This year’s competition explores the theme Staying Human in the Age of AI: Caring for People, Planet and the Common Good. As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly significant part of everyday life, students are encouraged to consider how technology affects our relationships, our communities and the world we share.
Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching and the Columban commitment to justice, peace and care for our common home, the competition provides a platform for young people to share their perspectives on important issues. It encourages them to reflect on human dignity, responsibility and the common good, and to communicate their ideas creatively.
Written competition
Students can submit an original article or poem exploring the competition theme. This is an opportunity to develop journalistic and creative writing skills while engaging with issues affecting society.
Articles should be approximately 800–1,000 words, while poems may be shorter. Entries must be original, written in English and relevant to the theme. Any facts, quotations or figures used should be properly credited to their sources. AI-generated writing is not permitted.
Image competition
Students who prefer to communicate visually can submit an original image responding to the theme. Entries may include photography or artwork created using media such as painting, drawing, sculpture or textiles. AI-generated images are not permitted.
Images must be submitted digitally at the highest possible resolution, with a minimum of four megapixels. Each entry must include a title and a short explanation of the image and its connection to the theme.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to young people aged 13–18 living in Britain and Ireland. Entrants must have turned 13 by 31 August 2026, and parental permission is required.
The competition is run separately in Britain and Ireland, with prizes available in both locations.
Prizes
Cash prizes are up for grabs in both categories, with £300 for first place, £150 for second and £100 for third place in Britain.
Deadline and publication
The deadline for submissions is the 9th February 2027, with winners announced on the 23rd March 2027.
Winning entries may be published, with parental permission, in Columban publications, including magazines and calendars, on Columban websites and social media, and in other Catholic media. This gives young people the opportunity to share their ideas with a wider audience.
Why the competition matters to Columban mission
For the Columbans, this competition is about more than creativity and prizes. It is an opportunity to encourage young people to reflect on the world around them, develop their own voices and consider how they can help build a more just, peaceful and sustainable future.
Columban mission is rooted in sharing the Gospel, walking alongside communities experiencing poverty and injustice, promoting peace and reconciliation, and caring for our common home. These commitments are closely connected to Catholic Social Teaching, which places human dignity, solidarity and the common good at the heart of Christian life.
By inviting students to explore artificial intelligence and its effects on people and the planet, the competition encourages them to look beyond technological progress and consider the values that should guide it. How can technology serve humanity? How can we protect the vulnerable and ensure that progress benefits everyone? And how can we care for creation while embracing change responsibly?
The Columban Schools Media Competition began in 2017, and its early themes focused on issues of justice, peace and care for the natural world. Over the past nine years, the competition has explored a range of themes reflecting the Columbans’ mission priorities, including migration, climate change, throwaway culture, racism, peacemaking and biodiversity protection and restoration. It has attracted thousands of entries over the years and has become a well-established competition, valued by religious educators and teaching staff as an engaging way to encourage students to examine real-world global issues through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching and to explore how compassion, solidarity and faith can inspire positive change.
Now in its tenth year, the competition continues this tradition, inviting students to express their hopes and concerns, challenge assumptions and imagine a future in which technology supports human dignity and the common good.
For further details and to enter, please visit the Columban Schools Media Competition website.
