This week marked the grand final of the Chrystall Carter Award — a prize established in memory of Chrystall Carter, former Legal Adviser and Deputy Legal Secretary to the GDST, who was a passionate advocate for girls’ education and a firm believer in the power of argument.
Hosted by Notting Hill & Ealing High School GDST, Year 11 finalists from Birkenhead School High School For Girls, Howell’s, Norwich High School for Girls GDST, Putney High School GDST and Sutton High School GDST spoke on a subject of their choice for seven minutes before answering questions from the panel of judges.
The range and depth of topics were truly impressive — from “Can we ever truly escape the mistakes of the past?” and “Sixteen and Silenced: Why the UK should lower the voting age” to “Why feminism remains important today” and “Killing Death: A quest for digital mortality.” The speeches were evaluated by an exceptional judging panel: writer and broadcaster Kathryn Flett, BAFTA-winning founder of The Farm Group Nicky Sargent, and Will Wareing from the GDST education team. Students were assessed on their ability to engage an audience, clarity of expression, depth of understanding, effective use of time, and how confidently they handled questions.
The day concluded on a high note, with our finalist, Pihu, being named overall winner for her thought-provoking talk, “Why is the male body still the default for modern medicine?”
An inspiring celebration of confidence, critical thinking, and the power of young voices.