W&M to participate in Entente Cordiale Day Challenge on Artificial Intelligence, Power and Ethics

The Entente Cordiale University Challenge has selected William & Mary to be in the first cohort of U.S. universities to participate. An annual Franco-British student summit and competition commemoratingthe signing of the 1904 Entente Cordiale, the Challenge is held under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III and President Emmanuel Macron, and seeks to inspire, equip and nurture the next generation of leaders by connecting some of the brightest young minds with influential leaders, prestigious institutions and enduring traditions. The topic this year is Artificial Intelligence, Power and Ethics. The Challenge is held alternately in France and the UK, and the presentations by finalists and awarding of the Entente Cordiale prizes will be held in London in April 2027.

Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence and to celebrate the pivotal role played by France in America’s fight for freedom, the Entente Cordiale University Challenge opened their platform to a select group of leading American universities to reinforce the Challenge’s transatlantic, historical and global dimension in its mission of academic excellence, civic education and the transmission of shared heritage. Their purpose is also to show how alliance, sacrifice, diplomacy and shared purpose helped shape America’s birth and the Declaration of Independence itself—lessons that remain essential at a time of profound global uncertainty.

William & Mary will join George Washington University, the University of Virginia, Lafayette College, Columbia University and the University of Alabama in the 2026-2027 challenge.

Participating institutions comprise distinguished British and French universities, including the London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s College London, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Sorbonne University, École Polytechnique, and Sciences Po Paris.

Strategic guidance and oversight of the student-directed challenge are provided by a Supervisory Board and an International Advisory Board, composed of senior figures from law, finance, academia, public institutions and international affairs. These bodies advise on strategic direction and institutional positioning.

The competition consists of teams of three students from any discipline that will form this fall to research, draft and submit a 5,000-word paper in January 2027. The top ten submissions from each country will be announced in February, and the finalists will be invited to present their work before the international Grand Jury at the 2027 Entente Cordiale Day Summit, taking place on April 7-8. Detailed information about the application and competition as well as opportunities for guidance in the process will also be shared with students across the university in early September.

Reves Center Entente Cordiale Leadership Internship

The Leadership Team of Entente Cordiale is supported by a network of students across the university network, who contribute to the work of the initiative and represent it within their respective institutions. 

A William & Mary student will have the opportunity to join their peers from leading universities in France and the United Kingdom and U.S. on the leadership team to conceive, organize and represent joint academic and cultural initiatives. 

Students will be invited to apply for a year-long Reves Center Entente Cordiale Leadership Internship, which will include a $2,000 stipend for the year ($1,000 for each semester.) An announcement with details and how to apply will be sent out later in August.

Questions about the Challenge may be directed to Kate Hoving, Associate Director of International Communications at the Reves Center, kjhoving@wm.edu.

More information about the Entente Cordiale Challenge is online.