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2026-27 AI Challenge
Ask the questions. Challenge the answers.
Our Essay and Video Contests encourage students to think critically and express themselves clearly. Last year, with AI tools becoming part of daily life, we introduced something new: a contest that asks students not just to use AI, but to challenge it.
Pick one of our four topics, interrogate an AI chatbot like a curious investigator and devil’s advocate, then reflect on how the conversation sharpened your own thinking. It’s not about polished writing. It’s about asking sharp questions, digging deeper, and recognizing that AI is not always right.
Day(s)
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Hour(s)
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Submit by 11:59PM ET on January 18, 2027
Submit Entries Here
Students may submit on their own, or teachers may submit entries for their students.
Ask the questions. Challenge the answers.
Our Essay and Video Contests encourage students to think critically and express themselves clearly. Last year, with AI tools becoming part of daily life, we introduced something new: a contest that asks students not just to use AI, but to challenge it.
Pick one of our four topics, interrogate an AI chatbot like a curious investigator and devil’s advocate, then reflect on how the conversation sharpened your own thinking. It’s not about polished writing. It’s about asking sharp questions, digging deeper, and recognizing that AI is not always right.
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
Submit by 11:59PM ET
on January 18, 2027
Submit Entries Here
Students may submit on their own, or teachers may submit entries for their students.
AI Challenge at a Glance
Eligibility
- Eligibility: Students in grades 8-12 who are at least 13 years old, and live in the U.S., Canada, or at a U.S. military address. Submissions must be in English. One entry per student.
- Note: Students who enter the AI Challenge are not eligible to enter the 2026-27 Essay Contest.
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: January 18, 2027 by 11:59PM ET
- Winners Announced: March 5, 2027
Student Awards
Teacher Rewards
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Top submitting teacher: $200 Amazon gift card
-
Plus five $50 gift-card drawings
How the Challenge Works
- Step 1: Choose a Prompt
- Pick one of our four prompts below.
- Step 2: Chat with AI Bot
- Step 3: Reflect
- Step 4: Submit
- Share the link to your AI conversation and submit your reflection using the buttons at the top of the page.
AI Challenge at a Glance
Eligibility
- Eligibility: Students in grades 8-12 who are at least 13 years old, and live in the U.S., Canada, or at a U.S. military address. Submissions must be in English. One entry per student.
- Note: Students who enter the AI Challenge are not eligible to enter the 2026-27 Essay Contest.
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: January 18, 2027 by 11:59PM ET
- Winners Announced: March 5, 2027
Student Awards
Teacher Rewards
-
Top submitting teacher: $200 Amazon gift card
-
Plus five $50 gift-card drawings
How the Challenge Works
- Step 1: Choose a Prompt
- Pick one of our four prompts below.
- Step 2: Chat with AI Bot
- Step 3: Reflect
- Step 4: Submit
- Share the link to your AI conversation and submit your reflection using the buttons at the top of the page.
This Year’s Topics, Prompts, & Starter Resources
Choose one of this year’s prompts and build your case. Read the summaries, then click to see the full prompt and suggested starter resources.
What are the purposes of executive orders and emergency powers? Explore the constitutional basis of executive orders and emergency powers and whether their recent increased use by presidents of both parties has been an abuse of executive power. Choose one specific use of executive power — a particular executive order or emergency declaration. Explore what action the president took, what legal or constitutional authority was cited to justify it, and how other branches responded.
Recommended Videos:
Digital Privacy
How much privacy should we have online? Why are some people concerned about online privacy? How much—if any—personal information should the government require private companies to collect from individuals for online access? Should the government require age verification to prevent young people from accessing certain web content? If so, who in the government should decide? How might age verification interfere with individuals’ privacy? Explore how digital identification requirements and online verification affect privacy, security, and/or freedom. Does it even matter?
Recommended Videos:
Fraud in Government Programs
Government programs distribute billions of taxpayer dollars every year. What are the consequences when some of that money is lost to waste, fraud, and abuse? Explore the economic idea of opportunity cost by considering what those resources could have been used for and by whom. How might the concept of concentrated benefits/dispersed costs limit government investigations into waste, fraud, and abuse of government programs? Explore proposed reforms or think through your own to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.
Recommended Videos:
Interest in Democratic Socialism / Communism
Surveys show increased interest among young people in democratic socialism and communism. What factors help explain this trend? Who are the leaders and influencers driving this increased interest? What are the messages and why are they so appealing? Explore this growing interest and examine how the historical experiences of countries governed under socialist or communist systems support or refute the messaging of these influencers.
Recommended Videos:
Tips for AI Challengers
- Read the AI Challenge Guide and Complete Rules.
- Pick the topic that genuinely interests you.
- Treat the AI as a thinking partner, not an answer machine. Keep asking follow-ups.
- Push back when an answer is vague, one-sided, or off-track.
- Always ask for sources, and check them yourself.
- In your reflection, focus on what challenged you, what surprised you, and what you concluded.
