Winners announced for 2026 Geoff Lealand Student Challenge 

The subject of the student challenge this year was:

AI in media: should we use generative AI to create content?

After much deliberation, our judges take great pleasure in announcing the winner of this year’s Geoff Lealand Student Challenge is Poppy Sparrow from Solway College in Masterton.

Poppy wrote a poem titled hands pressed into walls that the judges said was beautifully written, truly moving, and heartfelt.

The judges wrote “Poppy’s poem shows what it means when AI steals our creative work, takes away our humanity, and people’s future. Powerful and persuasive, it is well constructed and considers the topic in an imaginative way.”

Poppy wins $1,000 for first prize. Here’s the link to Poppy’s winning entry.

This year there are four runners-up, each winning $250. They are Nicholas Klein from Macleans College in Auckland, Sophie Howse from Rangiora High School in Canterbury, Claire Stanley from Havelock North High School, and Marco Keopraserth from Fraser High School in Hamilton.

Nicholas Klein’s video can be viewed here. The judges said it was well-argued, clever, hilarious and ironic. The judges wrote “We’re blown away by the thought put into this piece, and how they use humour and handle complexity while still taking a moral stance”.

Sophie Howse also wrote a poem. Titled AI, the judge’s wrote that Sophie’s poem is beautiful, powerful and clever. She manages to capture well aspects of AI and what we lose when machines take over. Click here to read. 

Claire Stanley’s video Deb on the Web is a breath of fresh air, the judges wrote. “Very funny, quirky and interesting mockumentary about the evil generative AI vs a real life artist. Great use of satire with the AI psychosis teen interview. Humorous illustration of AI theft with "stealing candy from a baby" scene. Claire and the team’s video can be viewed here.

Marco Keopraserth’s entry My Thoughts on Generative Artificial Intelligence is a nicely argued and researched essay that is succinct and personal but uses good examples and details to back up the argument. Good analysis and clearly written. Marco’s essay can be read here. 

There were many other great entries from students around Aotearoa. The judges want to particularly congratulate:

• Daisy Filby from Nayland College in Nelson for an essay that nicely captures the problem with so-called AI creativity.
• Harrison Xiao from Westlake Boys High School in Auckland for an immaculately presented photo gallery. 
• Andrei Nabong from Ormiston Senior College for an excellent piece of satire.
• Suhani Sehrawat from Orewa College in Auckland for a spoken 'poem' that made a lot of very strong points.
• Xanthe Maugham from Havelock North High School for a captivating, disturbing and truly creative animation.
• Joshua Blayney from Westlake Boys High School in Auckland for a very well-written and argued essay.
• Te Eva Tonorio from Pukekohe High School for an interesting essay that introduces the idea of 'cognitive offloading'.

The judges want to thank every student who entered the challenge for giving it a go. They were impressed with the quality of entries and the awareness and consideration all students who entered showed about the subject.