In the 2023 German Language Competition, participants were invited to look back at turning points from the past century of German – and therefore also European – history. The task was writing a letter or diary entry imagining alternative developments. Inspired by the theme ‘Roads not taken Oder: Es hätte auch anders kommen können’ of the current exhibition at Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM) in Berlin, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS) called for entries to the 2023 German Language Competition.

We received a wide range of creative entries and we were impressed by the high level of German and use of imagination in a historical context. Here are the results:

Category: Secondary School Pupils

1. Louis Aan de Wiel, Villiers School, Limerick
2. Alexander Wride, Royal Grammar School Newcastle
3. Gabriel Bosse Chitty, Fitzharrys School, Abingdon-on-Thames

Category: 1st Year University Students of German Studies 

1. Zoe Christie, University of Exeter
2. Samuel Herbert, University of Exeter
3. Reya Hossain, University of Cambridge

Category: Advanced University Students of German Studies 

1. Piers Hamilton, University of Bristol
2. Jiayin Wang, University College London
3. Charlotte Atkinson, University of Durham

Category: Other German Learners

1. Katy Hawkins, Birmingham
2. Eleni Pavlopoulos, London
3. Enya Xiang, University of St Andrews

All of them will be invited to join the award ceremony on 3rd of November 2023 at Senate House London. Everyone will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite entry to determine the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

This year’s competition is kindly supported by the following partners: