CBSE Expression Series 2026-27: Dates, Theme, Topics
Get your pens ready. CBSE has announced the Expression Series for the academic session 2026-27, and this year every entry circles one idea: women’s empowerment. Schools will run the contest in-house first, then push forward their best writing to the board. The theme is “Women Empowerment: Educate, Enable, Excel”, and students from Class 3 right up to Class 12 can take part.
Here is what matters most. Schools hold their own round from 5 November 2026 to 17 November 2026, during school hours. After that, only the shortlisted entries travel to CBSE.
What is the CBSE Expression Series 2026-27?
The Expression Series is a writing activity CBSE runs for its affiliated schools. Students write on set topics, and the strongest pieces move up from school to region to the national stage. Entries may be written in Hindi or English, and they must be the student’s own work. The board has been blunt about copying: any paragraph, essay, or poem found to be plagiarised will be rejected outright.
Every participant has to use the format given in Annexure I of the circular.
Categories, topics and word limits
The four categories, their medium of expression, and the topics are laid out below.
| Category | Medium | Topics (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Stage (Class 3 to 5) | Paragraph (150 words) | Every Girl Has Big Dreams; Strong Women in My Life |
| Middle Stage (Class 6 to 8) | Essay (400 words)/Poem | Educating the Girl Child: Shaping the Nation; Breaking Stereotypes: Women in STEM and Sports |
| Secondary Stage Phase 1 (Class 9 to 10) | Essay (700 words)/Poem | Women Leadership: Transforming Governance and Innovation; Financial Independence: The Key to Women Empowerment |
| Secondary Stage Phase 2 (Class 11 to 12) | Essay (1000 words)/Poem | Empowered Women, Sustainable Future; Policy Interventions and Social Reforms in Female Empowerment |
Hindi topics are provided too, so a student can pick the language they write best in.
How schools shortlist and submit
Once the school round wraps up, each school evaluates the entries and picks one entry per class category, that is a total of 04 entries per school. The head of the institution or the teacher in-charge must certify each shortlisted piece as original work.
Then comes the upload window. Schools submit entries from 18 November 2026 to 25 November 2026 on the CBSE Expression Series Web Portal at https://academic.cbseit.in/ExpSeries/home.aspx. Schools log in using their school LOC credentials.
Every participant can download an online certificate of participation once their entry is submitted on the portal.
Who reaches the national level
Each CBSE Region will pick the 10 best entries in each category for selection of winners at the national level. National winners receive an online Merit Certificate on their registered email address.
Entries are judged on originality of expression, presentation, support, and relevance to the topic. The decision of the evaluation committee is final.
For any query, schools can call 011-43354915 during office hours or write to cbseexpressionseries2526@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Question 1.: What is the theme of CBSE Expression Series 2026-27?
Answer: The theme is "Women Empowerment: Educate, Enable, Excel". Each of the four class categories has its own set of topics in Hindi and English.
Question 2.: What are the CBSE Expression Series 2026-27 dates?
Answer: Schools conduct the school-level round from 5 November 2026 to 17 November 2026. Shortlisted entries are uploaded to CBSE from 18 November 2026 to 25 November 2026.
Question 3.: Where do schools submit CBSE Expression Series entries?
Answer: Schools upload entries on the CBSE Expression Series Web Portal at https://academic.cbseit.in/ExpSeries/home.aspx, logging in with their school LOC credentials.
Question 4.: How many entries can a school send to CBSE?
Answer: Each school shortlists one entry per class category, a total of 04 entries per school. Each must be certified as original by the head of the institution or teacher in-charge.