National French Contest

The National French Contest, known as Le Grand Concours, is an annual competition organized by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) for students learning French. Each year, thousands of students participate, making it a significant event in the academic calendar for French learners and educators alike.

Interested in the competition?

Competition Overview

Students in grades 1-12 across various levels, from beginner to advanced

Eligibility

Varies

Entry Fee

March 9, 2026

FLES Registration Deadline

April 9, 2026

Level 1-5 Registration Deadline

📌 Note: Aralia is not the organizer of this competition. For official rules, deadlines, and updates, please refer directly to the competition organizer. Aralia provides listings and information about competitions for student reference. Aralia is an online education platform offering competition preparation classes to students worldwide.

Competition Details

1. Competition Categories

Students in Grades 1-6 will participate in the FLES (Français Langue Étrangère et Second) Contest, while students in Grades 7-12 will participate in the Secondary Contest (levels 01-05). All testings are completed online on Lingco.

2. FLES (Français Langue Étrangère et Second) Contest

Contest Date: February 11 – March 10, 2026

Release of National Results: Mid-April 2026

Divisions:

1A: Grades 1–3 (Listening only and speaking if qualified.)
2A: Grade 4, or Grades 5–6 beginners/oral-only programs (Listening only and speaking if qualified.)
2B: Grades 5–6 with several years of French (Listening, Reading & Structure; Speaking if qualified.)
3A: Grades 1–3 in partial (500 minutes of French per week) or full immersion programs, students privately tutored for ≥2 years, all students studying in French-speaking countries, and/or students with >1 year of immersion preschool. (Listening section only and speaking if qualified.)
3B: Same as 3A but for Grades 4–6.
Hors Concours: Students who speak French at home. These students must do Division 3A (Grades 1–3) or Division 3B (Grades 4–66). Hors Concours students are eligible for national prizes.

Exam Format:

Listening (All Divisions): Students listen to recordings and select the correct response (A, B, C) from pictures; advanced levels include non-visual items.
Reading & Structure (Divisions 2B, 3B, Hors Concours): Picture ID, basic grammar, and question-answer items; no writing required.
Reading Comprehension (Divisions 3B, Hors Concours): Multiple-choice questions based on reading passages.
Speaking (All Divisions eligible): 5 questions per student, based on images; no advance preparation; teachers receive login instructions after initial scoring.

3. Secondary Contest

Contest Date: February 12 – April 10, 2026

Levels (determines the test difficulty (01–5) based on the student’s current French course):

MS1 (Level 01): Novice Low
MS2 (Level 1): Novice Mid
Level 1: Novice Mid
Level 2: Novice High
Level 3: Intermediate Low
Level 4: Intermediate Mid
Level 5: Intermediate High or Advanced Low

4. Divisions

Division determines which students a student competes against, based on the French experience.

Divisions A, C, D, E: Available for all levels (01–5)
Division B: Levels 01–2 only; ranks students with some prior French background fairly.
Division AP: Levels 4–5 only; for students taking AP French.

Division Key:

A: Absolute beginner
B: Some outside background
C: Completely native
D: Different schedule/block; started course second semester
E: Not currently enrolled in French
AP: Advanced Placement French student

5. Awards

There are two award categories: Chapter and National.

Chapter awards: Given to top-performing students at the Chapter level for each level and division.
National awards: Funded by entrant fees and include Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals with Lauréat National certificates, as well as Honorable Mention and Mérite certificates.