17-year-old Sashane Dassanayake is the winner of the International Public Speaking Competition 2025
Congratulations to 17-year-old Sashane Dassanayake from Sri Lanka who has won the International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) 2025. His worthy competitors in the Grand Final, held at the Royal Institution on Friday, 16 May, were Alexandra Alles Viveros, representing Mexico; Tess Herdale, representing England and Wales; Saesha Goyal, representing India; Zach Weinberg, representing Canada; and Yasmine Capar, representing Malta.
The world’s largest competition of its kind, the IPSC brought together participants from 38 countries and regions for a week of cultural exchange and competition. Proceedings began with team games in the park, before progressing through speech training and country presentations to the various heats, via a walking tour of London and several cultural visits.
Speaking to a packed audience in the Grand Final (not to mention hundreds watching the livestream online), Sashane used an anecdote about deciding to prove a teacher wrong in order to urge listeners to find a purpose to drive them on to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
Reflecting on his victory, Sashane said that connecting with and learning from the other participants and oracy coaches during the week had taught him that ‘unity is possible’. ‘Had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have won,’ he said, explaining that the supportive atmosphere had helped him to relax. ‘I didn’t even feel like it was a competition.’
Miles Young, Chair of the English-Speaking Union, said, ‘What you’ve learned by coming together in this amazing mix of nations and cultures is cultural intelligence, and the confidence to use your voice. It seems to me that in today’s world, where there are many, many positives that come with technological advances, there are also dangers: artificial intelligence and the algorithms which come with it can imprison the mind and can defeat originality. But the ability to speak, to form opinions, to express them, to persuade, to create interpersonal dialogue – these are all things that cannot be done by AI. So you are a living representation of the truth that in the future, these skills will be more important than they ever have been before.’
The IPSC, established in 1980, is a cornerstone of the English-Speaking Union’s mission to promote oracy, cultural exchange, and international understanding. The competition has grown to include over 100,000 young people from more than 40 countries, showcasing the highest standards of public speaking and offering participants the opportunity to engage with peers from different cultural backgrounds.
