The Chrystall Prize competition brings together Year 11 pupils from across GDST schools to voice their opinions on the most pressing debates in modern society. The competition has been running since 2001 and is named after Chrystall Carter who was Legal Adviser to the GDST for nine years until her passing in 1999. Chrystall had a strong belief in the power of reasoned argument and the competition honours her memory by providing a platform for girls to build confidence and have their voices heard. 

This term, Blackheath High was honoured to host the semi-final of the South-East heats, bringing together Year 11 speakers from Sutton High, Sydenham High, Croydon High and Blackheath High, to compete for a place in the GDST grand final. 

Blackheath High’s Katherine opened the competition with a compelling 7-minute exploration of whether “Truth is overrated”, exploring the concept of truth in what some describe as a ‘post-truth world’ and motivations, contexts and conflicts within the debate. She was followed by Poppy from Croydon High, who led a powerful short talk entitled “Social media: a black hole” which argued that checks and balances are needed to reduce the all-consuming impact of social media, particularly on young people. Aruna from Sutton High tackled a subject that will be very familiar to many Year 11 girls - “The reality of feeling awkward!” - with great aplomb; and the event was closed by Saffron from Sydenham High, whose exploration of “How has social media impacted the work ethic of a modern generation” was hugely topical and relevant to students beginning to consider their first steps on the employment ladder. 

Croydon High’s Poppy took the crown and will be taking part in the finals in Notting Hill and Ealing High School on Tuesday 18 March; while Saffron from Sydenham was named runner-up. 

The judges – parent Clair Grayston, an Executive Director and Head of Technology Model Governance for Morgan Stanley, and 2024 alumna and Chrystall Prize finalist Grace Stewart - were hugely impressed by the quality of the speeches, their structure, tone and use of language, as well as the intelligent audience Q&A.  

Grace says: “It was such an honour to come back to Blackheath High to judge the semi-finals of the Chrystall Prize. The talent this year was incredibly strong. Watching as a Drama student, the stage presence of all those who competed was extremely impressive. The theme of social media from the winning speech was tackled with incredible humour, knowledge and self- awareness. Each and every student held the audience with such a strong grip. It was a privilege to witness such talent.” 

Clair added: "All girls presented an engaging and compelling talk on their chosen topic. We heard about the value of truth, the topic of social media, and how it’s ok to feel awkward! The talks spoke directly to challenges young people experience such as losing hours scrolling on their phones and when it might be ok not to tell someone what you really think. The standard was high overall with a great deal of preparation, energy and passion evident in each performance."