The second annual Green Project Public Speaking Championship, sponsored by The Korea Times and organized by New Era Academy, was held Saturday and Sunday at the University of Utah Asia Campus in Songdo, Incheon.

The event drew 44 registered participants from across Korea, many of them competing before a judging panel for the first time.

Only 10 speakers advanced to the final round.

Aimed at speakers between the ages of 9 and 18, the tournament asked participants to present creative environmental solutions in TED-style talks across a five-round format that grew progressively more demanding.

In the first two rounds, contestants delivered prepared speeches based on their own research on environmental solutions. In the third and fourth rounds, they were given topics on the spot and allowed four to five minutes to prepare before speaking. In the final round, held before a panel of six judges, contestants had to speak immediately after receiving their topic, with no preparation time.

Bae Seo-jun, 13, won the junior category, and Sohn Ye-bin, 14, won the senior category; both attend Seoul Foreign School.

As champions, both students will write opinion pieces for The Korea Times on their experience at the tournament and on the environmental solutions they presented.

The finalists will advance to a global round scheduled for Oct. 24-25, where they will represent Korea alongside participants from countries including South Africa, Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The Green Project Public Speaking Championship has regional partners in more than six countries and is adding China, Singapore, Canada and the United States as host nations.

The Korea Times said the championship reflects its continuing support for youth leadership and public speaking on global issues, and is among several events it sponsors to give young people a platform to build communication skills.