On Sunday, 12 boys competed in the Loder Declamation Prize. The Loder is one of the most prestigious prizes at Eton and there was a tough initial audition process. We were extremely lucky to have actor Kenneth Cranham (Valkyrie, Hot Fuzz) as adjudicator.
For those who are not aware, the structure of the Loder is as follows: The Junior boys all declaim from memory a Bible extract as their standardised text, and the Senior boys will all declaim a speech (usually from Shakespeare). Then all the boys are able to choose a speech, poem, or extract from an anthology selected by the adjudicator and KCD. This year the anthology was themed mainly around “War”.
The standard of the performances was outstanding and congratulations to all who took part. Kenneth was especially impressed with the incredible bravery displayed by the boys in the choices they made in their declamation. After much careful deliberation these were the results:
Juniors:
HC: zu Wied mi (PGW), Billings ma OS (ABH)
Winner: Mendel-Idowu KS
Seniors:
HC: Atiomo ma (ABH)
Winners: Hobbs (PGW), Owen ma KS
Written by Lorenzo Harvey-Allchurch
