The Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (PCS) hosted a “Declamation Contest” for youth September 7, 2025, at the National India Hub, in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago Illinois. The theme of the speeches was “Punjab.” The event was attended by an audience of about one hundred community members, organizers said in a press release.
The speech contest was for students of elementary, middle, and high school categories. It saw enthusiastic participation from community youth across various schools, who were eager to show their oratory skills and passion for public speaking.
The contest featured three distinguished judges Dr. Amrik Singh Sohi, Harinder Pal Singh and Satnaam Singh Mago who evaluated the performances and provided valuable feedback to the participants.
The participants were allowed to speak in Punjabi, English or Hindi. Cash awards were given to the first, second, and third place winners in each category of students, recognizing their exceptional talent and hard work.
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In the high school category, Ava Kaur Silverstein bagged the first place prize, Jaskirat Singh Soodan and Avni Kaur were tied for second place and Harsimran Kaur received the third place prize.
In the middle school category, the first place prize went to Natalia Kumar, the second place to Sukhmeet Kaur and the third place to Navroop Kaur.
In the elementary school category the first place prize was won by Khem Kaur Sohi, the second place by Prabhdeep Singh Maken, and the third place by Simardeep Singh Maken.
Illinois State Representative District 56, Michelle Mussman graced the event as the guest of honor. Representative Mussman addressed the competitors, offering words of encouragement and inspiration and answered questions from the audience. She also had the honor of distributing certificates of participation to all the participants and presenting the awards to the winners in each category.
The judges shared their remarks, commending the participants for their dedication and impressive performances. The event concluded with a pizza dinner for the participants, their families, and guests.
The event was organized by the P.C.S. board of trustees under the leadership of president Navtej Singh Sohi.