- On October 21, 2026, The Guardian reported the official launch in France of the Prix Pascal de Littérature IA, a literary prize for fictional works co-written by humans and AI. The winning work will be published.
- The organizers are accepting unpublished French-language manuscripts between 10,000 and 50,000 words. Authors from any country are eligible to enter.
- A distinctive requirement is that entrants must disclose the AI models and prompts used during the writing process. The prize accepts ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, LLaMA, and other large language models.
- Beyond being fictional, submissions must contribute to addressing ethical, social, or ecological issues that threaten humanity.
- The prize is named after Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and philosopher, and was founded by three technology entrepreneurs: Philippe Rodriguez, Albin Serviant, and Gilles Mentré.
- The competition comes amid controversy surrounding the use of AI by authors shortlisted for or associated with several prestigious literary prizes, including the Commonwealth, Caine, and Goncourt awards.
- Submissions close at the end of November 2026. A jury of five to six experts will select 10 works for the shortlist and announce the winner in early December 2026.
📌 The Prix Pascal represents a new approach to AI in literary creation. Rather than excluding works that use AI, the prize recognizes human–technology co-authorship while requiring transparency about the tools and methods used to produce the content. It opens up broader discussions about the role of authors, originality, intellectual property rights, and the criteria for evaluating literary quality in the age of generative AI.
