OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

User login

About | Oxford Big Read 2023

 

About Oxford Big Read

Oxford Big Read is a competition organised by Oxford University Press to get secondary students excited about reading and writing in English.

Since launching in 2013, thousands of students from all over Japan have taken part and shared their enjoyment of reading in English.

Taking part is simple. Students in participating schools read an eligible book and create a poster based on what they read, and teachers select which posters to enter into the national competition.

Entries are judged anonymously by a panel of teachers and Oxford University Press staff. The results are announced in January with winners and runners-up awarded prizes.

Terms and conditions

For more information, including rules and eligibility, read the terms and conditions.

Who can enter

The competition is open to secondary students in Japan. There are two age groups - one for Junior High School, and another for High School.

Dates

Late April 2023
Registration open
30 November 2023
Submission deadline
January 2024
Winners announced

How to enter

1. Download the Starter Pack

For resources and ideas, download the Starter Pack.

2. Read and create

Students read a book from the list of eligible OUP readers, create a poster, and submit it to their teacher.

3. Submit your entry

Teachers select up to five posters per class and submit them for entry with the submission form by file upload, email or post. For information on submitting entries, read the guide.

What teachers say

Making students take part as their summer vacation homework, which is counted as part of their final mark, motivates them more than doing traditional print-out drills. For the majority, it is their first time reading an English book, and they appreciate having artistic freedom of expression, and not just simply working with text.

National Institute of Technology, Oita College

The “My Reading Diary” in the Starter Pack supports students when they write their story summaries in English. I assigned filling in this diary as a mandatory task and the poster creation as optional but surprisingly all students, over 200, submitted their posters. Some of the artwork was brilliantly created using professional materials and I had a difficult time choosing 5 for the competition.

Naniwa High School

In the last few years, story text has been replaced by emails, descriptive text and presentation materials in university entrance exams. However, Big Read offers a great opportunity for secondary students to read a wide range of stories and enjoy learning about foreign culture.

Okayama Prefectural Okayama Ichinomiya High School

Big Read 2023 Award Winners

 
 
National Prize Winner
Junior High School

The Jungle Book

Student: Yuki Iwanami
Teacher: Yoko Urushibata
School: Tokyo Gakugei University International Secondary School
National Prize Winner
Junior High School

The Rainbow Machine

Student: Chiyo Ueda
Teacher: Izumi Nogami
School: Ibaraki Prefectural Katsuta Secondary School
National Prize Winner
Junior High School

Romeo and Juliet

Student: Mako Hirakawa
Teacher: Kazumasa Togami
School: The University of Tokyo Secondary School
National Prize Winner
Junior High School

Amrita and the Trees

Student: Rica Kaneko
Teacher: Yoshie Ishihara
School: Shibuya Junior High School
National Prize Winner
Junior High School

Nobody Listens

Student: Yui Ibaraki
Teacher: Hiroko Kasai
School: Yamawaki Gakuen Junior High School
National Prize Winner
Senior High School

Maria's Summer In London

Student: Kiko Taguchi
Teacher: Yumiko Ban
School:DENSO Technical Skills Academy
National Prize Winner
Senior High School

A Little Princess

Student: Yuko Aiura
Teacher: Miwako Natsume
School: Aichi Prefectural Showa Senior High School
National Prize Winner
Senior High School

A Christmas Carol

Student: Yuri Tokunaga
Teacher: Ayana Yano
School: Chiyoda Municipal Kudan Secondary School
National Prize Winner
Senior High School

Les Miserables

Student: Mizuki Kuroki
Teacher: Kaori Shimura
School: Yamanashi Prefectural Kofu Nishi High School
National Prize Winner
Senior High School

Through the Looking-Glass

Student: Soujiro Abe
Teacher: Reina Isobe
School: Miyagi Prefectural Ishinomaki High School
Runner-up
Junior High School

The Fifteenth Character

Student: Mito Oshiro
Teacher: David Frost
School: Osaka Prefectural Suito Kokusai Junior and Senior High School
Runner-up
Junior High School

Tyler: His Story

Student: An Okuda
Teacher: Noriko Konishi
School: Hiroshima Global Academy
Runner-up
Senior High School

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Student: Kokoro Tsuruta
Teacher: Jacqueline Oh
School: Senshugakko Clark Kotogakuin Osaka Umeda
Runner-up
Senior High School

Hachiko

Student: Mitsuki Hagihara
Teacher: Piers Marsh
School: Hikarigaoka Girls' High School