UWinnipeg students win provincial speech contest

Wed. Apr. 22, 2026

EALC students who won the 2026 MB Japanese Speech Contest — EALC students Theo Blumrich (left) and Eshionamhe Dania won first place in their divisions in the 2026 Manitoba Japanese Speech Contest.

The University of Winnipeg hosted the 2026 Manitoba Japanese Speech Contest on March 6, 2026. UWinnipeg was well represented in the introductory and advanced levels, winning first place in each. Eshionamhe Dania, winner of the introductory level, is a student in Akiko Fuchisawa’s EALC-1100 Introductory Japanese. Theo Blumrich, winner of the advanced level, is a student in Dr. Jeffrey Newmark’s EALC-3100 Advanced Japanese. Both students went on to compete at the nationals, which were held at the University of Alberta in Edmonton on March 29, 2026.

The East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) Program, in the Department of Religion and Culture, offers language courses in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Dr. Carlos Colorado, Chair of the Department of Religion and Culture, states “EALC students and faculty have a long tradition of participating in the Speech Contest—this takes no small amount of energy and commitment. I congratulate both student winners on their impressive performances.”

competitors at the 2026 national Japanese Speech Contest — UWinnipeg's Theo Blumrich and Eshionamhe Dania represented Manitoba in their respective divisions at the 37th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest which was held at the University of Alberta.