As part of our Republic Day celebrations, the English Preparatory Department at Piri Reis University organized two special student contests to honor the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and to celebrate the values and vision of the Republic. Designed to promote both cultural awareness and English language development, the Republic Day Speech Contest and the Republic Day Creative Expression Contest encouraged students to express their ideas, reflections, and perspectives on the Republic and Atatürk’s legacy through spoken and creative forms of communication.

A total of 26 students participated in the event and, following the evaluations, the top three outstanding performances were selected in recognition of their originality, language competence, creative contribution, and meaningful representation of the Republic Day spirit.

Through this meaningful academic and cultural engagement, students not only practiced English in an authentic context, but also demonstrated a deep appreciation for national identity, democracy, modernization, and the universal values introduced by Atatürk. The event successfully highlighted the importance of engaging students in reflective, value-based, and purpose-driven language use while strengthening their critical thinking, public speaking, and creative production skills.