The Center for International Relations (CIR) invites college students worldwide to participate in the 2026 Student Writing Award Competition.

This opportunity seeks to engage young minds in analyzing and addressing global challenges while fostering global awareness and promoting innovative solutions.

TOPICS: Artificial Intelligence, Green Tech

We ask students to reflect on one of the two following topics:

Artificial Intelligence

Discuss a topic related to Artificial Intelligence such as governance, law, ethical challenges (bias, privacy, job displacement, accountability), societal impacts (economy, autonomy, human-machine interaction, warfare, education), intellectual property, and future directions (AGI, trustworthiness, governance), spanning technical capabilities, moral dilemmas, and real-world consequences.

Green Tech

Discuss a topic related to Green Tech, such as resource efficiency, pollution reduction), key sectors (renewable energy, sustainable transport, green buildings, waste management), enabling technologies (AI, smart grids, energy storage, carbon capture), economic impacts (cost savings, new markets, green finance), policy needs (carbon pricing, regulations), and future trends like circular economies and global adoption

Submission Types

The 2026 Student Writing Competition is expanding this year to two types of submissions:

• Written Editorial. Send us your editorial about Artificial Intelligence or Green Tech, 800–1,200 words, excluding footnotes.

• Creative Submission: For the creatives out there, send us your political cartoon/illustration about Artificial Intelligence or Green Tech.

CIR encourages submissions that highlight diverse perspectives and propose thoughtful approaches to shaping a better future.

Winning pieces will be published in our Spring 2026 special annual issue, reaching an international audience, and contributing to CIR’s mission of fostering understanding and collaboration across borders.

Submission Guidelines

• Open to currently enrolled college students worldwide.  Note: submissions may be made by an individual or group of individuals.
• Written Editorials should be 800–1,200 words, excluding footnotes.
• Digital illustration must be 300 dpi. JPG, PDF, or PNG format.
• Submissions must be original, unpublished work.
• Submissions are not AI generated.
• Deadline: midnight EST, April 17, 2026.
• See all guidelines here.
• Submissions and any questions should be directed to editor@ia-forum.org.

For examples of winning pieces see our issue on Climate Change and Energy (Environmental Protection via Multilevel Governance by Jean Vilbert and Nuclear Energy in the EU by Rodrigo Guillermo Lozano).