Girls in 2026: A life in robotics and AI
This year’s theme provides an opportunity to explore the role girls might play in a future shaped by robotics and AI. Girls in 2026: A Life in Robotics and AI invites you to imagine or discuss how technology could influence learning, careers, and everyday life. Think about the possibilities ahead and how girls might help design, lead, and shape this exciting technological future.
The Writing Brief
We want you to write a piece of fiction/prose, no more than 1000 words exploring the theme from your own perspective- you have free rein to interpret this how you like.
Submissions are now open – but only until Friday 1 May 2026!
Read on for the competition rules and how to enter.
Judging Criteria
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
- originality
- creativity
- writing style
Meet Our Judge
Joyce Efia Harmer
Joyce Efia’s debut novel How Far We’ve Come was first published in May 2023 to wide critical acclaim. She has a BA in English Language and Literature from King’s College London. Joyce has taught English in Italy and Australia and more recently in a busy London comprehensive. In 2016 Joyce was selected as one of six to take part in the Megaphone Writers’ Scheme to support diverse voices in literature. In 2017 she was selected as a finalist in Penguin’s WriteNow scheme.
The Process
Entries will be judged by the official GSA Writing Award judges of 2026, there will be no sifting.
The judge’s decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
A longlist will be chosen of six entries from both the junior and senior submissions. Announced the week commencing the 25 May.
A shortlist will be chosen of three entries. Announced the week commencing the 1 June.
One junior winner and one senior winner will be unveiled at the GSA’s Summer Briefing on 15 June.
Longlisted, shortlisted, and winning writers will be publicised over GSA’s owned media channels, and winners will be invited to participate in the Summer Briefing event (details to be agreed).
Submission to this competition assumes that pupils and their guardians have agreed to the publicity of them and their work in the public domain and GSA member schools are requested to have all permissions in place for this.
The shortlisted entries will also be invited to make a video recording of themselves reading their shortlisted entry.
Prizes to be announced soon…
Winning entries will also be on display at GSA’s prestigious Summer Briefing in London at BMA House on 15 June.
Competition Rules
- Girls in all GSA Full member schools and Associate Member schools are invited to take part in the competition.
- Entries are free.
- You can choose to work in a team of up to 4 students if you wish. A team member may not also submit an individual entry.
- Entries must be via the official online entry form with a link to a pdf of your work or you can send files via WeTransfer. Save the document as name, title, school.
- Only one entry per student / team will be accepted.
- Please include Student’s name(s), age, and school on your submission.
- Please include a title for your submission.
- Only one entry per team allowed.
- Entries must be your own original work.
- Entries must be submitted no later than Friday 1 May.
- A supervising teacher’s email address will be required for submission.
