The Salon du livre de l'Outaouais, the French Embassy in Canada and French for the Future, in collaboration with Transistor Média, Télé-Québec, La puce à l'oreille and Go Libro® Division Imprimerie Gauvin Ltée, are offering a new edition of the Launch Your Podcast contest.
The first version of the contest proved a great success last year. Students from all over the country submitted their creations to the meticulous scrutiny of the jury, and it was the Choux chouettes de Bruxelles team, made up of Sophia Nazari and Maria Oprea, who took the grand prize with their podcast Vivre libre avec Angèle! The two girls took the train from Toronto to attend the SLO in 2023 and finalize their work with the support of Transistor Média.
Once again this year, one winning team will have the chance to attend the Salon du livre de l'Outaouais from February 22 to 25, 2024, all expenses paid, in addition to enjoying professional post-production experience and meeting inspiring and engaging people.
The contest is open free of charge to all students in grades 7 to 12 who reside in Canada (secondaire 1 to 5 and cégep 1 in Quebec). Students will form teams (maximum 3 people) to create their own podcast, in French, and submit their creation by January 12, 2024. Finalist teams will be chosen in the "French as a first language" and "French as a second language" categories, but only one will have the chance to come to the SLO!
Annual theme: Reading the future
The 2024 theme, Reading the Future, invites young people to ask themselves questions about the future of books and reading. What will tomorrow's world of literature look like? Can books influence the future, predict it or simply imagine it? Contest participants are free to choose the genre of their podcast: narrative, interview, panel discussion, documentary, etc. Originality, enthusiasm and quality of content will be rewarded.
"Launch Your Podcast is a great opportunity for teens to get interested in reading and culture through an increasingly popular medium. With this year's theme, we want to hear their ideas on the future of books!" -Mélanie Rivet, Director of the Salon du livre de l'Outaouais
"Building on the success of the previous edition, the Launch Your Podcast project returns this year with the theme of the future of our relationship with books and reading. Grab your microphones and let your imagination run wild!" -Charlotte Montel, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Action at the French Embassy in Canada
"Canada's Francophonie is a rich cultural ocean. We hope that this year's theme will encourage young people to discover the French-speaking world of literature and new authors, and that they'll enjoy talking to us about it - in French!" -Emeline Leurent, Executive Director of French for the Future
For those of you who have never produced a podcast, do not worry! An explanatory video is available on the Salon du livre de l'Outaouais website.
Students must submit their podcast by January 12 to participate. The jury's decision will be made public at the Salon du livre de l'Outaouais press conference, which will be broadcast live online on February 1.