Marking a strong presence in the field of excellence, five students from India bagged prizes at Oxford Big Read Asia Prize at the Asia level. Out of these five students, four were from Nagpur while one from Madurai.

There were around 6000 submissions from schools from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, and India in the competition.

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There are three categories for the different age groups in which the children compete.

BR Nimeesha from Sri Aurobindo Mira Universal School, Madurai was the winner in category 1 for the age group five to nine years.

In category 2, which is for the age group of 9 years to 11 years, Ananya Sheorey from The CDS School, Nagpur and Saara Den from Centre Point School, Nagpur were the winners. While in category 3 for the age group of 12 to 13 years, Neha Chhajed and Sama S Jahafirdar both of Bhavan’s BP Vidya Mandir, Nagpur were the winners.

Speaking about this competition, Sivaramakrishnan Venkateswaran, Managing Director, OUP India said, “We are delighted to see growing participation and engagement in Oxford Big Read Asia. This competition provides students with an opportunity to augment the ambit of their reading and also demonstrate their literary and creative skills.”

He added, “We believe that early age interest in reading and writing is fundamental to ensuring better learning outcomes in young learners.”

M Gnana Sundari Principal Sri Aurobindo Mira Universal School, Madurai said, “I am happy to state that Oxford Big Read is an excellent contest for the students which creates in them a love for reading. Writing book reviews help students engage more deeply with what they are reading and also it is a great way to develop their vocabulary. Kudos to Oxford University Press for introducing this unique global program in India.”

The campaign is open to schools and institutions in Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan through the Oxford University Press branch offices. Submissions from students are evaluated by a panel of judges based on originality of thought and expression, vocabulary range and the overall quality of content.