The GCHQ National Language Competition
All you need to know about the GCHQ National Language Competition
We’re delighted to announce the return of the GCHQ National Language Competition, taking place from 16–20 November 2026.
Registration is now open, allowing teachers and home educators to set up their accounts and create their teams, and for students to register themselves ahead of competition week.
The National Language Competition (NLC) is a virtual competition for teams of 13-14 year olds from around the UK to compete against each other to solve language-based challenges and score points.
The overall winners of the National Language Competition are then invited to GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham to receive their trophy.
With the NLC, GCHQ aims to inspire language learning by encouraging students to discover their aptitude for learning languages.
Explore more for information on Sample Challenges and FAQs
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Previous Winners
Read all about the winners of previous NLCs:
2025 - National Language Competition 2025 winners and the regional winners.
2024 - National Language Competition 2024 winners and the regional winners.
2023 - National Language Competition 2023 winners and the regional winners.