New international essay competition!
Pymble Ladies’ College is excited to announce the launch of a new academic competition for Secondary students around the world.
Speak to the Future: Global Youth Essay Prize promotes critical thinking amongst young people who are keen to put their minds to the big questions about AI technologies in relation to creativity, cognition, the future of work, health and learning. The essay competition is an initiative of the Pymble Institute at Pymble Ladies’ College, Sydney, Australia and empowers students from ages 13 to 18 to have their say about the role of artificial intelligence in their world.
This is your chance to share your ideas, hear from students around the world and discover something new about your own thinking in relation to AI and a topic of your choosing.
About the competition
Writing an essay is an important skill, but research and speaking about what you have learned are important, too. This competition involves all three:
- Research phase: Select your topic and begin researching, with the option of using AI to assist.
- Writing phase: Draft, then edit your essay without using AI.
- Speaking phase: Selected finalists will speak to the judging panel about your topic and what you’ve learned about AI through this process.
Key dates
- 15 February 2027: Competition opens and research phase begins.
- 15 March 2027: Essay question is released to participants.
- 4 April 2027: Deadline for essay submissions.
- 12 May 2027: Finalists are advised and proceed to interview stage.
- June 2027: Winners announced.
Judges wanted
We are seeking volunteers to assist with judging the final essays. Help shape how young people think about AI by reading and scoring between 10 and 20 essays written by students from around the world, all online, in your own time, over four weeks.
“The concept of using AI to form a thesis on how AI operates to benefit the research is intriguing. I think the idea will introduce data and information that may or may not break the stigmas against AI. This task may help me understand my position on generative AI better."
Ariana, Year 10