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First Annual Alternative Chronicle Winners Announced
May brought the successful conclusion to another innovative EB initiative, the Alternative Chronicles (Chroniques Alternatives) contest, an international, multi-school, classroom-led AI competition, jointly developed by EB Middle School Head, Fabien Lombard and his French counterpart, Paul Fermon, history-geography teacher at Raynouard High School in France.
After consideration by a diverse 11-member jury of educators, technologists and artists, three grand prize winners were chosen from 16 finalists. The second edition of the contest is already scheduled to launch in October 2024, promising another exciting opportunity for innovative educational projects from next year's students.
After consideration by a diverse 11-member jury of educators, technologists and artists, three grand prize winners were chosen from 16 finalists. The second edition of the contest is already scheduled to launch in October 2024, promising another exciting opportunity for innovative educational projects from next year's students.
The contest was announced in April, and received widespread international interest. In its first edition, the contest saw participation from 16 secondary and higher education institutions. Each institution submitted a selection of five student projects, culminating in 16 finalist projects. These projects were reviewed by a jury of 11 distinguished members throughout May. The students' creativity and innovation left a lasting impression on the jury.
The award ceremony, held on Friday, May 31, took place simultaneously in Brignoles and Berkeley (Read coverage here). The event featured a number of notable attendees, including US Consul, General Jessica Huaracayo and historian, Raphaël Doan, alongside other distinguished guests. Many participating teachers attended in person or via video, adding to the event's significance.
2024 Alternative Chronicles Jury
Raphaël Doan, historian and magistrate, author of If Rome Had Not Fallen
François Daubet, Lead Open World Designer at Playstation
Johwell Saint-Cilien, Executive Director @ NegusWorld.org, Filmmaker
Alexandre M. Bayen, Associate Provost for Moffett Field Program Development at UC Berkeley, and the Liao-Cho Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley
Marie-Astrid Deweerdt and Olivier Pingal, digital experts in history-geography at the Ministry
Jean-Claude Nicolas, history-geography inspector of the Nice Academy
Stéphane Cozzo, director of Canva Education France
Ludovic Chevassus, executive committee member of the Les Clionautes association
Fabien Lombard, principal of the Berkeley Bilingual School, contest creator
Paul Fermon, history-geography teacher at Raynouard High School, contest creator
François Daubet, Lead Open World Designer at Playstation
Johwell Saint-Cilien, Executive Director @ NegusWorld.org, Filmmaker
Alexandre M. Bayen, Associate Provost for Moffett Field Program Development at UC Berkeley, and the Liao-Cho Professor of Engineering at UC Berkeley
Marie-Astrid Deweerdt and Olivier Pingal, digital experts in history-geography at the Ministry
Jean-Claude Nicolas, history-geography inspector of the Nice Academy
Stéphane Cozzo, director of Canva Education France
Ludovic Chevassus, executive committee member of the Les Clionautes association
Fabien Lombard, principal of the Berkeley Bilingual School, contest creator
Paul Fermon, history-geography teacher at Raynouard High School, contest creator
Grand Winners Prize Announced
- Middle School Category: Paul, a 9th grader at Carcès Middle School, won for his project Archéomag. The formal plausibility of this Roman mosaic particularly caught Raphaël Doan's attention. Its uchronian nature is not immediately apparent, despite its simplicity.
- High School Category: Lény, a vocational sales student at Raynouard High School, won for his project Superstar. This creation diverges significantly from the approach of If Rome Had Not Fallen, yet it was chosen for its reinterpretation of uchronian technique in a communication context, serving a great cause. The visual impact of the image and layout particularly impressed the contest sponsor.
- Higher Education Category: Xiaoting and Andréa, FLE students at Aix-Marseille University, won for their project Ming Porcelain. This work achieved unanimous acclaim and exemplifies the potential of generative AI. It stands as a masterpiece, reflecting the creativity fostered through the contest.
Finalist Projects Available for Viewing
The 16 finalist projects and the three winning projects are available for viewing here. High-definition documents suitable for poster printing can be obtained by contacting Fabien Lombard at flombard@eb.org.
Looking Ahead to Future Editions
The success of this first edition of the Alternative Chronicles contest was made possible by the dedication of all participating teachers and students. The second edition of the contest is already scheduled to launch in October 2024, promising another exciting opportunity for innovative educational projects.
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