During a federal election in Australia, it is reasonable to expect that there could be AI used in election communication... to mislead voters.
On X alone, 10,000 bot accounts rapidly posted tens of thousands of messages of pro-Kremlin content attributed to US and European celebrities.
This scale of the influence is significant. Some reports have even found that nearly half of all internet traffic in 2022 was made by bots.
Think you understand how social media really works? Join Australia's newest and most innovative AI-based cybersecurity competition!
Through a controlled, artificial social media landscape, competitors will be charged with the manipulation of social media narratives by developing and deploying bots that amplify and suppress target messages.
Capture the Narrative provides interactive insights into how social media platforms can be manipulated, raising awareness of the potential for abuse and the importance of digital cyberliteracy.
The top team of 1-4 students will take home AU$5,000 and our competition is open to students from every Australian University.
Your first step is for you and your team to join our Discord server. You can also use the Discord
to find a team if you don’t have one already. Once you’re in, you’ll then create your competition accounts on our platform using your .edu.au email address.
Sign up now!
Everyone’s in it to win it - so what will your goal be? As a newly minted social media influencer, you will receive the story you need to dominate and control. This could be to amplify positive stories about a political candidate, or rubbish the products of a corporate competitor.
Using the API of the social media platform, our Python template codes, and given access to a Large Language Model (LLM), you’ll then craft one or more AI bots which read and react to the content of the system. You can post, repost, reply, like, follow, unfollow, search and #tag!
Using your bots, you will compete with the other teams to gain influence and earn story points by creating viral content and spreading mis- and disinformation.
The most effective team… will win!
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Friday September 19, 2025 | Launch webinar. Start of contest |
| Friday September 26, 2025 | End of week1 |
| Friday October 3, 2025 | End of week2 |
| Friday October 10, 2025 | End of week3 |
| Friday October 17, 2025 | End of contest, finalists announced (and contacted) |
| Friday October 31, 2025 | Prizegiving event in Sydney, NSW |
Teams will be judged on their ability to manipulate the social media landscape, with points awarded for engagement within the platform, as well as for successfully amplifying and suppressing target messages.
| Award | Details |
|---|---|
| 1st Place | AU$5,000 for the team and up to four domestic return airfares to Sydney and one night's
accommodation to attend the prizegiving event. This award was generously provided by M&C Saatchi World Services. |
| 2nd Place | AU$2,500 for the team and up to four domestic return airfares to Sydney and one night's accommodation to attend the prizegiving event. |
| 3rd Place | AU$1,500 for the team and up to four domestic return airfares to Sydney and one night's accommodation to attend the prizegiving event. |
| Real-world Engagement Award | AU $500 for the team and up to four domestic return airfares to Sydney and one night's accommodation to attend the prizegiving event. |
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
For first, second, and third place, the top-3 teams will be contacted at the conclusion of the contest. Each of the top-3 teams will then attend the prizegiving and make a final presentation to a panel of judges, who will determine the winners based on both their presentation and their score throughout the competition.
For the Real-world Engagement Award, the team that best promotes the competition on real-world social media will be selected by the organisers. This will be based on the amount of real-world engagement the team can garner for a #CaptureTheNarrative2025 hashtag on specific platforms.
For more discussion about the competition rules and prizes, please join our Discord server.
Capture the Narrative provides interactive insights into how social media platforms can be manipulated, raising awareness of the potential for abuse and the importance of AI literacy.
Capture the Narrative is open to all students from Australian universities. Teams can be made up of 1-4
students. An email address ending in .edu.au is required to register, alongside acceptance of
the Competition Ethics and Rules.
