• The following students are the winners in the 44th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest held at University of Toronto, on February 28, 2026. Most students did very well.
  
• Consul General's Special Prize (Advanced): Melia "Twitch" Lipskie-Young (jp2000)
• 3rd place (Beginner): Grace Firman-Wallace (jp1000)

• DLLL Student Awards 2024-2025@Founders College, November 6, 2025  photo
  Congratulations!
  
  • Peter Sato Award: Ava-karie Hislop
  • Upper-level Exceptional Student: Ava-karie Hislop
  • JP1000 Best Student: Calvin Chiu
  • Volunteer: Binying Wang
  • Volunteer: Javier Van Der Westhuizen
    


• Dr. Kumiko Inutsuka has been selected for 2024-2025 Honourable Mention for the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching for the Contract category. Congratulations!
  
• All four York students won top prizes in the 36th National Japanese Speech Contest held at York University on March 30, 2025. Congratulations!!! The following are the York winners and the prizes:
• Grand Prize (Advanced): Ava-karie Hislop
• 1st place (Beginners): Alex Sarkozi
• 3rd place (Intermediate): Cheuk Yen (Cheryl) Leung
• 1st place (Open): Yuna Wong

               The list of the winners: link
                Program: link 
                Y-File: Students continue to win big at national Japanese speech contest  link

•  York students won the top prizes in the 43rd Ontario Japanese Speech Contest held at University of Toronto on March 1, 2025. Following are the prize winners:
• Grand Prize (Advanced 1st): Ava-karie Hislop (JP3000)
• Shinkikai-Sagamihara Award (Intermediate 1st): Cheuk Yen (Cheryl) Leung (JP2000)
• Beginners 1st: Alex Sarkozi (JP1000)
• Open 1st: Yuna Wong (JP3000)
• Consulate-General of Japan Special Prize: Claire Gibson (JP1000)

  F-File: York Students sweep Ontario Japanese Speech Contest  link
• A York student was invited to Japan on the Kakehashi Project sponsored by the Japanese government
• Ariel Upiter
  
• York students won the top prizes in the 35th National Japanese Speech Contest held at the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa on March 24, 2024. The prize winners are the following. Congratulations!
• 1st Prize (Advanced) & Mitsui & Co. Award: Hei Tung Chloe Shek
  
• 2nd Prize (Open): Wonkyung Lee
• Y-File  link
• York students did well at the 42nd Ontario Japanese Speech Contest held on March 3, 2024. 8 students participated in the contest and all presented excellent speeches. The following are the prize winners. Congratulations!
• Grand Prize (Advanced): Hei Tung Chloe Shek (jp2010, jp3070)
  
• 1st Prize (Open): Wonkyung Lee (jp2000)
  
• 3rd Prize (Intermediate): Binying Wan (jp2000)
  
• 2nd Prize (Beginners): Secret Shields (jp1000)
• Y-File  link
• Two York students were selected and invited to Japan on the Kakehashi Project sponsored by the Japanese government
  
• Ava-Karie Hislop (jp2000, 2022-23)
  
• Maximos Yao (jp2000)
• DLLL Student Awards 2022-2023@Founders College, October 20, 2023  photo
  Congratulations!
  
  • Best student in JP1000: Justyn Chai (JP1000)
  • Peter Sato Award 2023: name withheld by request (JP2010)
  • Peter Sato Award 2023: Ava-karie Hislop (JP2000)
  • Peter Sato Award 2023: Arman Ahmed (JP1000)
  • Volunteer: Arianna Carrera (JP3070) 
• York language students work with Japanese writing buddies Y-File  link
• York students won big at the 34th National Japanese Speech Contest of Canada held on March 27, 2023. The prize winners are the following. Congratulations!
• Grand Prize (Advanced): Name withheld by request
  
• 1st Prize (Intermediate): Ava-Karie Hislop
• 3rd Prize (Beginners): Ahmed Arman
• List of all the prize winners: link
• Y-File  link
• Eight students participated in the 41st Ontario Japanese held on March 4, 2023. Six of them won the following prizes. Congratulations!
  
• Grand Prize (Advanced 1st): name withheld by request (jp3200)
• 1st prize (Intermediate): Ava-Karie Hislop (jp2000)
• 2nd prize (Intermediate): Chengsi Ma (jp2000)
• 3rd prize (Intermediate): Afia Fobi (jp2000)
• 1st prize (Beginners): Ahmed Arman (jp1000)
• 2nd prize (Beginners): Maximos Yao (jp1000)
  
• Y-File  link
• Japanese Studies professor, Norio Ota, awarded the Fumiko Ikawa-Smith Award for life-time service to the Japan Studies Association of Canada (JSAC), October 2022.
• Japanese Studies professor, Norio Ota, awarded Order of Japan  Y-File link  Consulate link
• All three York participants won the 1st prize in the National Contest. Congratulations!
  
• 1st prize (Beginners): Heshan Wadumasethrige
• 1st prize (Intermediate): Peter Wenxiang Zang
• 1st prize (Open): Lilika Zhang
• Y-File  link
• Seven students participated in the 39th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest held on line on March 7, 2021. All of them presented their speeches extremely well and York has six prize winners. Congratulations!
• Grand Prize: Peter Wenxiang Zang (Intermediate)(jp2000)
• 1st prize (Beginners): Heshan Wadumasethrige (jp1000)
  
• 2nd prize (Beginners): Taek Oh (jp1000)
  
• 3rd prize (Beginners): Harmony Newcombe (jp1000)
  
• 1st prize (Open): Lilika Zhang (jp3000)
  
• Special Prize (advanced): name withheld by request (jp3000)
• Y-File  link
  
• The three participants of York University won the top prizes at the 31st National Japanese Speech Contest held on line on March 29, 2020. Congratulations!
  
• 1st prize (Beginners) Lily Feng
  
• 1st prize (intermediate) Anson Wong
  
• 2nd prize (Open) Michael Tracey
  
• YouTube link
• F-File link
• Nine students participated in the 38th Ontario Japanese Speech Contest held on February 29, 2020. All of them presented their speeches extremely well and York has five prize winners.
  
• Grand prize (Beginners) Lily Feng (jp1000)
  
• 3rd prize (Beginners) Mohona Meeftahul (jp1000)
  
• 1st prize (Intermediate) Anson Wong (jp2000)
  
• Special Effort prize (Intermediate) Divine Domingo (jp2000)
  
• Subaru Special prize (Open) Michael Tracey (jp3000)1st
  
• Y-File: York students make their mark at Ontario Japanese Speech Contest link
• YouTube link