Armenian Educational Foundation Hosts Seventh Annual Oratorical Competition at UCLA

Four students awarded educational scholarships at UCLA's Hershey Hall

Los Angeles, CA - February 1, 2026 - The Armenian Educational Foundation proudly hosted its Seventh Annual Oratorical Competition on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at UCLA's Hershey Hall, awarding scholarships to the student winners. The event, held in collaboration with UCLA's Center for World Languages, brought together students, educators, families, and community leaders for a day dedicated to academic and public speaking excellence. The eighteen final contestants demonstrated their command of communication and thoughtfully crafted responses to the competition's prompts, resulting in a fierce competition and four final winners who each received an educational scholarship from AEF.

 The Armenian Educational Foundation’s  Seventh Annual Oratorical Competition

Participating Schools

Participating schools this year included AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School, Armenian Mesrobian School, Armenian Sisters' Academy, Chamlian Armenian School, Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School, and Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School.

Middle School English Competition Winner Eric Sardarbegian with AEF Board President George Issaians

Middle School Armenian Competition Winner David Gasparyan on Stage

Winners Announced

The winners of the Oratorical Competition 2026 were announced during award ceremonies recognizing each student's exceptional talent, preparation, and eloquence. In the Middle School contest, David Gasparyan of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School was named the Armenian winner, and Eric Sardarbegian of Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School was named the English winner. In the High School contest, Areni Ekmekchyan of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School was named the Armenian winner, and Harout Karadanaian of AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School was named the English winner. Each winner received a $1,000 educational scholarship in recognition of their achievement and commitment to academic excellence.

High School English Competition Winner Harout Karadanaian with AEF Board President George Issaians

High School Armenian Competition Winner Areni Ekmekchyan with Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School Principal Sossi Shanlian

Master of Ceremonies

Teni Karapetian, Director of Nonfiction, Comedy, Sports, and LIVE Publicity at Netflix, led the program as the Master of Ceremonies. Her professional background contributed to the event's engaging and inspiring atmosphere.

Teni Karapetian, Master of Ceremonies

Distinguished Panel of Judges

The competition's distinguished panel of judges, whose professional backgrounds spanned law, media, academia, medicine, public policy, and the arts, brought diverse professional perspectives to the evaluation process. Judges for the Armenian Middle School division included Ani Adjemian of the USC Gould School of Law, Ara Khachatourian of the Armenian Media Network, and historian and theologian Ani Shahinian, PhD. The English Middle School division was evaluated by Katherine Sarafian of Pixar Animation Studios, Armen Karaoghlanian of the Armenian Film Society, and Lisa Markarian of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office. Serving as judges for the Armenian High School division were Anahit Baghshetsyan of the Nevada Policy Research Institute, author and academic Talar Chahinian, PhD, and Armen Aboulian, MD of Kaiser Permanente. The English High School division was judged by Alexandra Kazarian of Geragos & Geragos and the law office of Alexandra Kazarian, Rev Lebaredian of NVIDIA, and Ramela Ohanian of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. Collectively, the judges brought a breadth of professional expertise and community leadership, ensuring a thoughtful and rigorous evaluation of the students' presentations.

Middle School Judges

High School Judges

Judge Reflections

Professor Ani Shahinian, PhD, one of the middle school judges, reflected on the competition's program, sharing, "It is rare to leave an event having one's heart and mind equally and profoundly engaged. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to participate and to learn from [each of you]... Congratulations on such a successful and impactful event—it was both powerful and resonant."

About the Armenian Educational Foundation

AEF was established in 1950 in Los Angeles, California, to provide financial support to Armenian students and Armenian educational institutions and programs in Armenia and in the diaspora. All AEF programs are planned and executed by volunteers with a commitment to operational transparency.

For more information on the Armenian Educational Foundation, the competition or to get involved, please visit www.aef.org.