Contests

Ontario High School German Contest 2025: 52nd Annual Event!

The Ontario High School German Contest is back in person!

April 2025
10:00 AM-4:00 PM

Whether you are in first year German or you have studied for many years, you can take part in the contest!

There will be cash prizes for the top placing students in each category!

Full contest details will follow in the winter of 2025.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an unsere Gewinner*Innen von 2024!

The 51st Annual Ontario High School German Contest took place at McMaster University on April 14th, 2024. McMaster initiated the first German Contest for high school students over 50 years ago and we were thrilled to hold this special celebration of the Contest in its birthplace.

The Contest welcomed students from all over the province including participants from Appleby College, the Deutsche Sprachschule Concordia German Language Association, Forest Heights Collegiate, Gary Allan Saturday School, the Ottawa-Carelton Board of Education, Harbord Collegiate, University of Toronto Schools, and the Waterloo Region District School Board International and Indigenous Languages program. It examiners were so impressed with the high caliber of language proficiency in German among the participants.

First place winners in the four categories were Jonas Greig from the Deutsche Sprachschule Concordia, Carina Berkmanns from Gary Allan Saturday School, Ashlyn Edwards, from the Ottawa-Carleton Board of Education and the grand prize winner was Nola O’Neil from the Gary Allan Saturday School. For her accomplishment, Nola will travel to Austria this summer courtesy of the Goethe-Institut Toronto for a Jugendcamp program with youth from across the globe. The Goethe-Institut Toronto and the German Contest team also paid for the flight to Europe, making the winner’s prize at a value of over $5500!

Our thanks go to our wonderful sponsors and the staff of the Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, for hosting the Contest and making the event such a success.

Our thanks also go to our amazing German teachers, especially those on the organizing and testing committee: Ute Biese, Bettina Brown, Dorothea Coskun, Allison Grant, Susanne Kallweit, Ruth Renters, Ron Rhodes, and Gabriela Szolnoki-Bourgeois. Many thanks to those who also volunteered their time before and during contest day, including Dr. Yasmin Aly, Joan Jay, and Andrea Klose.

We look forward to the OHSGC 2025!

Dr. Anne Popovich, Chair
Jimmy Steele, Vice Chair
Nicola Townend, Secretary-Treasurer

Be a part of a great tradition!

The Ontario High School German Contest is an important annual tradition and is one of our province’s most prestigious events celebrating International Languages. Every year, dozens of students from across Ontario gather to demonstrate their knowledge of German language and culture through listening, reading, writing and speaking activities.

Great prizes await our winners in our four categories, supporting beginners to students with extensive additional experience mit der deutschen Sprache.

Registration Forms and Rules:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Iew4TpPyftKP38YskymX_jCKpevtc-u?usp=sharing

Please direct any questions to Ontario High School German Contest Chair, Dr. Anne Popovich, at popova1@mcmaster.ca.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch an unsere Gewinner*Innen von 2023!

After a three-year COVID pause, the 50th Annual Ontario High School German Contest took place at McMaster University on April 2, 2023. McMaster initiated the first German Contest for Ontario high school students over 50 years ago and we were thrilled to hold this special celebration of the Contest in its birthplace.

The Contest welcomed students from a variety of high schools, German Saturday schools and Boards of Education including participants from the Concordia German Language Association, Gary Allan High School, the Hamilton-Wentworth Germania School, Harbord Collegiate, University of Toronto Schools, and the Waterloo Region District School Board International Languages program. It was inspirational to witness the high caliber of language proficiency in German among the participants. The examiners were also impressed with the cultural knowledge displayed by the candidates.

First place winners in the four categories were Stavros Haitas (Harbord Collegiate), Anna Reso (UTS), Luisa Coskun (Concordia German Language Association) and Baani Thind (Hamilton-Wentworth Germania School). For her accomplishment, Baani was awarded a 4-week all-expenses-paid trip to Germany, where she will further enhance her linguistic and cultural knowledge, together with other bright German learners from around the world. As one of six provincial winners across Canada, Baani will visit several German cities and stay with a German family. This trip is provided by the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) and supported by the German government.

Our thanks to our wonderful sponsors: the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, the University of Toronto, the Goethe-Institut Toronto, Cornelsen Verlag, Zeiss Corporation, Goethe Books, PanoCap Canada and the Ontario Association of Teachers of German.

Our thanks to our special guests Berit Bein (Head Teacher at Goethe-Institut Toronto), Florian Schrieverhoff (Attaché for Culture, Press and Business, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany), Dr. Stefana Gargova (Department of German, University of Toronto) and Dr. Elisabet Service and Dr. Nikolai Penner (Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University) whose kind words of praise added so much to the Awards Ceremony.

We would also like to thank the teachers who volunteered their time to bring their students to the Contest and help with the interviews and marking. Our special thanks to Dr. Service along with the faculty and staff of the Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, for hosting the Contest and making the event such a success.

We look forward to the OHSGC 2024!