この度は、数多くの皆さまにご参加いただき、
誠にありがとうございました！
力作の数々が寄せられ、
たいへん充実したコンテストとなりました。
下記のとおり、審査結果を発表いたします！
受賞作品（添削後）
A Memory from an Earthquake in Summer
When most people hear the 1989 song Lambada by Kaoma, they may imagine South America. However, for me it brings back memories of Belarus, an Eastern European country.
In 2011 when I was in high school in Sendai, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Thankfully there was lots of international help, including from Minsk - the capital of Belarus, and Sendai’s sister city. They organized a program to host students from Sendai in Minsk for a while. I signed up and went there that summer.
I had lots of interesting experiences there, and one of the most memorable was the disco. I stayed at a hiker’s cabin in a forest with some Belarusian children, and every night we danced together. One of the songs was Lambada. It was so much fun to sway to the rhythm, dancing with Belarusian friends who had a different language and culture, on those beautiful white summer nights.
Since the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated, some people in Sendai have suggested ending the sister city agreement. However, as someone who experienced the warmth of this exchange, I truly hope we can keep the relationship.
添削者からのコメント
M.S.-san has produced a wonderful piece of creative writing here.
The imagery of dancing in the Belarusian forest with the other kids was fantastic, and we loved how the children had no problems interacting despite the huge language barrier. "Those beautiful white nights" was a sumptuously poetic line expressing youthful purity and innocence.
Set in the context of the current Russia/Ukraine war, this writing was hugely poignant.
Very well done!
受賞作品（添削後）
In June I went to Guam with my daughter. As soon as I stepped into the airport, I smelled chewing gum. It sounds like a joke, but I’m serious! I told her that maybe Americans loved bubblegum so much that even the air smelled like it.
She explained that a lot of places in Guam used diffusers to scent the air. At the Westin Hotel, a soft, sweet fragrance lifted my mood. In a store, turning every corner brought a new scent – refreshing and unexpected. I thought, “Americans are masters at using fragrance to shape atmosphere.”
Last week, I visited a temple called Genko-ji in Kyoto with a friend. The temple’s sliding doors were wide open, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of trees flowed in. Though it was late August and there was no air conditioning, it was really nice. There was a quiet, unseen energy – what you might call ki – gently filling the space with calm and clarity.
The Japanese cherish scent – not by adding fragrance, but by honoring natural aromas. These memories, passed down from people’s ancestors, still live quietly in their hearts. I want to hold onto that feeling, never letting it fade.
That scent was my summer memory.
添削者からのコメント
T.A.-san has taken the rather mundane topic of scent and weaved it into a fine tapestry of sharp observation and humorous commentary. Lots of people have experienced how different countries have their own smells, but it takes real creativity and talent to highlight it so colorfully and entertainingly.
The line "The temple’s sliding doors were wide open, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of trees flowed in." was truly wonderful.
Exceptional writing!
（もしこの夏、どこでも行けるなら）
添削者からのコメント
C.O.-san has painted a superb verbal picture of the Mt. Fuji climb. We loved how the writing was structured to clearly describe the ascent, the peak and the descent, just like the shape of Mt. Fuji itself!
"The pitch darkness in the middle of the night" was a delightful expression, and the image of the climbers' headlamps shimmering like the Milky Way was outstanding.
Very impressive!
添削者からのコメント
M.I.-san's travel concept was fun and creative, and the writing in each section was crisp, concise and clear. We liked how the trip included spatial travel, time travel (both backward and forward) and even a spell at work!
The essay was imaginative and a pleasure to read. "I’d open the door and step onto a beautiful beach" summarizes the freedom of the idea nicely.
This was tons of fun!
※他1名
NOVA英語日記コンテスト2025にご参加いただいた皆さん、誠にありがとうございました。
受講者の皆さんから、色とりどりの独創的な作品をお寄せいただきました。そのこと自体、素晴らしい努力の賜物であり、英語学習への献身と、自らの意見を他者と共有する勇気を示すものです。審査員一同、一つひとつのエッセーを楽しく読ませていただきました。
各々の作品は、単なる英文法や語彙の習得に留まらず、想像力や粘り強さ、誠実さ、そして新たにアイデアを紡ぎだす喜びが見事に表現されていました。遊び心のある作品であれ、もっと真剣な作品であれ、どの作品にも、努力と独自の世界観が反映されていました。
真摯な学習と楽しさの融合こそが、Novaでの語学学習をこれほどまでに意義深いものにしているのだと私たちは考えています。
コンテスト応募者の皆さん、これまでの努力や夜遅くまで頑張ったこと、言葉の裏に込められた深い思考、そして真の意味でのインスピレーションを誇りに思ってください。今後、英語で書き、そして考える、グローバルなコミュニケーターとして歩む道のりにおいて、皆さんは、このコンテストで重要な一歩を踏み出したといえるでしょう。