Jason Mohammad emphasises the importance of the Welsh language during Eisteddfod T’s Welsh Learner Prize ceremony

Yesterday (Monday, 31 May), it was announced that the recipient of the Welsh Learner Prize at the 2021 Eisteddfod T is 18-year-old Phoebe Skinner from Cardiff. The winner was revealed in a special ceremony that was broadcast live from the Urdd’s Residential Centre in Llangrannog, with the judge Jason Mohammad and the three finalists.

During the ceremony, Jason Mohammad, who is also from Cardiff, said that he wanted to thank everyone who helped him to learn Welsh and that it was an “honour” to judge this year’s Eisteddfod T Welsh Learner competition. 

“As someone who has learned the language, it was an honour to be asked by the Urdd to judge the Welsh Learner competition,” said Jason Mohammad. “A lot of people are surprised by the fact that Jason Mohammad from TV and radio can speak Welsh… so from the stage today, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has helped me!

“I’m happy to say that I use the Welsh language every day. Our children speak Welsh and I sometimes speak Welsh on Radio 2… The reason I talk about my experiences with the language is very simple: it is vital for the future of the language and the country that we hear stories like these. People who have worked hard at school, college, and university to learn the language and more importantly – use the language every day. These incredible people who are with us today are part of the new Wales.”

Eisteddfod T’s Welsh Learner competition required competitors to create a video presentation that would inspire an audience and, according to the judge, the experience of watching the content was “absolutely amazing”.

“Congratulations to everyone who competed this year,” added Jason Mohammad. “The videos were full of passion towards the Welsh language… with excellent vocabulary and lovely accents. And what was also important was the fact that they came from all over the world: from Cardiff to Patagonia!

“Phoebe had a passion and vision for the language… and her love of Welsh was evident. She clearly shows why you should not only study Welsh as a subject at school but also use it in everyday life.”

Having just sat her A-Levels at Cardiff High School, Phoebe plans to study Music at university in September.

Phoebe said: “I thoroughly enjoyed our Welsh lessons at school, and I’m in my element working in a Welsh bookshop. I hope that my winning work will encourage other young people to study Welsh in the sixth form; it is an amazing experience.”

The competition is sponsored by Castell Howell Foods and Phoebe will receive a specially created trophy by north Wales sculptor Ann Catrin Evans. The runners up in the competition were Kiera Jones from Merthyr Tydfil who came second and Matthew Minshull from Henllan, Denbighshire in third place.

All Eisteddfod T results can be found by visiting s4c.cymru/urdd

Eisteddfod T will be held throughout this week, 31 May – 4 June. 12,000 competitors have competed in over 120 competitions. You can join in the fun, on TV, radio and online and there will be results and information on the s4c.wales/urdd website and on the Urdd’s social media with the hashtag #EisteddfodT.