Topical Talk Festival

The world's biggest news festival for young people.

What are Topical Talk Festivals?

The chance for school children to connect with peers across the world, engage with leading professionals and topic experts and gain recognition for their school on a global stage.

Festivals are global discussions that bring students and expert voices together to tackle the biggest issues of our time – from racism and equity to sustainability and the climate crisis. Each one is packed with thought-provoking classroom activities, online events and awards that celebrate young people’s ideas and curiosity.

Topical Talk Festival takes place between January 19th and March 13th 2026.

Explore the discussions

What happens during a Festival?

  • Facilitate a classroom discussion for one hour per week

    Select and teach a one-hour lesson on a different topic in the news each week. Our Topical Talk Festival resources provide everything you need to start engaging classroom discussions.

  • Encourage students to join global discussions on a safe online platform

    After each lesson, students log on to the Festival Student Hub to share their ideas and opinions with other students from all over the world. Explore the discussions from Topical Talk Festival 2025.

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    Engage with events and topic experts

    Students can ask questions to topic experts, take part in live lessons and are supported in their online discussions by volunteers from several corporate organisations.

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    Help students have their say

    In the last few weeks of the Festival, students select a topic they have discussed to create their own Standpoint. A Standpoint is an opinion piece in written, audio or video format. Standpoints are entered into the Standpoint competition. See our 2025 winners.

How do I run the Festival in my school?

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    Week 1: January 19th

    Attend the live online launch event on January 19th at 10am or 2pm (GMT)
    Students complete activities on the online Student Hub.

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    Weeks 2-5: January 26th-February 20th

    Teach one 60-minute lesson on a different topical issue each week.
    After each lesson, students join the global discussion on the online Student Hub.

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    Week 6: February 23rd

    Teach the Standpoint lesson to prepare students for their final piece of work.
    Students draft their Standpoint and complete reflection activities on the Student Hub.

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    Week 7-8: March 2nd-13th

    Students submit their Standpoints on the Student Hub and winners are announced.


Who can take part in the Festival?

The Festival is suitable for students aged 10-16 with B2 or above level English. The Festival prioritises students from underserved backgrounds. For state/non-fee-paying schools, Topical Talk Festival costs £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students. The price is adjusted (+/-) depending on your type of school. Some fully subsidised places are available.

To participate in the Festival, schools must provide students with internet-connected devices and set aside time each week to teach the lessons and use the Student Hub (around 90 minutes).

How do I sign-up?

Registrations for the 2026 Festival are open! Fill out the Expression of interest form to learn more.

Express interest