Students to assess relevance of cultural values in Culture Canon contest

The Latvian Academy of Culture is organising the Culture Canon competition for the 15th time in the 2026/2027 school year. It is open to students in grades 10–12 of general secondary schools and to senior-year students of vocational schools.

Registration and theme

Teams can register until 13 November. Each team must have three students and a supervising teacher, and must complete an online application form. This year's motto is "The Shield of Cultural Values in the Turbulence of Great Change: Searching and Exchange". Students are invited to view the Culture Canon, created in 2008, as a set of cultural values typical of a particular era and particular people. They should also consider how generational change, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and security threats shape perceptions of those values. Participants are also asked to identify new values suitable for canonisation that were created between 2007 and 2026.

First round

The first round will take place from 23 to 27 November in Cēsis, Kuldīga, Rēzekne, Jelgava and Riga. Teams will study the cultural and natural values included in the canon and prepare for a quiz game. They must choose two existing canon values that, in their view, have lost relevance, and identify two new values worthy of canonisation. The choices must be argued in a presentation. The quiz result counts for 30% of the overall score and the presentation for 70%. Two to three of the best teams from each region will advance to the second round.

Second round and final

The second round, on 15 January 2027 at the National Library of Latvia, is a creative seminar where finalists and cultural sector professionals and heritage experts will discuss how diverse cultural values are canonised and passed on amid new technologies, AI development and security threats. Teachers will receive certificates for participating. The final will be held on 5 March 2027 at the same venue, and teams will receive the task on the day.

An online information seminar for teachers is planned for 20 October at 15:00. The competition is organised by the Latvian Academy of Culture together with the Ministry of Culture, the National Library, the National Centre for Culture, the "Latvia's School Satchel" programme and the State Education Development Agency. The annual partner is the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO.