Amplifying young Victorian voices at the 2025 PESA State Finals
The VCAA celebrated 6 bright and determined public speakers at the 2025 Plain English Speaking Award (PESA) State Final.
PESA is an annual public-speaking competition for students aged 15–18 years. The Award celebrates innovative thinking, research and effective, direct communication.
While all participants delivered outstanding speeches, it was Fadzai Bako from St Aloysius College who took home the top prize with her speech, ‘Hustle culture: friend or foe?’
In her speech, Fadzai challenges the harmful effects of modern hustle culture, while offering a balanced perspective on sustainable ambition and goal setting.
She outlined how hustle culture has been ‘a silent expectation stitched into our lives, to do more, be more, prove more.’
‘Healthy hustle gives us a reason to move again, not out of fear, but out of purpose,’ Fadzai said.
She further reflected on the fulfillment she finds in public speaking and its power to inspire others.
‘I’m happy that I was able to inspire people in the audience, who would come up to me and say, “What you said really touched my heart,” and that is always the goal.’
The State Final was held at The Wheeler Centre, and was emceed by Tierney Khan, winner of the PESA State Final in 2020. It also featured 2024 PESA State and National Final winner, Lucy Eales, as a keynote speaker. Lucy spoke about her experience competing in the PESA International Competition in London.
This year's state finalists covered topics ranging from misogyny and male influencers to climate change and racial bias.
Runner-up Adiba Khan from Suzanne Cory High School delivered her impassioned speech, 'The myth of meritocracy' which explored how merit-defined success can mask the influence of privilege and inherited advantages.
The PESA competition empowers young Victorians with a platform to investigate topics that they are passionate about, tell stories and gain confidence in public speaking.
Learn more about PESA and watch the finalists’ speeches below.
Note: The speeches begin at timestamp 08:40.