The award ceremony for the third Seoul National University of Education-Korea Herald English Contest, or SKEC, was held at the British ambassador’s residence in Seoul on Friday.

Top prizes were given to 16 students in categories divided by age and the period of time entrants spent living overseas. Other awards, including the second-highest gold prizes, were presented to some 300 applicants.

The competition was hosted by Herald Corp. and SNUE, and was sponsored by the British Embassy. More than 1,500 applicants participated in the contest held in November.

Scott Wightman, British ambassador to Seoul, said in its opening speech that he hopes the language contest serves as an opportunity to find hidden talents in English writing.

Herald Corp. CEO Lee Young-man said the participants in the event are future leaders of Korea and that the award winners should be proud of themselves.

Hong Sun-ho, English education professor at SNUE, pledged to make the event one of the most reputable English-writing contests in East Asia, and to expand its scope to include China and Japan.

The biannual test was launched in November 2012 to encourage students to improve their writing skills and to develop a system of English education that fits this global era, organizers said.

The next contest will take place between May and June.

By Suk Gee-hyun
(monicasuk@heraldcorp.com)