Edition 2025-2026 — Olympes de la Parole Canada

2025-2026 Edition

Imagine an Artificial Intelligence for the common goods with an ethical use and an accountable digital governance...

Theme

Artificial Intelligence plays a key role in all aspects of gender equality and is among the six critical points of interest for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW). As the world shifts to a rapidly evolving digital economy, we postulate that technological advancements must benefit everyone equally. In this context, you, high school girls in Canada, will examine:

“ How can artificial intelligence and digital governance influence the empowerment of girls and women in specific fields in Canada?”

You will propose solutions to promote an inclusive and safe digital future.

Participating Institutions

Winners

First Prize

Team B from The Study School — Ashley Guan, April Sang Jia, Atenea Putterman, Xinyi Zhang, and Yixin Zhao — won First Prize in the Olympes de la Parole Canada 2026 school competition, valued at $2,500. The prize was generously sponsored by TeamWork Canada.

In addition to this major distinction, the jury awarded the team three special recognitions: Best Essay, Most Innovative Project, and a Special Mention for Outstanding Commitment to the VOOC School Competition.

Under the mentorship of Ms. Amalia Liogas and Ms. Maëlle Mathieu, the students developed a project entitled:

“SafeTrace: The Solution to Doxxing, Deepfakes and Online Violence Against Women in an Era of Ever-Evolving Technologies.”

The project combines an AI-powered application capable of detecting sensitive information in photographs — such as street signs, recognizable locations, and metadata — with six policy recommendations designed to promote responsible and transparent data management.

SafeTrace is particularly intended to support women leaving abusive relationships, while also raising awareness among all users about the risks associated with sharing content on social media.

Download their written report

The Project's video

Second prize

The EMSB Marymount Academy International team — Sanya Bucktawar, Quynh Anh Nguyen, Mei Lin Nicolae-Chu, Ranim Sleiman, and Xinyi — is the 2026 Second Prize winner of the Olympes de la Parole Canada school competition, receiving an award valued at $2,000.

The team also received two special jury distinctions: Best Project Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Health Inequalities and Best Project Using Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Prevention.

Under the mentorship of Ms. Dimitra Thomakos and Ms. Ahou Naomi Kouamé, the students developed a project entitled:

“Hope, Strength & Algorithms: The Future of Equitable Breast Cancer Screening.”

The team’s solution, ScreenPath, is a prototype AI-powered telemedicine platform designed to improve access to breast cancer screening. Conceived as a non-diagnostic support tool, it guides users step by step to help them better understand their eligibility for screening, locate a clinic, access reliable information, and prepare for a mammogram.

The project aims to reduce informational, linguistic, and administrative barriers to breast cancer screening, while placing strong emphasis on privacy, transparency, and human support.

Download their written report

The Project's video

Third Prize

Team A from The Study School — Alexandra Arfanis, Sophie Bergevin, Mariela Bouchard, Priya Kennedy, and Gabrielle Tessier — won Third Prize in the national edition of the Olympes de la Parole Canada 2026 school competition, receiving a $1,500 award.

The jury also recognized the relevance and quality of their work by awarding the team two special distinctions: Best Oral Presentation and Best Social Justice Project.

Under the supervision of Ms. Amalia Liogas, Ms. Maëlle Mathieu, and Ms. Kim Turcot diFruscia, the students developed a project entitled:

“MATLINKED: Facilitating Maternal Health for Indigenous Women in Rural Areas by Improving Access to Care.”

MATLINKED is a digital health application designed to improve access to maternal healthcare for Inuit women living in rural and northern regions of Quebec. Available in Inuktitut, French, and English, the platform provides reliable pregnancy-related resources, an AI-powered assistant, and direct connections to midwives and community-based services.

The project aims to empower women, preserve culturally rooted maternal health practices, and build stronger connections between Inuit knowledge and contemporary healthcare services.

Download their written report

The Project's video

Quatrième prix

The team from École Secondaire Mont-Royal — Rahma Ben Ftima, Seunghyeon Park, Rassile-Ayat Ibrahim, and Yelizavieta Pashchenko — won Fourth Prize in the national edition of the Olympes de la Parole Canada 2026 school competition, receiving a $1,000 award.

The jury also recognized the originality and ingenuity of their approach by awarding the team two special distinctions: Excellence in Language and Best Digital Justice Project.

Under the supervision of Mr. Franck Potwora and with the mentorship of Ms. Nesrine Chihani, the students developed a project entitled:

“Empowering Girls in the Education System Through the Integration of Artificial Intelligence.”

Their proposed solution, Atel’IA?, is a series of interactive workshops designed to help girls better understand and use artificial intelligence in a critical, creative, and responsible way. Through hands-on activities, participants learn how to identify bias, assess the reliability of AI-generated responses, and strengthen their digital skills.

The project aims to build girls’ confidence, independence, and interest in technology-related fields.

‍ Download their written report.

The Project's video.

The award ceremony in images

Salle de bal, Centre Universitaire, McGill
Salle et participants
TeamWork Canada: M. Marty Speech
CIBC remet les cadeaux aux mentors
CIBC remet les cadeaux aux enseignants
La Salle

Testimonials

“The research involved in Olympes de la Parole School Competition has given our team valuable lessons that will guide us throughout our lives. We have come to understand the significance of carefully collecting data and conducting thorough analysis, as this strengthens our argument to propose solution. This experience marks the beginning of our efforts to create positive change beyond the competition, as we believe our team has the potential to create lasting and meaningful change”.

The Study Team B, 2024-2025

“Our team has gained a deeper understanding of the Leaky Pipeline Phenomenon by exploring the challenges women face in STEM industries. This new knowledge helped us recognize and challenge situations where women are underestimated, by identifying root causes of the problem, and developing effective solutions. Throughout this experience, we have strengthened our research and writing skills while immersing ourselves in the world of women in STEM”.

EMSB- Marymount Academy International, Team B, 2024-2025

« Le concours scolaire Olympes de la Parole Canada nous a non seulement permis d’étendre nos connaissances sur les enjeux que rencontrent les femmes immigrantes en STIM, mais également de prendre part activement dans notre communauté. Ce concours nous a également inculqué des qualités, qui nous ont forgé pour le reste de notre vie. Par exemple, la capacité de travailler en équipe, d’effectuer des analyses critiques de données complexes, et une amélioration de notre pensée critique ».

Équipe du Collège Stanislas de Montréal, 2024-2025

“My participation in VOOC has played a major role in giving me the confidence and initiative I need for my future academic pursuits. I have recently graduated as an Honours Science student and a Marianopolis Scholar. This autumn, I will be heading to the University of Toronto to study in Engineering Sciences. Voices of Olympia Canada has given me the push I needed to engage in student initiatives, and I continued to be an active part of student life at Marianopolis, earning a prize for my contribution to STEM activities”.

2025- Shupeng Liu, VOOC Ambassador (2023-2025)

“Because of Olympes de la Parole Canada, we have learned teamwork, perseverance and how to analyze complex issues. Faced with the challenge of finding a creative solution for an issue that affect us all. We discovered new strengths and weaknesses in ourselves, we learned how to do research, write a research paper, make our own AI model and create promotional videos. We have acquired an array of skills that my team and I will use forward in future projects, in schools and in the workplace”.

The Study Team A, 2024-2025

“Throughout this project, we learned how important it is to dig into data in order to understand what we are examining. Gathering information and analysing it vividly is the key to understanding the bigger picture. It feels amazing to know that we are working on something that could make a real difference in how girls view themselves in the world of science, technology, engineering, and math”.

EMSB- Marymount Academy International, Team A, 2024-2025

The Voices of Olympia Canada competition provided us has provided us with a view into the world of innovation and brought out the civilian inside us, driving our desire for bringing a real change in the world. They provided us a supportive platform to analyze a challenge and develop solutions. Throughout this journey, we have learned how crucial it is to take advantage of opportunities, rise to challenges, and utilize all of the resources at our disposal. We learned resilience when we felt like giving up. We have acquired valuable life skills that will help us in our future careers and other situations.

R. E. Mountain, Secondary School Team A, 2024-2025

« Ma participation au concours scolaire et toutes les choses que j'ai apprises durant ce dernier m'ont vraiment permises de réussir à atteindre le domaine d'études de mes rêves et j'en suis donc très reconnaissante. J'ai donc complété le cursus du Baccalauréat du système français. J'entamerai des études de médecine à l'Université de Montréal à la rentrée scolaire 2025 ».

2025- Émilia Duval, Ambassadrice des ODPC (2023-2025)

Our Partners for the Award ceremony

Launching ceremony 2025-2026

École secondaire Mont-Royale
EMSB_Marymount Academy International
R.E. Mountain Secondary School.
R.E. Mountain Secondary School.
Dre. Kim Turcot Di Fruscia Ph.D.(Antropology) Deputy Head of The Study School.
Dre. Saôde Savary, Fondatrice et directrice generale des ODPC.
Mme. Biagina Mancini , Directrice Générale de Communauté | Région Montréal-Est | Services Bancaires Personnels |de la CIBC.
THE STUDY TEAM A.
THE STUDY TEAM B.