ðə nˈæʃənəl fɹˈɛntʃ kˈɑːntɛst wʌz ɪstˈæblɪʃt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi sˈɪks baɪ ðɪ ɛɡzˈɛkjuːtˌɪv kˈaʊnsəl ʌv ˈɑːtf tə hˈɛlp dɪtˈɜːmɪn ðə ɹˈɛlətˌɪv stˈuːdənt ɐtʃˈiːvmənt ɪnðə lˈɜːnɪŋ ʌv fɹˈɛntʃ ɪnðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts.
The National French Contest was established in 1936 by the Executive Council of AATF to help determine the relative student achievement in the learning of French in the United States.