Comic-AI Challenge: Russian Students Use Neural Networks to Create Digital Comics
The Comic-AI Challenge dares students to learn programming basics and use artificial intelligence to craft their own comics—within just a few weeks. It sounds ambitious, but a team of experts is making it possible.
Blank Page, Big Ideas
The all-Russian Comic-AI Challenge invites high school students (grades 8–11) and vocational college students to create comic books using artificial intelligence tools.
What makes this competition unique is that no prior coding experience is required. All necessary skills—Python basics, AI and machine learning principles, computer vision—are taught during the event. The educational program ends with a hands-on creative phase, where students apply their new skills to design a digital comic.
In the final round, participants will either build their own neural network or use existing AI systems to bring their stories to life. The event is entirely online and the prize pool is 100,000 rubles, and selected comics will be published by Russian publishers. The educational phase ends August 31, followed by the creative stage from September 1 to 20. Winners will be announced by September 29. All graduates receive certificates and qualify for bonus prize drawings.
Teaching the Future to Code
This initiative aligns with Russia’s national 'Data Economy and Digital Transformation' program, launched this year. High-level AI fluency is seen as an essential skill for the future workforce.
Experts warn that the accelerating pace of AI development will outstrip the supply of qualified professionals. That’s why it’s critical to teach students how to work with AI tools while they’re still in school.
Earlier national programs laid the foundation. Python and AI-powered regional hackathons have already engaged students across Russia. In 2022, the 'Young Programmer' contest in Moscow trained high schoolers on real-world IT tasks. Moscow State University (MSU) followed with its 'AI for Youth' challenge.
Comic-AI Challenge follows that same trajectory—but with a creative twist. It fuses coding with storytelling, motivating young people to see AI not just as a technical tool, but as a means of personal expression and future opportunity.
A Vision for Global Growth
Organizers believe this contest could evolve into a national program and even expand internationally. Its educational modules could be incorporated into mainstream school curricula as an introduction to artificial intelligence and visual storytelling.
A further benefit: building a youth community of AI-savvy designers, trained in tools for digital illustration and augmented reality. Organizers say this hands-on creativity will lay the foundation for sustained interest—and careers—in next-gen technologies.
