Herald Corp., which publishes 67-year-old English-language newspaper The Korea Herald, will host the 49th Herald National English Speech Contest.

The event is designed to foster creative and logical thinking, as well as foreign-language presentation skills of students, providing them a chance to grow into future leaders.

The speech contest was launched in 1953 by Korean Republic, now The Korea Herald, and has helped nurture global leaders.

Participation in the contest is open to elementary, middle and high school students here, and applications can be submitted on the website of the Herald English Speech Contest from Nov. 25, 2019 to Feb. 28, 2020. The deadline was extended due to the novel coronavirus.

The topic for elementary school students is “My Practices to Save the Earth,” while middle and high school students can choose among worldwide environmental issues.

The preliminary round of this year’s competition will be conducted online. Participants are required to upload their videos to YouTube or Kakao TV and submit a link and manuscript to apply. Competitors will be automatically eliminated for incomplete applications.

Contestants are evaluated in four areas: content, delivery & expression, confidence & attitude and use of language.

After the results of the preliminary round are announced on March 20, 100 applicants will be invited to the finals, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28.

A total 24 winners from four categories -- lower and upper grades for elementary school students, middle school students and high school students -- will be given awards, including the Australian Ambassador Award, Herald President Award and The Korea Herald Award. In addition, a variety of prizes and souvenirs will be presented to participants. Details regarding the competition can be found on the official website, www.heraldenglish.com.