always, were impressed with the level of creativity and inventiveness. We particularly liked the stories that were playful with their perspectives and structure, which we could see had come from moments of personal thought and showcased different opinions and ways of seeing. It was wonderful to see a good command of Spanish throughout, as well as an ability to manipulate the language imaginatively.

****

Huge congratulations everyone – you should be very proud of your achievement!

GCHQ Language Outreach virtual sessions!

GCHQ are excited to invite teachers and their Year 8 & 9 students to participate in their upcoming GCHQ Language Outreach virtual sessions! 

Our program aims to inspire and encourage students to explore new languages or advance their existing skills.

Session Overview:

  1. Introduction to work at GCHQ

Discover the mission behind GCHQ and how languages play a significant part in our work.

  1. Taster sessions

Engage in interactive sessions for Spanish, German and French, designed to provide students with a glimpse into each language and its culture.

We believe that exposing students to different languages can spark interest and motivate them to pursue language studies further.  Please follow the guidance below if you feel this maybe of benefit to you and your students.

RSVP:

To confirm your participation, please fill out this Microsoft Form.

We understand that some school computer network policies may not allow access to hyperlinks so if you do encounter any issues, or would rather reply directly, please feel free to email Gordon54585@gchq.gov.uk with your attendance confirmation, choice of date and language.  The slide above provides a brief breakdown of the session but we are happy to respond to any questions you may have or give more details.

Virtual session dates & times:

Friday 6th June 2025, 11.30-12.30: French, Spanish, German

Wednesday 25th June 2025, 10.30-11.30: French, Spanish, German

Tuesday 15th July 2025, 13.30-14.30: French, Spanish, German

Modern Languages Summer School

Applications are now open for Wadham College‘s annual five-day Modern Languages Summer School. The residential will take place at the college, based in the centre of Oxford, from 18th to 22nd August 2025.

Summer schools are designed to give UK pupils studying in Year 12 a taste of what it’s like to be an undergraduate studying at the University of Oxford.  Pupils will take part in an academic programme, live in College, meet student ambassadors studying at Oxford, and receive information, advice and guidance on applying to university. Wadham’s Summer Schools are free and the college will provide financial support to pupils to cover their travel costs.

Wadham are delighted to be able to run these events in-person allowing participants the best experience of life at the university.  The feedback from last year’s Summer Schools was hugely positive with over a third of participants subsequently securing offers to study at the university.

“After the summer school I am much more confident that I would fit in at Oxford and feel like I am more ready to move away from home”

– Summer School participant, 2022

For Modern Languages more specifically, pupils will engage in a seminar series led by Wadham’s language tutors, including language classes in their selected language of study (French, German or Spanish) with opportunities to try other languages as beginners (including German, Portuguese and Russian). Students will complete an assignment on a main topic with feedback from tutors. Pupils will also be able to receive support from current undergraduates and from the College on making successful applications to top universities.   

A Summer School French class

For more information and to apply, click here: Wadham College Summer Schools. Pupils should be studying French, German or Spanish at A-level or equivalent to apply. Applications close on 5th May.

If you have any queries, please contact access@wadham.ox.ac.uk

Reminder: Flash Fiction Competitions

With just under a month to go until the deadline, there’s still a chance to enter our Flash Fiction Competitions in French and/or Spanish – don’t miss out on your chance to win £100! A reminder of the competition details and how you can enter can be found below…

What is Flash Fiction?

We’re looking for a complete story, written in French or Spanish, using no more than 100 words.

Did you know that the shortest story in Spanish is only seven words long?

Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí.
(When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.)

– Augusto Monterroso Bonilla (1921-2003)

What are the judges looking for?

Our judging panel of academics will be looking for imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic ability and accuracy. Your use of French or Spanish will be considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we will not expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. For inspiration, you can read last year’s winning entries for French here, and for Spanish here.

What do I win?

The judges will award a top prize of £100, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up, in each age category. Certificates will also be awarded to pupils who have been highly commended by our judges. Results as well as the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published on this blog, if entrants give us permission to do so.

Poster for the 2025 Flash Fiction Competitions

How do I enter?

You can submit your story via our online forms at the links below.

FrenchSpanish
Years 7-9Years 7-9
Years 10-11Years 10-11
Years 12-13Years 12-13

Click on the links to be taken to the correct submission form for your age/year group.

You may only submit one story per language but you are welcome to submit one story in French AND one story in Spanish if you learn or study both languages. Your submission should be uploaded as a Word document or PDF.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Monday 31st March 2025.

Due to GDPR regulations, teachers cannot enter on their students’ behalf: students must submit their entries themselves.

Please note that the competition has changed slightly this year. We are now only accepting entries from UK secondary school pupils.

If you have any questions, please check our FAQs here. If these still don’t answer your question(s), please email us at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

Bonne chance à tous! ¡Buena suerte a todos!

Balliol College Modern Languages Taster Day 

Balliol College, Oxford is delighted to be running a Modern Languages Taster Day on Tuesday 27th May 2025, 10.15 – 15.45!

Academic Taster Days are a great opportunity for students in Year 12 to spend a day exploring a subject they enjoy and might pursue at University, meet with some current students, experience a taste of academic teaching, and enjoy lunch in the dining hall.

Balliol College

This specific event is designed for Year 12 UK state school students who are currently studying a Language A-Level or equivalent, and who intend to apply to study French, Italian or Spanish, or Modern Languages and Linguistics as a single honours (on its own) or a joint-honours (with another language/subject) degree at Oxford University. Balliol will prioritise applications from disadvantaged students and from groups which are under-represented at the university. This event will include academic sessions, admissions information, and a demonstration interview. You will have the opportunity to speak to tutors and current undergraduates. 

Before submitting an application, please ensure you can attend the day in its entirety. For many schools this event will fall in the half term holiday. The event will be held in person at Balliol College in Oxford. 

You can apply here. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Tuesday 6 May 2025.

Please contact outreach@balliol.ox.ac.uk with any questions.

Modern Languages Study Day

Study Days are a great opportunity for prospective applicants to experience life as an Oxford student for the day. Study Days will always include taster sessions for the subjects which you are interested in studying at university, but often involve information sessions on admissions, a chance to talk to current undergraduates, and a tour of the College.

Study Days are free of charge with some colleges offering additional financial support to attendees. They are open to students at UK state schools, but places are sometimes prioritised by measures of socio-economic disadvantage.

The Radcliffe Camera from Exeter College

This year, Exeter College, Oxford is hosting a series of subject days for year 11 and year 12 students attending UK state schools. These events aim to provide tailored support for students interested in exploring a range of subjects at University level.

Exeter’s Humanities and Modern Languages Study Day will be taking place on Monday 7th April at Exeter College and is open to students looking to explore any of the following University courses further: Classics, English Language and Literature, History, French, German, Italian, Linguistics, Spanish.

If you would like to attend, please register your interest here by 5pm on Monday 24th February.

If you have any questions, please get in touch: outreach@exeter.ox.ac.uk.

MODERN LANGUAGES OPEN DAY – Bookings Now Open!

We are delighted to welcome prospective students to Oxford on Saturday 17th May for our annual Modern Languages Open Day. The event will be held from 10.30am-4pm at the Examination Schools, located on the High Street in Oxford’s city centre.

Modern Languages Open Day 2022
photo (c) John Cairns

This event is a fantastic opportunity for students who are interested in learning more about our language courses, or who are still considering their options, as all of our languages will be represented at this Open Day:

  • French
  • German*
  • Spanish
  • Italian*
  • Russian*
  • Portuguese*
  • Modern Greek*
  • Czech with Slovak*
  • Polish*.

*All of these languages can be studied here at Oxford from beginners’ level. 

Most of our Joint School degree subjects – English, History, Philosophy etc. – will also be represented at the event.

Modern Languages Open Day 2022
photo (c) John Cairns

Our Modern Languages Open Day is aimed primarily at Year 12 students and their parents/guardians/teachers, but Year 11 students who are starting to think about university study are equally welcome to attend.

Modern Languages Open Day 2022
photo (c) John Cairns

The Open Day will offer an overview of our Modern Languages courses and a general Q&A for prospective students in the morning*, with individual language sessions and a Q&A session for parents’/guardians’/teachers in the afternoon. Tutors and current students from the Faculty will be available throughout the day to answer questions from prospective applicants and their companions.

*Please note that, due to restricted places, only one parent/guardian/teacher may accompany each student for the morning session.

You can view the provisional event programme here.

Booking your place at this event is compulsory – you can register your attendance here. Bookings will close at midnight on 14th May 2025.

Any questions can be directed to schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

We look forward to seeing lots of you in May and welcoming you to Oxford!

FRENCH AND SPANISH FLASH FICTION COMPETITIONS NOW OPEN!

We’re delighted to announce the return of our ever-popular French and Spanish Flash Fiction competitions for UK secondary school pupils. If you are learning French and/or Spanish in Years 7-13, you are invited to send us a *very* short story to be in with a chance of winning up to £100! Read on to find out more…

What is Flash Fiction?

We’re looking for a complete story, written in French or Spanish, using no more than 100 words.

Did you know that the shortest story in Spanish is only seven words long?

Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí.
(When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.)

– Augusto Monterroso Bonilla (1921-2003)

What are the judges looking for?

Our judging panel of academics will be looking for imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic ability and accuracy. Your use of French or Spanish will be considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we will not expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. For inspiration, you can read last year’s winning entries for French here, and for Spanish here.

What do I win?

The judges will award a top prize of £100, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up, in each age category. Certificates will also be awarded to pupils who have been highly commended by our judges. Results as well as the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published on this blog, if entrants give us permission to do so.

Poster for the 2025 Flash Fiction Competitions

How do I enter?

You can submit your story via our online forms at the links below.

FrenchSpanish
Years 7-9Years 7-9
Years 10-11Years 10-11
Years 12-13Years 12-13

Click on the links to be taken to the correct submission form for your age/year group.

You may only submit one story per language but you are welcome to submit one story in French AND one story in Spanish if you learn or study both languages. Your submission should be uploaded as a Word document or PDF.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Monday 31st March 2025.

Due to GDPR regulations, teachers cannot enter on their students’ behalf: students must submit their entries themselves.

Please note that the competition has changed slightly this year. We are now only accepting entries from UK secondary school pupils.

If you have any questions, please check our FAQs here. If these still don’t answer your question(s), please email us at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

Bonne chance à tous! ¡Buena suerte a todos!

UNIQ 2025 – APPLY NOW!

Applications are now OPEN for UNIQ 2025! Will UNIQ help shape your future? 

What is UNIQ?
The UNIQ programme helps UK state school students with good GCSE grades or equivalent make a more successful application to Oxford, with a sustained contact programme and in-person residential. UNIQ is there to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds at Oxford explore new subjects, speak to current students and learn first-hand about the application process and what life might be like at Oxford.

If you take part in UNIQ, you’ll have access to a range of activities to support your preparation for university applications. This includes help with admissions tests, the interview process and getting to grips with student life once you’re at university. Not only will you be able to experience student life at Oxford whilst receiving support with your university application, you’ll also have the opportunity to make new friends whilst exploring new and exciting subjects. 

What Modern Languages courses are available?   
 For Modern Languages, there will be courses available for SpanishFrench, and German. Each varied course allows you to explore several exciting elements of degree-level language studies, such as language, literature, theatre, film, and linguistics, and gives you the opportunity to have a taster of two other European languages at beginners’ level.

How do I apply?
Applying is quick and simple – just register and fill out the form on the UNIQ website. It shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes or so. Before you apply you should check that you meet our eligibility requirements and browse our courses for a first and second choice.  

Applications close on 23 January. You can find out more about the programme and selection criteria on the UNIQ website (www.uniq.ox.ac.uk) and by following us on Instagram (@OxfordUNIQ). If you have any queries about the applications process, you can check out our FAQs or contact us at uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk.