Every year, the Oxford German Network runs a themed olympiad with a range of activities to choose from for each age category. This year’s chosen theme was “Kochkunst – Backlust – Esskultur”: The Art of Cooking, Joy of Baking and Culture of Eating”. My video presentation on the topic “Was essen wir im Jahr 2100?” (What will we be eating in the year 2100?) was fortunate enough to be chosen as a runner up, meaning that I was invited to a prize giving ceremony on the 22 June. 

The prize giving ceremony was hosted in the breathtaking Bodleian Library of Oxford University – a building seamlessly combining the old and modern, as can be seen from the photo. Various professors introduced the different categories of the olympiad, explaining the background of each task and sometimes displaying the impressive winning entries. After each introduction, all winners and runner-ups received a certificate as well as a generous goodies bag. I can be seen collecting my certificate from Professor Henrike Lähnemann, Chair in Medieval German Literature and Linguistics. 

As mentioned above, each age group had a choice of several different activities to take part in, from recipe videos to drawing, not only for individual students of German, but also for group collaborations and pupils who don’t have any prior knowledge of the language. I hope that more Abbey students will feel encouraged to participate next year – learning more about German culture, the satisfaction of putting your language skills to use and the exciting prize giving ceremony, should you win something, definitely make the olympiad worthwhile. 

Maria, Lower V.