15 AI Competitions for High School Students

Competing in an AI competition forces you to move past theoretical tutorials and apply machine learning algorithms to messy, real-world datasets, proving you can build functional models under constraints. On your CV, this participation transforms a passive interest into a documented, merit-based achievement that quantifies your technical skills and problem-solving abilities to external reviewers. For future research opportunities, the debugging, data preprocessing, and model optimization techniques you navigate during a contest replicate the exact hands-on workflows required in academic labs. 

If you’re open to considering virtual AI internships, check out our blog here. For those interested in summer-specific programs, check out the list here.

Why should I participate in an AI competition in high school?

AI competitions offer practical benefits that go well beyond certificates or rankings. They expose students to real-world problem statements across areas such as healthcare, climate science, finance, and social impact, helping them understand how AI is applied outside the classroom. By working on these problems, you build technical skills in machine learning, data analysis, and programming while also learning how to test ideas, evaluate results, and improve your approaches through iteration. This process strengthens both conceptual understanding and problem-solving ability.

To help you find the best fit, below are 15 AI competitions for high school students.

Quick Look

• 15 AI competitions for high school students, ranging from beginner-friendly multimedia challenges to advanced technical hackathons, plus a bonus remote internship option

• Most competitions are free to enter, with prize pools ranging from certificates and mentoring up to $50,000 or more in scholarships and cash, though a few, like VEX AI Robotics and the AI NextGen Challenge, require equipment purchases or testing fees

• Standout programs include the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence, where students represent their country on the world stage, and Microsoft Imagine Cup, which offers mentorship with CEO Satya Nadella and up to $100,000 in prizes

• Nearly all competitions are open globally and require no prior AI experience, with formats spanning solo submissions, small teams, and structured multi phase hackathons

• Deadlines start as early as August for Intel's AI Impact Creators and continue throughout the year, so students should check each program's timeline carefully to avoid missing early rounds

1. Intel’s AI Impact Creators

Location: Online
Cost/Prize: No cost / Global winners receive $5,000, Intel laptops, and mentoring; regional winners receive $1,500 and certificates
Contest Dates: Global nominations open July 1, with final global judging culminating in September for both age cohorts
Application Deadline: August 30
Eligibility: Participants must fall into one of two age groups: 13 – 17 years old and 18+ years who submit an AI-based social impact project individually or in teams of up to three

The AI Impact Creators competition focuses on student-led projects that use artificial intelligence to address real-world social challenges, while also offering exposure to expert talks and emerging innovations in the field. Conducted at a global level, the competition has previously recognized projects such as tools for regular heart health monitoring and code summarizers that improve accessibility for non-English speakers, reflecting its emphasis on practical, impact-driven solutions. Backed by Intel, it provides strong credibility and recognition for students aiming to pursue AI-related fields.

2. World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) 

Location: Online
Cost/Prize: 1,200 (PKR) / Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, specialized Excellence Awards (AI, Impact, Design), and global recognition 
Contest Dates: December 5–7
Application Deadline: October 15
Eligibility: Students aged 6–18 worldwide, with the option to participate individually or in teams (typically 3–5 members)

The World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY), organized by Inventive Learning, is a global platform designed to introduce school students to artificial intelligence through hands-on, project-based learning. The program encourages you to explore AI concepts by creating original projects across categories such as AI Showcase, AI Art, and AI Video, with a strong emphasis on creativity, problem-solving, and real-world application. It offers structured exposure to AI through guided learning resources, mentorship opportunities in some regions, and the chance to present work on an international stage. 

3. AI Innovator Challenge (ISTE+ASCD) 

Location: Online
Cost/Prize: No cost / Top 3 teams are selected to present their projects live at ISTELive
Contest Dates: Studio Phase: September – June; Challenge Launch: January 
Application Deadline: March 13 
Eligibility: Teams of up to 3 high school students (grades 9–12) working with a teacher mentor; global participation is allowed

The AI Innovator Challenge is an online global, project-based competition that invites high school students to design AI-driven solutions to real-world problems while building both technical and critical thinking skills. The program includes a guided studio phase with learning resources, followed by a challenge phase where students develop and submit their projects in teams of up to three, along with a teacher mentor. You can participate without any cost, and top teams are selected to present their work at a major international education conference in the United States, offering significant exposure and recognition.

4. Growing Up With A.I

Location: Global (online submission and participation)
Cost/Prize: No cost / Selected entries are published and featured on The New York Times Learning Network, offering international recognition and visibility 
Contest Dates: Mid-September to late October 
Application Deadline: Late October
Eligibility: Students aged 13–19 worldwide, along with educators who may choose to participate or guide submissions

The “Growing Up With A.I, A Multimedia Challenge for Teenagers and Educators” by The New York Times is a creativity-driven competition that invites students to explore how artificial intelligence is shaping their lives, learning, and perspectives through multimedia formats such as writing, video, audio, or visual art. The program emphasizes reflection, storytelling, and critical thinking, encouraging participants to engage with prompts about the role of AI in education, creativity, and everyday life. It offers accessible resources and guidance to help students develop their submissions, making it open to a wide range of skill levels, and selected entries are featured on a global platform. 

5. AI NextGen Challenge 

Location: Global
Cost/Prize: $49 for Grades 9–10; $88 for Grades 11–12 and university students /100% USAII certification scholarships for the top 10%; $25,000 cash per winning team
Contest Dates: Scholarship Tests: December 6, January 31, and February 28; Hackathon: June 20–21 
Application Deadline: Varies by testing cohort, with the final round registration closing on January 31
Eligibility: High school students (Grades 9–12) and also undergraduate/graduate students globally 

The AI NextGen Challenge 2026 by the United States Artificial Intelligence Institute is a global, project-based competition that invites students to develop innovative AI solutions to real-world problems through a structured hackathon format. The program is conducted primarily online, allowing participants from around the world to collaborate individually or in teams, with a focus on applying artificial intelligence to areas such as social impact, business, and emerging technologies. It includes multiple phases, starting with a qualifier stage, followed by a hackathon period where students build and submit their solutions, and concludes with evaluation and a global showcase of top projects. The competition offers recognition through cash prizes, scholarships, certifications, and category-based awards.

6. APEX High School Championship

Location: Global
Cost/Prize: No cost / Over $50,000 in total scholarships, cash awards, tech gear, and campus supplies
Contest Dates: Fall Cohort: November 10 – December 6; Summer Cohort: June 8–27 
Application Deadline: Early: August; General: November; Final: February  
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (grades 9–12), age 14 or older

The APEX High School Championship by Correlation One is a global, online AI competition designed to introduce high school students to artificial intelligence through hands-on problem-solving and structured training. The program combines interactive learning with a competitive challenge format, where students work individually or in teams to build AI-based solutions to real-world problems. It begins with a training phase that helps participants develop core AI and data skills, followed by a competition round where they apply these skills in timed challenges and project-based tasks. 

7. Technovation Girls Challenge 

Location: Global
Cost/Prize: No cost / Grand Prize ($750/member), Finalists ($500/member), and Regional Winners ($250/member) 
Contest Dates: Season runs October to April for all divisions. Judging spans April to June, followed by the World Summit in October
Application Deadline: March 18 
Eligibility: Students aged 8–18 who identify as female, trans, non-binary, or gender non-conforming, participating in teams of 1–5 members with a mentor. 

The Technovation Girls Challenge by Technovation is a global, project-based program that empowers young students to use technology and artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems in their communities. You will work in teams to identify a social issue, develop a mobile or AI-based solution, and build a complete project that includes coding, business planning, and impact analysis, with guidance from a mentor throughout the process. The program provides structured learning resources, step-by-step modules, and community support to help you at every stage, regardless of prior experience. 

8. VEX AI Robotics Competition 

Location: Global
Cost/Prize: Requires purchasing two VEX V5 robots, an AI add-on kit, plus individual tournament registration fees  / Trophies and titles; historic VEX high school world champions have received team awards up to $10,000
Contest Dates: Year-round regional tournaments culminating in the World Championship in mid-June
Application Deadline: Early May
Eligibility: Advanced high school teams (ages 19 and under) with sophisticated programming skills

The VEX AI Robotics Competition by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation is an advanced global robotics program where students design, build, and program fully autonomous robots using artificial intelligence, computer vision, and sensor-based systems. You will work in teams to engineer two robots that operate without human control during matches, requiring you to integrate mechanical design, coding, and strategic problem-solving into a single system. The program offers a highly hands-on learning experience through structured competition seasons that include regional qualifiers and international championship events. Beyond technical skills, you will gain exposure to real-world engineering workflows and develop collaboration and project management abilities. 

9. International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) 2026 

Location: Astana, Kazakhstan
Cost/Prizes: No individual application fee for students who qualify through national selection; national delegations pay a team registration fee of 2,600 EUR for a first team and 3,700 EUR for a second team / Medals awarded based solely on performance in the Individual Contest
Dates: August 2–8
Application Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: High school students selected to represent their country or territory; age 20 or younger on 1 July of the competition year; selection through a multi-stage National Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence or a regional olympiad such as NAOAI or APOAI

In this program, you compete at the world's premier AI competition for high schoolers, representing your country after advancing through national selection rounds. You take part in three contests: the Individual Contest, the Team Challenge, and the GAITE contest, with medals awarded solely on the Individual Contest, where you work alone on a separate computer. Challenges span artificial intelligence, data science, and computational problem-solving, building hands-on skills in machine learning and coding under timed conditions. You also exchange ideas with top AI students from over 100 nations, held under the patronage of UNESCO.

10. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – Robotics for Good Youth Challenge (AI for Good)

Location: Worldwide, through in-person national events in over 50 countries or remote video submission, with the Grand Finale held in Geneva, Switzerland, at the AI for Good Global Summit
Cost/Prizes: No cost / Grand Finale ticket at the AI for Good Global Summit, complimentary Summit passes for team members, a dedicated exhibition space
Dates: July 7–10
Application Deadline: Participants without a national event may submit results by video by April 1, and applications to organize national chapter events close on September 1
Eligibility: Students aged 10–18

In this program, you design, build, and program a robot to complete a mission on a competition game board tied to a real-world global challenge. You work hands-on with robot design, assembly, and programming using free and open-source software and hardware, without being locked into a mandatory kit. Along the way, you develop skills in AI, robotics, and engineering, plus teamwork, project management, critical thinking, and digital literacy. You compete first at a national qualifying event or by video submission, and winners advance to the Grand Finale in Geneva. There, you showcase your project, exchange ideas with peers from 50 countries, and connect with UN representatives and industry leaders.

11. Stossel in the Classroom / Center for Independent Thought – AI Challenge 

Location: Online, submission-based contest run from the United States
Cost/Prizes: No cost / First Place $1,000, Second Place $500, Third Place $250, and 10 Finalists $100 each
Dates: September – January
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12; residency in the U.S., Canada, or a U.S. military address

In this program, you participate in a pilot contest that asks you not just to use AI, but to challenge it as a curious investigator and devil's advocate. You choose one of three prompts - tariffs, birthright citizenship, or congressional term limits - and hold a real conversation with an approved AI tool: ChatGPT, Gemini, or Poe. You press the chatbot with follow-up and devil's advocate questions, probe for bias, hallucinations, and missing perspectives, and request and review its cited sources. You then write a 500–750 word reflection in your own voice and submit it with a public, shareable link to your AI conversation. You build AI literacy and critical thinking, and understand responsible use of generative AI tools.

12. Apart Research – AI Safety Hackathon 2026 (Bogotá + Online)

Location: In-person hub in Bogotá, Colombia, or online from anywhere in the Global South
Cost/Prize: No cost / Cash prizes of US$1,000 each from a US$6,000 pool across the Global South 
Dates: June 19–21
Application Deadline: In-person: June 12; online: June 19
Eligibility: Global South with a focus on Latin America; students, researchers, ML engineers, developers, public policy and cybersecurity professionals, and people from adjacent disciplines can participate 

In this program, you choose among four tracks: Technical AI Safety covering alignment, interpretability, and evaluations; AI Security covering red-teaming, jailbreaks, and adversarial robustness; AI Governance covering policy, regulation, and standards; and a Behavioral Audit track with a multilingual, cross-cultural focus. Working in a team of three to five, you build tools, evaluations, and policy research addressing AI risks relevant to your region, and your deliverable can be a technical finding, an evaluation, a tool, or a governance memo, submitted as a 4–8 page research report. Apart Research publishes introductory materials beforehand, and live mentoring runs throughout the three days. You gain practical skills in AI evaluation, red-teaming, and safety-focused research writing. The event is supported by Schmidt Sciences.

13. Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge 

Location: United States (national program with online participation and virtual submissions)
Cost/Prize: No cost / $10,000 per team member for National Champions; Presidential Certificates of Achievement and Participation are also awarded  
Contest Dates: January – June 
Application Deadline: January 20 
Eligibility: U.S. K–12 student teams (grades 9–12 for high school) and educators; teams must consist of 1–4 students and one supervising adult

The Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge by AI4K12 Initiative is a national program that encourages K–12 students in the United States to apply artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems in their communities. In this program, you will identify a local or societal challenge, design an AI-based solution, and develop a project that demonstrates both technical understanding and responsible use of AI. The competition emphasizes accessibility, allowing participants of all experience levels to engage with AI concepts while working through a structured problem-solving process that includes research, design, implementation, and presentation.

14. Codabench 

Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: No cost / Some individual competitions hosted on the platform offer their own prizes
Dates: Ongoing year-round
Application Deadline: Open continuously; submission deadlines are set individually by each competition's organizers
Eligibility: Free account creation on codabench.org; ability to prepare and upload submissions (typically zip files containing results or code); individual competitions may set their own rules

Codabench gives you direct, hands-on entry into real artificial intelligence competitions and benchmarks used by the global research community. The platform is open-source and web-based, built to advance fields where machine learning and advanced computation are used, and it operates as the upgraded version of CodaLab Competitions. You create a free account, choose a challenge, download the organizer's starting kit and datasets, and build models in Python before uploading results or code submissions. Your entries receive real-time feedback on a competitive leaderboard with detailed plots, teaching you model evaluation, metrics, and reproducible AI workflows. Most hosted competitions are machine learning and data science challenges, spanning areas like language models, computer vision, and deepfake detection.

15. Microsoft Imagine Cup

Location: Online
Cost/Prizes: No cost / Scale Track: $100,000 USD, mentorship with CEO Satya Nadella, and partnership opportunities. Launch Track: $50,000 USD, visibility, and support 
Dates: MVP Round: January – February; Semifinals: February – April; World Championship: June 
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: Must be at least 18 years old as of September 30, 2025; enrolled as a student (high school, college, or university) at an accredited institution between September and May

The Microsoft Imagine Cup (AI category) by Microsoft is a global innovation competition where students build original AI and software-based solutions to address real-world challenges. In this program, you will work in a team to design, develop, and pitch a fully functional project that leverages artificial intelligence to solve meaningful problems, often using Microsoft technologies such as Azure. The competition is structured in multiple stages, including submission, regional evaluation, and a global finals showcase, where selected teams present their solutions to expert judges. 

BONUS: Check out Ladder Internships!

Location: Remote
Cost/Stipend: Cost varies depending on the program type; 100 % financial aid is available / No stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25%; 70–100 students per cohort
Dates: Multiple 8–12 week cohorts throughout the year, including summer, winter, spring, and fall
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort; Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students able to commit 10–20 hours/week for 8–12 weeks

The Ladder Internships program places you in a selective, eight-week virtual role at a high-growth startup or NGO, where you work directly under the guidance of company founders and experienced managers. You will dive into diverse professional fields like AI and machine learning, software engineering, finance, marketing, and health tech. Throughout the program, you will actively contribute to meaningful projects, such as building new product features, conducting market research, managing social media engagement, and analyzing data to identify trends. This experience allows you to sharpen essential career skills, including project management, professional communication, technical research, and self-directed problem-solving, all while building a tangible portfolio. Apply now!

Questions Students Often Ask About These Programs

1. I have never worked with AI before. Can I still compete in one of these?

Yes, many of these competitions are designed with beginners in mind. Programs like Growing Up With A.I and WAICY provide guided resources and welcome students trying AI concepts for the first time, so prior coding or machine learning experience is not required to get started.

2. Do I need a team to enter, or can I compete on my own?

Both options exist. Some competitions, like the Stossel in the Classroom AI Challenge and Codabench, are built for individual participation, while others, such as Technovation Girls and the AI Innovator Challenge, ask you to form a small team, often with a mentor or teacher guiding the group.

3. How do I decide which competition is the best fit for my interests?

Think about what excites you most. If you enjoy storytelling and reflection, a multimedia challenge like Growing Up With A.I might be the right starting point. If you are drawn to hands-on engineering, VEX AI Robotics or the ITU Robotics for Good Youth Challenge offer a deeper technical build. For students who want the highest level of competition, the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence and Microsoft Imagine Cup represent the top tier of recognition and challenge.