Student Essay Contest Spring 2026

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (BKC) at Harvard University, in collaboration with Tech Policy Press (TPP), invites Harvard undergraduate and graduate students to share their perspectives on artificial intelligence and its implications for democracy and power, culture and creativity, and the future of work and learning.

Selected essays will be published on Tech Policy Press and cross-promoted by the Berkman Klein Center.

More information about the contest is detailed below. A recap of the info session about the contest can be found here.

Applications will be accepted until Sunday, March 22, 2026 @ 11:59 PM ET.

Writing Priorities

BKC’s Spring 2026 Essay Contest, hosted in collaboration with Tech Policy Press, focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and the ways in which AI systems intersect with power and the public interest, specifically understanding agency, trust, and governance in relation to AI. As AI systems become more capable, more autonomous, and more deeply embedded in public and private institutions, they reshape social, political, and economic structures and raise urgent questions about power, accountability, equity, and the human experience, including whose interests these systems ultimately serve. With this contest, the Berkman Klein Center and Tech Policy Press invite students to investigate how AI systems shape artificial intelligence and its implications for democracy and power, culture and creativity, and the future of work and learning.

Essay submissions will be accepted on the following topics:

• Agentic AI  - Students may explore how increasingly autonomous AI agents could transform technical, economic, or social systems by examining questions such as how we design, measure, and control agents that learn and act in open-ended environments; what happens when many agents interact (e.g., cooperating, competing, and/or forming unexpected coalitions); and how agentic AI might change everyday life, work, education, or personal relationships. Submissions may draw on technical analysis, speculative scenarios, case studies, or personal experience to examine how agentic AI systems are built, governed, implemented, and lived with.
• AI, Power, and Democratic Systems -  Students may examine how AI may alter political, economic, and social institutions. This may include questions related to accountability, influence, and governance, public discourse and trust, institutional readiness, and power dynamics. Submissions may also explore reforms, perseverance, and resilience. Submissions may draw from civic, institutional, or personal contexts to examine how these systems influence power, collective decision-making, and civic life.
• AI and the Lived Experience - Students may explore how AI is influencing core tenets of our lived experience as humans, including relationships and genuine connection; cognitive capacity; creativity, spirituality and faith; and social‑emotional development. Writing may draw from personal experiences, peer interactions, or broader social changes, and may consider how to uphold our dignity, agency, creativity, and connection, and prevent their erosion.
• AI in Student Life, Learning, and Communities - Students may reflect on how AI is shaping their daily experiences in academic, social, and personal contexts. Writing may explore how these tools influence learning, study habits, peer dynamics, campus culture, well‑being, or the ways institutions experiment with or introduce new technologies. Personal observations, lived experiences, and perspectives on how AI affects expectations, opportunities, pressures, or community life are all appropriate.
• Labor, Employment, and Career Transitions in the AI Era - Students may address how AI is transforming  work, markets, or economic opportunity. This may include questions about automation, hiring practices, and changing skill demands. Writing may draw from personal experiences such as internships, career anxieties, or navigating the job market.
• Ethics, Bias, and Societal Harms in Technology - Students may examine how technological systems create or reinforce ethical risks, inequities, or forms of harm in society. Writing may explore issues such as biased datasets, unfair or opaque decision‑making, unequal access, surveillance, or how institutional choices affect different communities. Students may draw on personal experiences, case examples, or observations of how technology shapes fairness, safety, and social outcomes.
• Understanding and Evaluating AI Systems  - Students may examine how AI models are built, tested, and assessed. This may include questions about agentic AI, data quality, benchmarking, model accuracy, system limitations, or issues of transparency. Writing may draw from personal experience using AI tools, observing how different testing conditions influence results, or comparing how different systems work.

Timeline

Essay Requirements & Eligibility

Please review the full application for complete requirements. Key points include:

• Word count: 800–1,500 words
• Topic: Must align with the contest’s writing priority topics (see above)
• Style and format: Follow the Tech Policy Press contributor  guidelines (see “What We’re Looking For” and “Audience and Writing Style”). Please note that TPP does not publish academic papers or reports, so please avoid academic formatting, extensive footnotes, or complicated datasets.
• Eligibility: You must be a currently enrolled Harvard student. Student fellows and cross‑enrolled students from other institutions are not eligible.
• Use of class work: You may adapt or expand class work, but submissions must follow the essay contest guidelines and comply with your school’s honor or academic code (e.g., Harvard College Honor Code, HKS Academic Code).

Apply Now

About the Organizers

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University exists to make sense of the digital environment and ensure that it promotes human agency, dignity and genuine connection. Since its founding in 1996, BKC has gathered and supported cutting-edge, interdisciplinary scholars, builders, and practitioners whose research and creations, both technological and institutional, have been fundamental to our collective understanding of the evolving digital environment and shaping its trajectory.

Tech Policy Press is a nonprofit media and community venture dedicated to exploring the intersection of technology and democracy. It publishes essays, analysis, and podcasts that bring together scholars, policymakers, technologists, and advocates to examine how technology shapes society and how it can be governed in the public interest. Its publication reaches a global readership of researchers, journalists, and decision makers who work on issues of technology policy, ethics, and governance. 
 

Questions? Email studentengagement@cyber.harvard.edu. Please note that questions are answered during traditional business hours (9:00-5:00 pm, M-F).