Young people embraced the power of storytelling in a video competition that invited them to think about confidence, competence and calm.

The winners of the contest are announced today to celebrate International Day of the Girl Child.

WeSpeak, a platform dedicated to empowering young voices, launched its first Teen Video Competition, which ran from September 8 to 29,

It was sponsored by WTW, a global advisory, broking and solutions company.

A spokeswoman said the contest provided teenagers with “a unique opportunity to harness their storytelling abilities, express themselves and compete for cash prizes”.

She explained: “One month ago, WeSpeak offered a call to action to teenagers across the island to create and share videos reflecting their personal journeys toward confidence in public speaking.

“Participants were asked to explore the concepts of confidence, competence and calm in the context of public speaking and express what these qualities meant to them.”

The spokeswoman said there was an overwhelming response from young people.

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Eva O’Connor, of Warwick Academy, took first place; Sofie Schrum, a Bermuda High School for Girls pupil, was second; and Zarah Siddiqi, of Somersfield Academy, was third.

An honourable mention went to Bermuda Institute’s Taylor Dean.

WTW sponsored the $1,000 grand prize that went to Ms O’Connor, who also earned the opportunity to speak at the 2024 Teen Boot Camp.

Ms Schrum and Ms Siddiqi won $500 and $300 respectively, courtesy of WeSpeak.

The spokeswoman said: “This competition was not just about winning; it was a celebration of self-expression, creativity and the journey to becoming a confident public speaker.

“Through the many incredible videos submitted, participants shared their unique voices and became a part of the WeSpeak community, which emphasises empowerment and projecting women’s voices.”

Judges included members of the WeSpeak Teen Committee: Sarah Dunstan, the chairwoman, Jennifer Haworth and McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett; as well as Leslie Robinson from WTW, who is a WeSpeak coach.

Ms Tuckett said: “We have been truly amazed by the incredible creativity demonstrated in the videos submitted for the competition.

“These young talents have embraced the power of storytelling with unmatched enthusiasm, inspiring us all with their unique voices and perspectives.

“It is a testament to the limitless potential of the next generation.

“In addition to celebrating our competition winners, we are delighted to announce an honourable mention to Taylor Dean for her extraordinary contribution.

“Taylor's original song, composed and recorded exclusively for the competition, touched our hearts and resonated deeply with the values of confidence, competence and calm.

“Her dedication to using music as a medium for self-expression is both inspirational and compelling to the transformative power of creativity.”

Ms Robinson, a senior vice-president, head of underwriting and claims at Willis Towers Watson Management (Bermuda), added: “One of the core tenets behind the International Day of the Girl Child is to promote girls’ empowerment and WeSpeak believes that one of the ways to do that is to encourage them to harness the power of their voices.

“This competition gave them an incredible platform to do just that.

“On behalf of WTW, we would like to thank everyone who participated in this competition — judging was incredibly difficult, simply because there was so much talent on display from these bold young women.”