K-12 Olympiada of Spoken Russian
In partnership with the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, CSEEES helps to organize the K-12 Russian Language Olympiada. This competition is an opportunity for Ohio K-12 students who are studying the Russian language to practice and show off their Russian speaking skills. The one-day event is usually held during early spring semester at The Ohio State University campus in Columbus. Students compete with each other in three rounds of competition: an oral interview, poem recital, and topic presentation.
Information about this event is typically released in December and most often sent directly to Russian language teachers in Ohio. if you are a K-12 educator who teaches Russian in Ohio or the parent of a K-12 student who is studying Russian, please email Alicia Baca at baca.31@osu.edu to request more information.
More details about the 2026 Olympiada will be released in autumn 2025.
School and Student Registration
In order to participate, each school and each participating student be registered for the Olympiada. School and student registration forms are REQUIRED to participate and must be turned in before or on the day of the competition. The registration fee for each student is $6 and there are no refunds for students who do not participate after registration.
Please email Alicia Baca (baca.31@osu.edu) for registration forms and information on payment methods.
Competition Format
Oral Interview
The student is interviewed by a panel of two judges based on a list of sample questions. Topics and skills are based on ACTFL speaking proficiency guidelines.
Poem Recital
Each student recites a poem in Russian that they have chosen. The selected poem can either be an original Russian poem or translation of a non-Russian poem. Poems must be at least 8 lines long for first-year Russian students and at least ten lines long for second- to fourth-year students. Students are graded on pronunciation and fluidity of speech.
Students at the K-12 level are allowed to read from a printed copy of their poem if they need.
Topic Presentation (bilety)
Tickets that specify a particular topic are presented to students face-down. Students are able to draw two tickets and then choose one of the topics on which to present. Topics and skills are based ACTFL proficiency guidelines for speaking. Judges then ask students follow-up questions.
Preparation Materials
Preparation materials for all levels are selected and provided by ACTR and can be found on their website.