The 2026 Year 9 Oscars Ceremony: A guide to attending and accepting

: From not-so-climactic reveals and technical issues, to shedding tears of joy, the 2026 year 9 Oscars was one event to remember for the rest of our lives, until we cease to exist, of course.

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The Year 9 Oscars is a special event limited to only Year 9 students to celebrate the effort and time these students have spent to produce their written memoir in English, and Design stop-motion animation —and if you couldn’t tell already, it's a pretty big deal! We gathered together in the space of the PAC, proudly attending the most promoted event of the season, a student version of the renowned Oscars ceremony, or some may say an even better version.

Then it was Thursday, the 29th of January 2026; the day we had all been waiting for had finally come. After suffering through the first two class periods of the day, then changing into the appropriate attire for such a glamorous event during lunchtime, we all filed into the PAC on a path paved in luscious red velvet carpet.

When I first sat down in my seat among rows of my peers, I wasn’t prepared to witness one of the most memorable times in school, nearly rivalling even the evocative and creative written and visual memoirs that were shown on screen. 

The atmosphere was positively buzzing with energy; an amalgamation of both nervous fingers fiddling with speech scripts and the excitement of attending such a unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience. 

After the initial welcome from the head design teacher of the unit—Ms. Riccò—finished, and introductions for the literary awards from the head English teacher of the unit—Ms. Lewis—began. I believe I can speak for everyone in that room when I say we all waited with bated breath, swallowed by anticipation that had been growing since the event was announced at the very be

ginning of our IDU unit back in August.

After the initial formalities and a round of applause, our beloved English teachers were called to the stage. One by one, they stepped onto the stage, seeming just as nervous and excited as the students. 

The awards ceremony was organised in parts. First, literary awards, where students were honored for their ability to shape colorful worlds through beautifully written prose, poems, or graphic novels. Secondly came the film awards, presenting an opportunity for students to be praised for their amazing creative skills. By adapting their written memoirs, students transferred their knowledge of writing in English into visual techniques in Design, producing aesthetically pleasing and utterly breathtaking stop-motion animations.

The first round of nominations came for the literary awards, presented by the head of the English department, the whimsical Mr. Walker. He read out excerpts from the nominees of class 9.1, only stumbling over his words once or twice. The nominees were: Jake So, Pia Tuominen, and Andrea Chan. 

As the names of the nominees were read out loud, the room burst into a firework of applause and smiles, and the first nominees of the day were praised and basked in the glory of success. The applause died down as a rumbling drumroll shook the floorboards, everyone held their breath in harmony, and hearts skipped beats. “The winner for the literary Oscars was… Pia Tuominen!” 

The room erupted once again in cheers and applause, and I heard my dear friend Pia shout a not-very-subtle –but deserved– cheer of self-recognition under her breath. As she walked on stage, I smiled proudly, watching her accept the gleaming gold trophy. 

When she delivered her speech, she reflected on writing about a fond, but painful childhood memory of getting bitten by an ant in her grandparents' backyard, and pleading her gratitude to her grandparents, as well as the ant for creating a vital memory that shaped who she is today. She shared a crucial message of enduring the hardships of life, stating that ‘The joys and the challenges and the suffering and love is all part of human existence, and it’s very fun to be alive’, emphasizing the very things that define humanity, as well as the ups and downs of what makes life worth living. 

I sat in my seat, looking up onto the stage and trying to contain my emotions from spilling out of my eyes. She finished her speech, and we all clapped once more for a job well done, especially for being the very first winner of the day. I dabbed the corners of my eyes, drank a sip of water, and swallowed my feelings. We were barely getting started yet.

After the first round of nominations and celebrations, each English teacher came onto the stage, speaking with pure fervor and raw emotion as they announced their nominees and winners of each class. Without fail, every time nominees and winners were announced, applause surrounded me, and the positive energy stayed effulgent, radiating throughout the room. The 2026 literary Oscars nominees and winners for the following classes were:

Ms. Lewis 9.2-  Cherry Kao, Norah Li, Sophie Ngan → “A Fishy Murder?” by Cherry Kao

Ms. Turner 9.3- Emme Chau, Alice Huang, Alma Yeung → "Homemade Kitchen” by Alice Huang

Ms. Lewis 9.4- Kayden Hui, Sally Lee, Caitlyn Ng → “Overshadowing My Closed Mind” by Sally Lee

Ms. Norton 9.5- Alexa Cheung, Thelma Cheung, Lily Shinohara → Second Time’s A Charm by Alexa Cheung 

Ms. Norton 9.6- Ramsie Chan, Alton Lo, Veer Tahilramani → “Keys to the Spotlight” by Alton Lo 

After praising the wonderful written works of our peers, then came time to revel in the radiant films created through stop-motion and a whole lot of frames. As Ms. Riccò announced the nominees and winners for 09DG101, the excitement only increased. 

Writing is one thing; it's an art of language, subtly hidden nuances, and the elegance of capturing whole worlds through the use of flavorful adjectives, as such, creating is an entirely different thing in itself. To create is to express, and to express is to understand. Every filmmaker has an intention, and I think that to be able to turn words into wonders of color and layered visuals is incredibly difficult. Whether it be using multitudes of colors, professional camerawork, or overall creativity, I marvel at each and every one of the nominees’ ability in utilising these skills, not only with the technicality of the brain, but the intention from the heart. 

The nominees and winners of the Oscars film awards from each Design class were:

Ms. Riccò 09DG101- Neel Lunia, Alexis Chan, Natalie Chan → “The Journey of Transformation” by Natalie Chan

Mr. Scott 09DG102- Norah Li, Joy Leung, Sophie Ngan → “Throw Out The Old Things and Pack It Up” by Norah Li 

Ms. Austin 09DG103- Diana Duan, Janine Cheung, Emme Chau → “Fold by Fold, Frame by Frame” by Diana Duan

Mr. Pagan 09DG104- Grace Poon, Pia Tuominen, Darren Yang → “Nine Lives, One Heart” by Grace Poon

Ms. Riccò 09DG105- Kiera Lee, Thelma Cheung, Aimee Ng → “Norway” by Kiera Lee

Mr. Blackman 09DG106- Ramsie Chan, Hailey Chan, Anker Lee → “New Horizons: A trip to Maldives” by Ramsie Chan

Mr. Forbes 09DG107- Aarya Desai, Sally Lee, Caitlyn Ng → “Overshadowing My Closed Mind” by Sally Lee

Mr. Pagan 09DG108 - Edward Wong, Ambrose Wong, Chloe Yu → “Ontological Chytridiomycosis” by Edward Wong

Each winner's films were shown on screen for everyone to appreciate, and so I did. From trips to Beijing earning Sally Lee a double award of both literary and film on her birthday, to the masterfully curated film of Edward Wong that made me briefly question my existence on earth, I was enamoured with all of the animations shown, proving just how deserving these winners were of their prestigious awards. 

But there was one particular winner that really made my tear ducts splutter in full force, Grace Poon, another one of my dear friends, and a winner from class 09DG104. If I was tearing up before, now I was truly in tears, as she accepted her award with contained shock, she reflected on her process writing about how she met her kitty companion, and a near miss of one of the cat’s nine lives, she thanked her family, for allowing her to have her cat today, and her friends for supporting her throughout her writing and filming journey. 

Other honorable mentions include Sophie Ngan, Emme Chau, Thelma Cheung, Caitlyn Ng, and Alma Cheung, who had been nominated for both awards but unfortunately came short and won neither. They have still proven to be deserving of being nominated because of their multi-talented skills, and I congratulate them for their good efforts

I must also highlight the musical performance from Alexander Christensen, Andre Lai, Jameson Tse, and Jayden Ng to close out our Oscars ceremony and effectively calm some residual nerves. 

So finally, from the deepest depths of my soul, I am truly grateful to everyone who helped make the ceremony come alive, the teachers who, I’m sure, spent hours in meetings deliberating and discussing the details that made the ceremony run as smoothly as possible.

I am so incredibly proud of the dedication put in by everyone, and especially my dear friends for not only earning their much-deserved awards but for standing up on stage and being able to deliver their speeches without crying (unlike me) as well as staying as humble as they are. Even with a million-trillion words in all the languages I know, I wouldn’t be able to fully express how proud and profoundly grateful I am. 

Maybe my feelings for this transcend even the existence of our fleshy beings in this reality, and possibly many more!