The 2nd English Speech Contest of the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC) at XISU (Xi'an International University), supported by China Daily Shaanxi Bureau, concluded on Sunday, marking the first successful event of cooperation between China Daily and SJC.

After six preliminary rounds with more than 140 participants, 15 freshmen and sophomores from SJC were listed for the final, held on Sunday, in the Student Hall of XISU.

Su Yan, a sophomore majoring in journalism, won first prize and Best Performance. He was also the second prize winner of the English Speech Contest last year, and an intern with China Daily Shaanxi Bureau during the summer break.

The first prize winner was be awarded free one year subscription to China Daily; other winners also got free subscriptions of China Daily as a special prize.

"I love this year's prize for the winners so much," Su Yan said. "It's a great encouragement to me, since its China Daily, and is awarded by China Daily!"

Ni Na, member of the judge group said all contestants have done an amazing job in the invited comment. She suggested all contestants slow down in their speech and read more in their campus life.

Dean of the school Wang Tianding said this year's contest is much more impressive than last year's. "The contest serves as a platform for the students to show their English skills and speech skills, and also promotes their passion for English study," Wang said.

Wang also said the school values its cooperation with China Daily a lot and would work to better the long-term ties between the two parties.

About 400 spectators were present at the final, including faculty from SJC and students from various schools.

Free issues of the latest China Daily were handed out as a gift to all present.

The school held an on-campus press conference on Oct. 11, to provide details about the contest as well as the cooperation with China Daily to all interested.

Lu Hongyan, head of China Daily Shaanxi Bureau, attended the press conference and delivered a speech about the cooperation between China Daily and the school.

In the speech, Lu said China Daily would like to offer opportunities for students from SJC to practice their English news writing skills.

Wang Tianding and other faculty members from SJC were also present at the press conference.

The whole event lasted two weeks, starting on Sep. 26th, and included two rounds of publicity campaigns, enrollment of participants, a press conference, two days of preliminaries and the final.

The contest is the second of its kind at SJC, with the first English Speech Contest held in October, last year. This year's event was the first contest co-organized by SJC and China Daily Shaanxi Bureau.

Top winners of the contest will get opportunity to represent the school in other English contests at higher levels of competition.

China Daily Shaanxi Bureau established its cooperation ties with SJC this summer. The two parties agreed to work more closely on the exchange of ideas and expertise.

SJC at Xi'an International Studies University is the only journalism school in northwest China that aims to equip students with both journalistic skills and English language capability.