12-year old boy wins Grand Prize in 2020 essay competition
Congratulations to Toluwanimi Wonders Ayeni, a 12-year old boy from Nigeria, for winning the Grand Prize in the TSL 2020 International Schools’ Essay Competition, coming top in a field of 1,017 entries from 54 countries around the world.
In addition to earning an impressive trophy, Toluwanimi has won a free international trip for three (himself, his teacher and one parent). This was due to be a visit to Oxford, UK this July, but had to be rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
His prize-winning essay can be read here, along with the other Top 5 essays in this year’s Secondary Schools category. Upon learning of his award, he wrote:
I was shocked and happy when I learnt about the result. It was like a dream come true. I want to thank my parents and my siblings for helping me throughout the writing process, my school (The Heritage School Bida, Nigeria), my Teacher Champion, Mrs Comfort Oriaku Eti, and Mr. Abraham Oladayiye (the Technical Crew Manager) for their support. I also want to thank TSL for giving me this opportunity and expanding my knowledge in sustainability – Thank you very much. Finally, I want to thank God and dedicate this victory to him.
Toluwanimi and the other top four essay performers from each participating country, were invited to participate in this year’s online International Schools Debates on 6th July – see the secondary schools’ video below.
In addition to his essay prize, Toluwanimi also managed to win an Individual Commendation in the Debates.
Clearly he is someone to look out for over the coming years, and we’re already looking forward to welcoming him back next year!
The next essay/debate competition is due to open in September 2020 – learn more here!