One of the most eagerly awaited and unmissable events within the Olivaint Conference is none other than the well-known Eloquence Contest.
The Eloquence Contest is organised annually for members of the Olivaint Conference. It provides an opportunity for members to demonstrate to the public their talents and valuable experiences they have gained within the Olivaint Conference.
The candidates have the opportunity to present their views on a topic of their choice to a jury and the audience for eight minutes. The topic must be a personal, relevant and/or social issue, on which the jury will also ask the candidate a queston. In addition, the candidates are supported by experienced coaches to ensure they are as well-prepared as possible and can deliver their speech successfully on stage.
The jury will then select three winning candidates, with the first-place winner receiving the ‘Jean-Jacques Masquelin Prize’. Jean-Jacques Masquelin served as president of the association for many years, dedicating himself to the rights of others throughout his career. In addition, the public will also be able to vote for their favourite candidate, and a public prize will be awarded afterwards.
This year, the outstanding winners of the contest discussed topics including migration, the agricultural sector and the internationalization of education. These are topical and relevant subjects to which the candidates have successfully linked their personal views and experiences. It is an opportunity to showcase the talents and experiences within the Olivaint Conference on stage to a wide audience. An event that both the candidates and the public look forward to with great anticipation.
The jury had a difficult choice to make and ultimately selected three winners of the Eloquence Contest:
🥇1st place and winner of the Jean-Jacques Masquelin prize: Gaétan de Formanoir
🥈2nd place Cindy Maes
🥉3rd place Jinane Shami
The Olivaint Conference opened its doors to the general public, who were also able to vote, and an audience award was presented to:
🏅Audience award: Basile Brahy
Thank you to BNP Paribas Fortis for hosting this tournament in the fantastic and prestigious Chancellery Hall in Brussels. Thank you also to the jury, that consisted this year of Dorian de Meeûs (president of the jury), Johny Vansevenant ,Christophe Convent , Joachim Bourry , Benoît FRIN and Marie-Thérèse Lambrecht-Stammeijer
We would also like to thank the entire organizing team and everyone who contributed to the smooth running of this evening, especially our two coaches François GEHOT and Rolf van de Burgt.
The public speaking contest is therefore an unforgettable and unique event within the Olivaint Conference!
