The results of May's student writing competition are in!

The theme of May's writing competition was Wonders of your Country. It challenged English language students of all levels to describe the natural wonders of their country in no more than 300 words. Students could write a review, article, or a short story for a student magazine. Our theme was inspired by Sacred Planet - a film showing the world's most fascinating and unusual landscapes, animals and people. Watch the trailer.

We were so impressed with all the entries that it was impossible to pick one winner. First place goes to Yukiko Kono and Agostinho Vieira, who both win tickets to a fantastic London show.

Well done to runners up JooHee Hwang and Cristina Ventura.

Here are the winning stories in full:

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The Wonders of Japan, by Yukiko Kono

It is absolutely breath-taking scenery overlooking the whole mountainside ablaze with scarlet-tinged leaves. Imagine if you are looking over this scenery soaking in a hot spring and drinking sake.

All you can hear is just birds’ humming, the flow of water and a soft breeze rustling through the trees. Just relax and forget about your worries and say a brief good-bye to the hustle and bustle in the city. The view of gradation of yellow, orange and red takes you to fleeting but a stunningly beautiful piece of art site which only nature can create once a year.

There are Japanese-style hotels, called Ryokan with a hot spring in Beppu in the southern part of Japan, which is famous for its wide variety of hot springs. The effectiveness of the hot springs here varies so many people visit here to heal themselves. A ryokan offers local specialities including delicious meat or fresh fish and lobsters. Skilful chefs entertain you with seasonal vegetables and edible wild plants beautifully decorated. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, all kinds of Japanese cuisine is available at Ryokan. They often have rooms with a private hot spring which you can overlook the mountains.

If you are adventurous enough to see the terrifying bubble-bubble sights in Beppu, go to the burning hell tour. Although the phenomenal natural hot springs look intimidating,　you cannot but appreciate the power and beauty of nature. The names were inspired by the concept of hell in Buddhism.

You might feel purifying yourself through your five senses. Dazzling red coloured leaves will leave you an impressive memory so does the colour. You would find yourself in a part of enormous piece of autumn landscape painting.

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The Wonders of Brazil, by Agostinho Vieira

“God was born in Brazil”, goes an old saying in my country. However, when we use this sentence, normally we aren`t speaking about Carnival, beautiful women and football. Three strong symbols of our culture, but not enough to represent all Brazilian biodiversity. Brazil is the fifth extensive country in the world and the eighth biggest economy. It has a lot of amazing beaches, some absolutely cleaner rivers, fantastic mountains and delicately colored birds. It goes without saying that sixty percent of Amazon Rainforest is in our territory.

I could write about numbers, different species of plants, quantities of freshwater fish, mammals, reptiles or something like that. But, I am not a geographer or a biologist. I`m just a Brazilian guy and can write a little bit about huge landscapes that I have seen, diverse animals I have admired or about a lot of pleasures I have felt. However, I have a problem. How can I describe the sound of the “sabiá” in the morning or the aroma of an orchid in the end of afternoon?

Brazil`s immense area is divided into different regions and a several kind of microclimates. It`s possible to watch an incredible and controversial anaconda in the Amazon or crocodiles in the “Pantanal”. I have never seen an anaconda. It´s, frequently, described as the largest snake on the planet. But, three years ago, I had an opportunity to be in security fifty meters from some crocodiles. In this same region, in a place called “Bonito” (means beautiful in Portuguese) there are two of the cleaner rivers on the world.

Another very simple detail can prove that if God wasn`t born in Brazil, at least it has been a special affection for our country: the sun. We have sunny days and blue skies almost 300 days per year. Curiously, Brazilian people only appreciate this natural treasure when they are visiting countries such as the United Kingdom, France or Germany. Once, five years ago, a north-east government made a tourism promotion promising give back the money for all visitors if rained in their state during the summer.

Finally, I would like to remember our most important wonder: the Brazilian people. This specie is not rare, can be found in any parts around de world. But, their happiness, their routine full of life and their capacity to live in peace could be an example for other countries. It could inspire the rest of the world, minimizing prejudice and maximizing tolerance.