Private Roman Catholic Senior High School, Our Lady of Grace (OLAG), has been crowned the winner at this year’s ACE Consult Spoken Word Contest in the Ashanti region after polling.

The intense and engaging spoken word event aims at nurturing the creativity, eloquence, leadership, and public speaking skills of students at the secondary level.

This year’s performance was themed “When the Whistle Blows, Borders Fade”, to project the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, from June.

OLAG, with a total of 91 points, after three incredible rounds, triumphed over the likes of Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High School, Oasis Christian Academy, and Bosomtwe Boys STEM SHS to clinch the ultimate trophy at the grand finale on May 20, at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The ACE Spoken Word Contest, an initiative by education support firm ACE Consult, started in 2024, in partnership with the US Embassy in Ghana.

Speaking to Luv News, Ag. Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, Ghana, Mr. Matthew Asada, expressed excitement about how the competition keeps boosting the confidence of students.

He also explained how each school used their creative and critical minds to highlight the beauty of football, the memories, diversity, culture, the economics, and the unity that the tournament seeks to celebrate.

“This year, we're very excited to see what the students did and how they interpreted the theme. One thing that really struck me was in the array of flags that you had here, thinking about all the countries that were participating in this year's World Cup."

"I think you saw today, one of the former winners came back, and she talked about the confidence that she had to participate in the spoken word contest.

"So whether it's the delivery, whether it's the performance, the acting, I mean, even seeing some sang; all of that together, having them on stage and thinking about processing it on the spot is quite impressive.”

Mr. Asada also touched on America’s readiness to let the world experience its hospitality, especially as the country looks forward to its 250th anniversary too.

He hinted at the preparedness of US host cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Rhode and Island, to welcome business delegations, organise cultural programs.

The Acting Public Affairs Officer further stated that “We encourage everyone to prepare for their trip and after they've received their visa, make sure that you have your documents with you.

"Think about what you're going to do, where you're going to go in the United States and most importantly, once the tournament is over, come back here to Ghana and think about bringing back the lessons that you've learned, the experiences that you've had, the friends that you've made, to continue building closer ties between the United States and Ghana in the future.”

The 2026 World Cup tournament features 48 nations, playing 104 matches across 16 cities.

The Embassy, in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has scheduled watch parties across the 16 regions of Ghana.

On her part, Executive Director of ACE Consult and American Corner Kumasi, Mrs. Marilyn Owusu, noted that aside from the cash, citations, and other prizes received, there are bigger plans for the finalists to benefit from.

“For those who came to the finals, our plan is to train them further, groom them in other ways, and give them opportunities to be able to stand in different auditoriums, not just here, and be able to perform and to share their thoughts.”

“We also have free SAT classes for the finalists, so that instead of paying to write the SAT to go to schools in the US, they will have free SAT classes. We have a special program called the Education USA Scholars Program that grooms students to also be unique and strong leaders. We will add them to the Education USA Scholars so that they get the advantage of everything”, she added.

Keren Freda Asante and Grace Owusu Appiah, who represented OLAG, were excited about their victory, the opportunities for their school, and what the future holds for them.

A total of 36 senior high schools out of 49 that registered this year participated in the contest.

The ACE Spoken Word Contest saw other dignitaries such as the Public Diplomacy Associate - US Embassy Ghana, Ms. Dana Diamond, Regional American Spaces Officer for West and Coastal Africa, Ms. Hannah Fitter, American Spaces Director, Ms. Rita Awuku, heads of institutions, as well as representatives of esteemed sponsors.