The International Bible Contest for Youth was already filmed Monday and is set to air Wednesday, as is tradition on Israel’s Independence Day. But behind the scenes, a last-minute drama unfolded when a diaspora contestant was nearly disqualified over suspicions she copied answers and may have used artificial intelligence during a preliminary exam, in violation of the rules.
Due to Operation Roaring Lion, many contestants from abroad were unable to travel to Israel this year and instead took a preliminary exam via Zoom, which was meant to be conducted under remote supervision. Scores from that exam are carried into the televised final. The contestant’s written answers raised questions, with suspicions that they had been copied and not written by her. She was later given a surprise oral exam online, which appeared to show she was not proficient in the material.
The contestant was notified she would be disqualified from the televised stage a day before the contest. At the same time, organizers approached the contestant ranked just below her and offered her a last-minute opportunity to participate via video call, but she declined. It appeared the contest would proceed with only 15 participants instead of 16, but a last-minute decision allowed the original contestant to take part.
The contestant firmly denied the allegations. Following discussions with representatives of the education committee in her home country, and due to lingering uncertainty, it was ultimately decided to allow her to compete in the televised round, but with a lower score than she received on the original preliminary exam.
The Education Ministry said in a statement: “The matter concerning one contestant’s exam was reviewed professionally, and following the inquiry, it was decided to approve her participation in the contest.”