EngineerTeen Writing Contest

1. Theme

Train an AI robot to become a safe, fair, and helpful member of your learning community.

Students are asked to imagine receiving a brand-new AI robot that learns by observing people, recognizing patterns, and responding to feedback. They must explain how they would train the robot to perform useful tasks in a real learning environment, such as a school, library, or after-school program.

The challenge is to explore how AI learns, what mistakes or biases it might develop, and how humans can guide it to behave safely and fairly.

2. Submission Requirements

Participants must submit two components:

1. Written Narrative: Describe the robot’s capabilities, what it needs to learn, how it learns from its environment, potential mistakes or biases, and strategies for improving its behavior. Students should also consider ethical issues such as fairness, privacy, and safety.
2. Storyboard: Create 4–10 illustrated panels showing the robot’s learning journey, including observation, mistakes, feedback, and improvement. Hand-drawn or digital illustrations are accepted, and artistic ability is not part of the judging criteria.

3. Grade Categories and the Written Narrative Prompts

• Grades 3–4: What happens in my learning place every day? (800 words limit)
• Grades 5-6: What patterns would a robot see if it watched my class/activity every day? (1000 words limit)
• Grades 7-9: What might a robot notice that a human would understand differently? (1200 words limit)
• Grades 10-12: What are the tricky or unfair situations a robot might misunderstand in real life? (1200 words limit)

Students in Grades 7–12 must also include references in APA format, with up to eight sources permitted.

4. Prizes

Prizes are awarded separately for each grade category, and winning entries will be published on the EngineerTeen website.

• First-place winners will be awarded $1,000.
• Second-place entries will be awarded $750.
• Third-place entries will be awarded $500.