2026 Policy on Use of A.I.

2026 Policy Regarding Use of A.I.

For 2026, the contest committee has adopted the following policy regarding the use of A.I. in student submissions. All submissions must conform to the following policies, according to the submission's category. 

Use of A.I. in Art

Submitted artwork must be the creative expression of the student. Art wholly generated by A.I. is not a creative expression of the student. Students may include A.I.-generated images as an element in their own creative expressions, or may use generative A.I. in the creative process. However, any submission that utilizes A.I. in any capacity must include, in the artist statement, a complete description of:

• how A.I. was used; 

• a description of what portion of the submission was generated by A.I.; and 

• a copy of any prompt(s) used. 

Judges will be instructed to account for any use of A.I. when scoring. 

Use of A.I. in Writing

Submitted writing must be the creative expression of the student. Writing generated by A.I. is not a creative expression of the student. Students may not submit writing substantively generated by A.I. Students may submit their own writing technically reviewed by an A.I.-powered tool such as Grammarly. However, any submission that utilizes A.I. in any capacity must include, in the artist statement, a complete description of:

• how A.I. was used; 

• a description of what portion of the submission was edited by A.I.; and 

• a copy of any prompt(s) used.

Judges will be instructed to account for any use of A.I. when scoring. 

Additional Notes

These policies do not replace teachers’ own policies on the use of A.I. in their class assignments.

These general rules are subject to revision at any time.