There is not long to go until the NLC 2026 kicks off on 16 November!   

The GCHQ National Language Competition 2026 will be taking place from Monday 16th to Friday 20th November 2026. It is aimed at students in Y9 (England and Wales), Y10 (Northern Ireland) and S2 (Scotland), including those educated at home.

The competition is designed to enthuse students about languages, and hopefully encourage them to select language options at GCSE/N5. No previous language knowledge is required, and the competition contains challenges of varying levels of difficulty.

There has been plenty of interest from schools across the UK already. Don’t worry if you’ve not yet registered on the NLC 2026 platform, it isn’t too late – see instructions below.  

Register and access the NLC 2026 platform here.

You and your students can use the guides in the attached ‘NLC Guides & FAQs’ document to create your accounts in preparation for competition week. You can register and create teams any time before or during the competition (16-20 November), but we recommend setting them up early to ensure you’re ready for the start date and encourage your students to also register.  

GCHQ have also included a ‘We are Taking Part’ post which can be shared on social media to advertise your participation in GCHQ’s NLC 2026 – feel free to tag @GCHQ and use the hashtag #NLC2026. Please abide by your school’s social media policy when using this content.  

If you can’t find what you need in the guidance, or have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch 

We hope you and your students enjoy the NLC 2026!