Every tool shapes its users. The printing press changed how we read. Photography changed how we see. Artificial intelligence is changing the nature and purpose of expression. Artificial intelligence doesn’t just help us write, in fact, it is better when used to assist with writing. The use of AI as a tool, an editor, or a creative guide is becoming the norm. It reflects back how we think, what we value, and what we’re willing to outsource. This challenge asks you to explore the places in which the boundaries can and/or should overlap.
Awards
Winning students will be notified by email and will have their work published on the NEHS Museletter blog. All winning students will be candidates to receive Creative Challenge Champion prizes at the end of the year.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be NEHS student members enrolled in a school with an active NEHS chapter.
Submission Requirements
This Creative Challenge invites NEHS student members to use their own writing to examine this shift as people who are living through it.
Create an original work (of no more than 850 words) in any form (short story, essay, creative nonfiction, or another genre of your choosing) that explores what using AI as a writing tool reveals about what it means to be a student, reader, or thinker right now.
You must also upload a 150-word reflection of your creative choices and ethical stance.
Submission Process
- All submissions must be made via the NEHS AwardSpring platform during the Spring Awards Cycle.
- Student members must upload their text as a Microsoft Word file (.doc/.docx).
- They must upload their 150-word reflection on their creative choices and ethical positions as a Microsoft Word file (.doc/.docx).
- Applicants must complete demographic data questions prior to submitting their documentation.
- Applicants must include a 150-word (max.) third-person biography and high-resolution portrait photo.
- Applicants must agree that they are willing to provide a written report and photos detailing the impact the creative process and award has had on them, which can be used by NEHS to promote this and other opportunities in future years should they win an award.
Evaluation Process
All submissions will be evaluated by at least three members of the NEHS evaluation team.
All submissions will be evaluated against a rubric containing (but not limited to) the following categories:
- Depth and clarity of ethical reasoning
- Engagement with the themes of AI and writing
- Originality and insightfulness of ideas
- Effective use of chosen creative format (e.g., poem, short story, script)
- Quality of writing (clarity, style, grammar/mechanics)
- Clear explanation of creative choices
- Thoughtful reflection on ethical stance and intentions
AI & Writing Resources
Ethics and Society (The Partnership on AI)
Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (UNESCO)
Guidelines on AI in Academic Writing (Modern Language Association)
Definition of Literacy in a Digital Age (NCTE)
A new direction for students in an AI world: Prosper, prepare, protect (Brookings)
How do students use ChatGPT as a writing support? (Levine et al., 2024)
