Hyderabad: EThames Business School has launched the TeenOrator Challenge 2026, a first of its kind inter school communication skills championship for students of Classes IX to XII across Telangana. The initiative aims to identify and nurture future ready human skills such as public speaking, storytelling, debating, leadership and critical thinking in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
The statewide championship invites entries from schools across Telangana and is open to students from Classes IX to XII. Organisers said the programme is designed as a learning journey rather than just a competition, with a strong focus on developing confidence and communication skills.
Announcing the initiative, EThames Business School Chairman Kali Prasad Gadiraju, former Managing Partner of EY, said that as Artificial Intelligence increasingly handles routine tasks, human skills such as communication, persuasion, collaboration and independent thinking will become the defining qualities of future leaders.
TeenOrator Challenge 2026 to promote AI proof human skills
Chief Transformation Officer of EThames Business School V.V. Lakshmi Narayana, IPS (Retd.), said communication, not coding alone, will define tomorrow’s leaders. He noted that many students score well academically but struggle to express their ideas confidently.
Former Indian School of Business Dean Ajit Rangnekar said communication, analytical thinking, creativity and leadership are among the world’s fastest growing workplace skills.
The championship consists of three competition tracks:
- Oratoria for public speaking
- Narrativa for storytelling
- Dialectica for debating
Students can participate in any one of the three tracks and may compete in English, Telugu or Hindi, making the event accessible to a wider range of participants.
Unlike conventional competitions, TeenOrator follows a four stage qualification process. Students must first study the official guidebook, submit a one minute video explaining what they learned, appear for an online interaction with the selection committee and then qualify for the championship.
All shortlisted participants will undergo structured training and mentoring by communication experts before the competition begins.
EThames said the initiative will also focus on inclusivity by encouraging participation from government schools and rural institutions. Each participating government school can nominate up to six students across the three competition categories.
The nomination process is open until July 28, 2026, while participants must submit their one minute learning videos by August 2, 2026. Qualified candidates will receive exclusive training before August 15.
The quarterfinals will be held on August 21, followed by the grand finale on August 22, 2026, at the EThames Business School campus in Raidurgam, Hyderabad.
Schools and students can register online through the official application form.
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