The presentation contest was held on Sunday, December 14, at the Turkish–Japanese Foundation Cultural Center, with the participation of the Japanese Ambassador. Boğaziçi University students who qualified for the finals achieved significant rankings, marking an important success for the university.

This year’s theme of the competition was “Tolerance.” A total of 14 finalists from Group A (beginner) and Group B (intermediate–advanced), who successfully passed the preliminary rounds, delivered presentations in the final stage. The jury consisted of members selected from the organizing committee formed by the Embassy of Japan and the Turkish–Japanese Foundation, and included Japan’s newly appointed Ambassador, Masami Tamura. The contestants were evaluated based on criteria such as body language and expression, responses to questions following the presentations, and the overall structure and composition of their presentations. Four Boğaziçi University students who advanced to the finals ranked among the award recipients, achieving notable success.

In the competition, Zehra Ülgen Arık, a student from the Department of Translation and Interpreting at Boğaziçi University, won first place in Group A, while Arda Bilici, a student from the Department of Chemistry, earned first place in Group B. Additionally, Fatımatüzzehra Uslu, a student from the Department of Foreign Language Education, achieved second place in Group A, and Selen Soycan, a student from the Department of Linguistics, placed third in Group A.
Yuriko Öncü from the Boğaziçi University Japanese Language Unit emphasized the students’ dedication despite the intensity of the end-of-semester period, congratulated them on their achievements, and stated that the unit would continue its committed efforts to pass on this success to future students.

The awards of Zehra Ülgen Arık, who won first place in Group A with her presentation titled “The Guardianship of the Night, the Warmth of the Sun,” and Arda Bilici, who secured first place in Group B with his presentation titled “Tolerance Seen Through a Small Question,” were personally presented by Ambassador Masami Tamura.