The English speech contest co-hosted by China Daily and the School of Journalism and Communication of Xi'an International Studies University. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang Zhihao, the top prize winner of the English speech contest, competes during the contest. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An English speech contest was held in Xi'an recently co-hosted by the newspaper China Daily and the School of Journalism and Communication of Xi'an International Studies University.

Prize-winners were given certificates and awards provided by China Daily, as well as opportunities to intern at the China Daily Shaanxi Bureau.

During the contest, 143 students were chosen to compete in the preliminary round, the majority of whom majored in journalism. But only 13 of them made it to the final, with Zhang Zhihao, who is studying broadcast journalism, taking out the top prize.

The collaboration is mutually beneficial to the two sponsors of the contest, providing a practical platform for students, and also introducing new talents to China Daily.

The head of China Daily's Shaanxi Bureau, Lu Hongyan, said, "I expect that talented students from the school would like to join China Daily in the future."

The School of Journalism and Communication at the Xi'an International Studies University is committed to fostering a platform for students to better improve their English expertise. Two similar speech contests have been held by the two sides before.

Gao Shuyue and Su Yan, award-winning contestants in the previous 2010 contest, have recently finished their internships at China Daily. They enjoyed their time working with the major national paper, and this was reflected in their excellent performance as interns, according to Lu Hongyan.