AI - gateway to explore cultural heritage for students in Latvia

On April 16, the competition "National Museum online catalogue Digital Story Competition" concluded with an awards ceremony at the If Insurance headquarters. The event was organized by the Culture Information Systems Centre in cooperation with the Latvian Information and Communication Technologies Association as part of Digital Week 2026 and the Code4Europe project. The aim of the competition was to encourage students to explore and interpret Latvia's cultural heritage in a creative and modern way, using digital solutions and storytelling.

Competition was organized for two age groups—middle school students (grades 7 to 9) and high school students (grades 10 to 12). It focused on a non-formal, CSR-based approach to encourage young people to explore Latvia’s national cultural heritage through the meaningful use of AI tools. Students applied storytelling by developing videos that combine historical research, personal perspectives, and digital creativity, making Latvia’s cultural heritage more accessible and relevant to their peers and wider society.

The final event brought together the winners of the competition from various regions of Latvia, along with organizers and supporters. During the event, participants had the opportunity to gain insight into know the If Insurance work environment, participate in an interactive game, present their projects and receive awards.

During the event, participants listened to inspirational speakers sharing their experience stories about the importance of creative thinking in both life and career. Additionally, they were introduced to the Code Week initiative "Careers in Digital", which invites everyone to take the Tech skills test to discover the most suitable IT profession for them.

The projects were evaluated by a competent jury representing If Insurance, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Artificial Intelligence Centre, the Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association and the Culture Information Systems Centre.

The winners of the competition

1st Place In both age groups (Grades 7–9 and 10–12): Liepāja Oskars Kalpaks Secondary School teams “BitBanda”and “E‑ntuziastes”

2nd Place

• Grades 7–9: Jelgava State Gymnasium team “Kultūras glābēji”

• Grades 10–12: Jānis Eglītis Preiļi State Gymnasium team “AKA”

3rd Place – Riga City Central Humanitarian Secondary School team “Krūžuki”

4th Place – Riga City Central Humanitarian Secondary School team “Ceļa gājēji”

5th Place – Riga Secondary School No. 84 team “Tēvzemes sargi”

Special thanks were expressed to the teachers whose support, inspiration, and professional guidance encouraged students to participate in the competition.

The "National Museum online catalogue Digital Story Competition" demonstrated that young people are able to use digital technologies in a creative, purposeful, and confident manner to highlight the importance of cultural heritage in modern society, while simultaneously strengthening their digital skills and interest in national culture.

The competition and evaluation was organized involving multistakeholders partnerships and the organizers thank the supporters and jury of the competition: If Insurance, Ventspils Science Centre VIZIUM, TestDevLab, Latvian National Museum of History, State Digital Development Agency.

The event was organised within the Code4Europe project and these activities are funded by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), project No. 101158834 — Code4Europe. In Latvia, the Code4Europe project is implemented by the Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association.

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