AI literacy means helping people understand, use, question, and navigate AI in ways that matter in their real lives.

And your project can be for anyone.

For example:

• 🎒 AI literacy for my Grade 8 classmates — create a game, website or activity about using AI for school responsibly.
• 🌎 AI literacy for Afghan newcomers — curate free multilingual resources or run a series of practical workshops.
• ♿ AI literacy for youth with disabilities — test which AI tools improve accessibility and create an easy-to-use guide.
• 👵 AI literacy for seniors — teach how to recognize AI scams, deepfakes, or misinformation.
• 💼 AI literacy for young job seekers — show how AI can help with work while explaining privacy and responsible use.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 AI literacy for parents — create a simple guide to what young people are actually doing with AI.
• 🇨🇦 AI literacy for the general public — explain one confusing AI topic or a skill in plain language.

And you do not need to build new AI technology.

Your contribution could be as simple—or ambitious—as:

🎥 curating the best free YouTube videos and learning resources
🎮 creating a game, quiz, or gamified learning activity
📚 building a “start here” collection of the best free AI resources
🎤 running a workshop or community session
📱 creating videos, social posts, or an infographic series
🔎 researching what your community actually wants to learn
🛡️ creating resources about privacy, deepfakes, bias, scams, or AI safety
💻 designing a website, chatbot, or other digital tool

Who do you want to help become more confident and informed about AI — and what would actually work for them?

That question then naturally leads into 

Track 1: Ideas & Insights 

and Track 2: Community Projects.

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it.

Great ideas deserve support — and outstanding work deserves national recognition.

The GLOCAL National Youth AI Literacy Challenge 2026–27 will recognize youth who develop practical, creative and community-informed ways to strengthen AI literacy across Canada.

Awards are separate from GLOCAL's need-based project subsidy. You do not need to receive project funding to qualify for an award.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the Challenge. Cash awards are reserved for eligible Canadian youth-led projects. Youth are eligible if they are ages 12–30 either at the time of application or by the time their project is completed.

The Challenge's top overall recognition.

Awarded to an exceptional project demonstrating a strong combination of usefulness, quality, creativity, responsible implementation, community benefit, learning and potential for others to build on the work.

For the project that brings an especially original, imaginative or unexpected approach to strengthening AI literacy.

Creativity could appear in the idea, format, audience, delivery method, technology, storytelling or way the project solves a problem.

For a project demonstrating particularly meaningful community benefit and real-world impact.

Impact is not measured only by the number of people reached. We will also consider the depth of benefit, relevance to the community, evidence of learning or change, and significance of the project within its context.

For an outstanding project designed to make AI literacy more accessible to people who may otherwise face barriers to participation.

Projects might address barriers related to:

• disability or accessibility 
• language 
• age 
• income 
• geography 
• digital access 
• educational background 
• cultural or community context 
• previous experience with technology 

For an outstanding AI literacy project created with, for or in a rural, remote or northern Canadian community. Projects will be recognized for understanding local realities and developing approaches that are practical, relevant and responsive to the community they serve.

For a young participant who demonstrates exceptional determination, commitment and resilience in bringing a project to completion while navigating meaningful challenges or barriers. The purpose of this award is to recognize effort in context — not to require participants to publicly disclose private or sensitive circumstances.

For outstanding use of research, data, consultation or evidence to deepen understanding of AI literacy.

Projects might include:

• original research 
• surveys or interviews 
• data analysis 
• community needs assessments 
• policy research 
• comparative studies 
• evaluation of existing AI literacy resources 
• evidence-based recommendations 

For the project that creates an especially effective and engaging way for people to learn about, understand or use AI.

This could include a:

• workshop 
• lesson 
• game 
• simulation 
• toolkit 
• activity 
• peer-learning model 
• educational resource 
• community learning experience 

We are interested in what actually helps people learn, not simply how polished the final product looks.

For an outstanding digital or technology-enabled approach to AI literacy.

Projects might include:

• websites 
• interactive tools 
• learning platforms 
• quizzes 
• chatbots 
• apps 
• digital games 
• resource finders 
• accessibility tools 
• prototypes 

Advanced coding is not required. A thoughtful, well-tested prototype can be just as valuable as a completed technical product.

For outstanding work helping people understand the ethical, safety and responsible-use dimensions of AI.

Projects may explore topics such as:

• privacy and personal information 
• AI bias and discrimination 
• misinformation and deepfakes 
• AI-enabled scams and fraud 
• copyright 
• academic integrity 
• AI involving children and youth 
• AI in hiring or workplaces 
• transparency 
• accountability 
• human oversight 
• when AI should — and should not — be used 

Selected through public voting among eligible finalist projects.

Finalists will have an opportunity to share their work with Canadians through GLOCAL's digital platforms and public project showcase.

Voting will be subject to GLOCAL's verification and fair-participation rules.

Selected projects may also be featured through:

• GLOCAL national showcases 
• public digital project galleries 
• social media and public voting 
• youth recommendations and case studies 
• future reports and publications 
• knowledge-mobilization activities with educators, community organizations and decision-makers 

Across all Challenge projects, GLOCAL wants to explore one larger question:

What actually works when different people and communities try to strengthen AI literacy?
 

What you build — including what succeeds, what does not, and what you learn along the way — can become useful knowledge for others across Canada.