The search for the most talented young wordsmith in the Northern Cape is drawing to an end. This comes as the Mark My Words Competition hopes to crown the province’s most gifted public speaker.

A competition, which was founded by a provincial author, Mark Kotze, has for the past two years unearthed and mentored raw talent in leadership and public speaking. 

25 young people from all the corners of the Northern Cape are vying for the title of master of words. Only one person will pocket the coveted R30 000 prize money.  

The Mark My Words Competition casts a spotlight on those who can think on their feet, combined with a love for reading and writing. Finalists hope that this opportunity will open many doors for them. 

Contestant finalists Paseka Tlali says, “All my entities revolve around me being a public speaker and a public figure and everything that I do and all the six entities that I have they include leadership within it.” 

 Contestant, Nosisa Moloto says, “To be honest, I think this competition was definitely a platform for me to discover myself and see, okay, this is the path I want to go into. I don’t want to go into the entertainment industry in terms of TV presenting, radio presenting, or acting.” 

 Contestant, Taine Fredericks says, “I’m hoping that it will boast me in a sense of getting positive publicity, getting the entertainment industry, and getting into public speaking as a whole.” 

Contestant, Raphoto Makheta “I have always enjoyed reading and writing, but I’ve never put myself out there. Put myself on the stage. Let myself be vulnerable enough to let the world know what I am capable of.”

Mark Kotze, the brains behind the competition, says he hopes this platform will rekindle the love for words. All participants receive coaching from a team of experts assembled by Kotze.

Author and motivational speaker Mark Kotze says, “This competition is a culmination of all the life experiences that I have. The fact that I’ve written books, I’ve been on radio, and I am a motivational speaker. I’ve done my own talk show on the radio called Mark My Words, and youngsters kept asking me for opportunities to shadow me to follow me so I could mentor them. I never always had the opportunity or the time to do that, and that is where Mark My Words came from. This gives young people an opportunity to use words to enter the industry.” 

 The competition finale will be held at the Northern Cape Theatre next Friday.

Author and motivational speaker Kotze hopes to take the competition to other provinces, with the possibility of a television show.