London’s oldest higher education institute announces winner of Gresham Oracy Competition, where one Birmingham student won £1,000

Isabelle Brookes-Mann from Stockport and Sadie Morgan from London were runners up in the 2025 competition, both taking home a prize of £700 and £500 respectively.

Gresham College has officially announced the winner and runners-up for its third annual Young Orator of the Year Competition. The Gresham Competition, which began in 2023, showcases the communication skills of state school students in Year 12 (England and Wales), S5 (Scotland), and Year 13 (Northern Ireland). The event emphasises Gresham College’s dedication to promoting oracy skills and the importance of effective public speaking among young learners.

Taking home the 2025 Oracy Competition crown, winning £1,000 to further their education as well as £500 towards their school, was 17-year-old Cassidy Chapman from Bishop Challoner Catholic College in Birmingham. Sharing her thoughts on why modern foreign languages should be compulsory at school, Cassidy presented her winning presentation to the esteemed panel of judges, as well as a room of industry professionals and peers.

Winner of the Gresham Oracy Competition 2025, Cassidy Chapman said: “I’m really shocked, but it’s so great to win because I’ve put so much work into it. I didn’t expect to win at all, because there were so many really talented people and they’re all talking about such complex topics, all of which had so much research go into them.

“When you speak to the other contestants, they’re also passionate and eloquent and amazing. I don't think anyone would have thought they'd win in that room of people.”

The winning students for the 2025 competition are as follows:

Gold Award: Cassidy Chapman

Silver Award: Isabelle Brookes-Mann

Bronze Award: Sadie Morgan

The 12 finalists from around the UK delivered their prepared answers to one of Gresham College’s pre-set questions to a panel and an audience of peers in London. The questions cover a broad range of subject areas, including STEM and the Humanities, encouraging young people to engage critically with academic research and contemporary issues.

The finalists for the 2025 competition were as follows:

Gresham College, the first institute of Higher Education in London, has been providing free public education across the arts and sciences since 1597 and is also a registered charity in England and Wales. Through this competition, they aim to showcase the importance of oracy competence and the art of communicating.

Before this stage of the competition, students from all over the UK submitted five-minute presentations on assigned topics, demonstrating their oratory abilities and engaging with academic research. The competition places emphasis on verbal communication, but visual aids such as images, graphs, and slides may be incorporated to support arguments.

The questions were posed by Gresham College.

The questions which were answered by pupils (16-178 years old) in this year's competition were as follows:

1. Pick an historical figure whose influence, story or achievements you feel have been either over-valued or under-valued. Argue why this should be redressed
2. Aside from social media, what in your view is the most important positive – or negative – invention of the 21st century, and why?
3. How much is too much wealth?
4. Aside from English and Maths, which subject(s) should be compulsory at school and why?
5. Which book should we all read and why? (this can include both fiction and non-fiction)
6. How do you think the evolution of social media platforms has impacted (either negatively or positively) the way you communicate, build relationships, and express your identity?

The Gold Award winner, Cassidy Chapman, has been awarded £1,000, with their school receiving £500. The Silver Award winner, Isabelle Brookes-Mann, has received £700, with £300 for their school, and the Bronze Award winner, Sadie Morgan, has received £500, with £200 awarded to their school. All other finalists have also received a prize in recognition of their achievement, a new initiative for this year's competition.

The esteemed panel of judges of the event are as follows:

• Professor Melissa Lane – Gresham Professor of Rhetoric and internationally recognised scholar of political thought
• Dr Mike Sulu – Lecturer in Biochemical Engineering at UCL and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Sara Yorath – Historian of 19th-century death and grief, and Chair of the London Museums of Health and Medicine
• Aaya El Sidani – 2024 Gresham Oracy Finalist and A-Level student at Bishopshalt School
• Rando Howard – Managing Director at Hueck Industrie Holding and former solicitor with expertise in construction litigation

Master of Ceremonies:

• Professor Victoria Baines – IT Livery Company Professor of Information Technology at Gresham College and global expert on digital trust and cybersecurity

Acting Provost:

• Professor Sarah Hart – Acting Provost of Gresham College and Professor Emerita of Mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London

Following the final, Professor Sarah Hart, Acting Provost at Gresham College, said: “I am delighted by how the finals have gone. We had a group of fabulous young people in Gresham College, and their talks were absolutely inspirational. It was so difficult to decide on a winner, but we are so pleased by the presentations we heard.”