Name: USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026
Start: 2026-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2026-06-22T02:00:00.000-04:00
Location: USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026

4 months ago

And the USAII Global AI winners are ...

The judges have weighed in, and we shared the winners at the Award Ceremony! Go to the USAII Global Hackathon 2026 gallery to congratulate the winners and check out all of the awesome submissions.

Award Ceremony (recording): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K79bWiNyoyc

Even though the competition is over, you don't have to stop coding. Update your portfolio to inform your followers about new projects and get feedback from fellow hackers.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the hackathon, please post on the discussion forum.

4 months ago

🏆 And the Winners Are... Join Us Live at 10:00 AM ET for the Global Awards Showcase

Today is the day we celebrate everything you've built. Join us live at 10:00 AM ET for the USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 Awards Showcase — our global culmination event recognizing the most outstanding student AI solutions from around the world.

→ JOIN THE AWARDS: https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1395026801

Time: 10:00 AM ET, Saturday June 27, 2026

🎖 Awards Being Presented

Winners will be announced across three tracks — High School, Undergraduate, and Graduate:

• Grand Prize — $2,500 + USAII AI Certification Scholarship

• Runner-Up — $1,500 + Scholarship

• Third Place — $500 + Scholarship

•…

4 months ago

Judging Underway ....

You built something real in just a few days — and the judges are busy reviewing and scoring your submissions 🎉

How Judging Works - Three Rounds

Round 1 - AI Screening

The screener pulls from 5 fields of each Devpost submission to make its judgment:

Elevator Pitch (mapped from About the Project)
About the Project
AI Architecture Explanation
Human-in-the-Loop Decision
Responsible AI Guardrail

The Scoring Engine reads all five together as one holistic submission — not field-by-field in isolation — and scores each of the 5 dimensions from 0 to 5.

Round 2 - Core Judge Review

The…

4 months ago

USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 — Student Feedback

You built something real in just a few days — now tell us about it! 🎉 We'd love to hear what stood out, what challenged you, and what you'd want future hackers to know. This takes about 3 minutes, and your answers directly shape next year's event (and might even be featured in our hackathon highlights!). Thanks for being part of something global. 🌍

https://forms.gle/sz9qaxL6W73LmLpt6

Thank you,
USAII Global AI Hackathon Team

4 months ago

SUBMISSION EXTENSION - JUNE 22 2:00 AM ET

You have 15 minutes to add final updates.

THERE WILL ABSOLUTELY NO MORE EXTENSIONS

We will not take any submissions via EMAIL

4 months ago

CERTIFICATES

All team members will receive Particaiption Certificates for the Qualifier and the Hackathon - these will be emailed by end of June.

4 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 8 — Submission Day

This is it.

Before you submit, do a final check:
✅ Project description clearly explains the problem AND the user
✅ AI Architecture section explains what goes in and what comes out
✅ Human in the Loop — one specific decision your AI doesn't make
✅ Responsible AI Guardrail — one real risk + one real mitigation
✅ Decision Impact — what changes for the user because this exists
✅ Demo video is 3–5 minutes and shows the tool working
✅ All AI tools and data sources are disclosed
✅ Team members are added into Devpost project

Deadline: June 21,…

4 months ago

Submissions Close at 11:59 PM ET Tonight — Then Judging Begins

Today is the final day of the USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 build phase. You have until 11:59 PM ET tonight to submit your project on Devpost. Do not wait until the last minute.

→ SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT: https://usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com

📋 Final Submission Checklist

• Project description completed on Devpost

• Design Questions answered: AI Architecture, Human in the Loop Design, Responsible AI Guardrail, Decision Impact

• AI tools and data disclosure completed

• Working prototype, AI workflow demo, or decision-support model included

• 3–5 minute pitch/demo video uploaded

• All team members…

4 months ago

📎 Quick Clarification: The "Upload a File" Field (It's Optional!)

Hey Hackers — clearing up the "Upload a File" question 👋

We've seen some confusion about the "Upload a File" field under Additional Info near the bottom of your submission form, so here's a quick clarification:

This field is OPTIONAL. You do not need to use it.

A few key things to know:

It's not required for your submission to be complete. You can leave it blank and submit just fine.
It's built into Devpost — it's not something USAII added, and it's not part of our required deliverables.
It's only visible to judges and organizers. Anything you upload here…

4 months ago

Subject line option: 📸 How to Submit Your Team Photo (Quick Guide)

Hey Hackers! Let's talk about that "Team Photo URL" field 👋

We've gotten a lot of questions about the team picture field in your submission — so here's a simple step-by-step to get it done in a few minutes, no design skills needed.

The short version:

Get a picture that represents your team
Upload it to Google Drive
Turn on "Anyone with the link can view"
Paste that link into the Team Photo URL field on your submission

That's it! Here's more detail on each step 👇

Step 1: Get a team photo

Since your team is virtual, you obviously…

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 7

Your solution is built. Now you have to show it.

The #1 mistake teams make in their demo video: They show the tool. They don't show the impact.

Judges want to see: before vs. after. What changes for the user because your AI exists?

Lead with that — then show the tool working.

Your pitch structure:
→ 30 seconds: the problem and who it affects
→ 60 seconds: what your AI does and how
→ 30 seconds: one specific moment where it makes a difference
→ 30 seconds: your responsible AI choice and human role
→ 30 seconds: what you'd…

5 months ago

Questions Answered: mentor, qualifier code, submission, judging, etc...

A lot of quetions are coming in ...
- using projects created for qualifier
- seeking a qualifier code
- what needs to be submitted
- how to submit project
- how to find a mentor

RULES & SUBMISSION
The full set of Rules and Submission Requirements can be found here: https://usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com/ and https://aihackathon.usaii.org/

MENTORS
To view Discord channels - you must select your track in #Welcome-Start-Here
To chat with a mentor - you have 2 options
1. go to your #challenge channel for your track
2. go to #mentor-request and ask to meet with a mentor
The…

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 6

Judges score your Responsible AI thinking.

This is not a checkbox — it's a core part of your submission.

Today's question: "If our AI gets it wrong — what happens to the user? And what have we done about it?"

A weak answer: "We tested it and it works fine."

A strong answer: "Here's the specific failure mode we identified, here's who gets harmed, and here's the design choice we made to reduce that risk."

Today's mentor focus: Responsible AI design and guardrails.

👉 Mentors can help you identify risks you haven't seen yet and turn them into design strengths.…

5 months ago

Final call for submissions

There are only 3 days left to complete your submission for USAII Global Hackathon 2026.

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 5 (Midpoint)

Halfway through. Time for an honest check-in.

Answer these three questions — to yourself, or out loud 
with your team:

1. Does what we've built actually help the user we described?
2. Could we submit what we have right now if we had to?
3. What's the one thing most likely to break before June 21?

Today's optional midpoint sessions are your best chance 
to course-correct before the final push.

Today's mentor focus: Midpoint review — what's working, 
what's at risk, what to cut.

👉 This is the most valuable mentor session of the week.
   Don't skip it. Drop in

…

5 months ago

1st Round of Judging

The submission deadline is June 21 at 11:59 PM ET. Here is exactly what happens after you submit — so you know what to expect and how to give yourself the best chance of advancing.

──────────────────────────────────

ROUND 1 — AUTOMATED SCREENING (June 22)

──────────────────────────────────

Within hours of the submission deadline, every project is scored automatically by an AI evaluator. This is not a human judge — it is a rubric-based AI that ensures all fields are comlete, and reads five specific parts of your Devpost submission and scores them on the same criteria your human judges will use.

The…

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 4

You should be building now. Which means you're probably hitting your first real decisions.

The question to sit with today: "What is the ONE thing my AI does — what goes in, what comes out, and what does the user do with it?"

Scope is your biggest risk right now. The teams that submit something working and focused beat the teams that submit something ambitious and broken every time.

Today's mentor focus: Solution architecture and scoping.

👉 Mentors can help you draw the line between what to build and what to cut. Post in #mentor-request or Drop in to #challenge…

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 3

By now you should be moving from "what's the problem" 
to "why is AI the right tool here."

The question mentors will push you on:

"Why can't this be solved with a simple search, a form, 
or a spreadsheet? What does AI actually add?"

If you can answer that clearly — you have your AI reasoning.
If you can't — your mentor can help you find it.

Today's mentor focus: AI justification and solution direction.

👉 Jump into a #challenge channel or post in #mentor-request.
   Come with your current solution idea — even if it's rough.
   That's exactly the right

…

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 2

The best solutions start with the sharpest problem statements.

Before you write a single line of code or design a single screen, 
ask yourself:

"Can I describe my user's problem in one sentence — without 
mentioning AI or technology at all?"

If you can't, you don't know the problem well enough yet.

Today's mentor focus: Problem framing and user clarity.

Drop in to #challenge channel now or

👉 Post in #mentor-request 
   if you want a mentor to pressure-test your problem statement.
   A 15-minute conversation now saves 3 days of building the 
   wrong thing.

5 months ago

Hackathon Kickoff - posted questions and answers

Many of you posted questions during the kickoff -

Please review the quesitons and answers:
USAII_Hackathon_2026_Kickoff_QA.docx

Still have questions?

Email us at [email protected] or post in the #help channel on Discord.

Key links:

Hackathon site: aihackathon.usaii.org

Devpost: usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com

Discord: discord.gg/ePjenJnyh4

Speaker Sessions: aihackathon.usaii.org/judges-mentors-and-speakers/speakers-sessions

Submission deadline: June 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT. Good luck — build something that matters.

5 months ago

Opening Ceremony Recording - USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026

Dear Participants,

Thank you for joining the USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026 Opening Ceremony.

For those who attended and for anyone who may have missed the live session, the recording is now available on YouTube:

🎥 Opening Ceremony Recording: https://youtu.be/cYA5GDck6zk

We encourage all participants and team members to watch the recording, as it covers important information about the hackathon challenges, timelines, submission guidelines, judging criteria, and next steps.

We look forward to seeing your innovative AI solutions and wish you the very best for the competition!

Best regards,
USAII® Global AI Hackathon Team

5 months ago

Share your Hackathon Experience

USAII® Student Graphic Generator for Global AI Hackathon 2026
Enter your details to generate your official "I'm Participating" graphic for USAII's Global AI Hackathon 2026.

https://aihackathon.usaii.org/student-graphic-generator

5 months ago

💡 MENTOR MOMENT — Day 1

Today's question to think about:

"If your AI tool gave a wrong answer, what would happen to the user and how would you catch it?"

Not sure? That's exactly what mentors are here for.

👉 Post a request in #mentor-request or drop in to #challenge channel

5 months ago

Hackathon Kickoff - Presentation

The recording and questions/answers from the webinar will be shared by Monday at 10:00 am ET.

USAII_Hackathon_2026_Kickoff.pptx

USAII_Hackathon_2026_Kickoff.pdf

5 months ago

CHALLENGE BRIEFS

These are the challenge briefs

High School

Challenge_Brief_1_HS_Help_Is_Hard_To_Find.pdf
Challenge_Brief_2_HS_Climate_Action.pdf

Undergraduate
Challenge_Brief_3_UG_Second_Brain.pdf
Challenge_Brief_4_UG_Fix_Systems.pdf

Graduate
Challenge_Brief_5_GRAD_Human_Safety.pdf
Challenge_Brief_6_GRAD_Community_AI.pdf

5 months ago

🚀 Hackathon Kickoff is TODAY — Join Now

Kickoff session, get your challenge reveal, and start building.

→ JOIN THE KICKOFF: https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1371179302

Time: 10:00 AM ET | Session will be recorded

🗓 USAII Global AI HackathonKickoff

• Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026

• Time: 10:00 AM ET

• Zoom Link: https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1371179302— register in advance

• Session will be recorded and available on demand for all time zones

🎯 What Happens at Kickoff

• Opening remarks from USAII leadership

• Official challenge reveal for each track

• Speaker series review

• Discord and Devpost orientation

• …

5 months ago

Get Ready for Hackathon & Access to Mentors

📅 Tomorrow: June 14 Kickoff

• Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026

• Time: 10:00 AM ET

• Zoom Link: https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1371179302— register in advance

• Session will be recorded and available on demand for all time zones

🎯 What Happens at Kickoff

• Opening remarks from USAII leadership

• Official challenge reveal for each track

• Speaker series review

• Discord and Devpost orientation

• How to connect with Mentors

• Q&A and build phase kickoff

✅ Get Ready Tonight

• Join Discord if you haven't already: …

5 months ago

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Hackathon Kickoff & Connect with Mentors

📅 Tomorrow: June 14 Kickoff

• Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026

• Time: 10:00 AM ET

• Zoom Link: https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1371179302— register in advance

• Session will be recorded and available on demand for all time zones

🎯 What Happens at Kickoff

• Opening remarks from USAII leadership

• Official challenge reveal for each track

• Speaker series review

• Discord and Devpost orientation

• How to connect with Mentors

• Q&A and build phase kickoff

✅ Get Ready Tonight

• Join Discord if you haven't already: …

5 months ago

QUALIFIER RESULTS SENT!

The USAII Global AI Hackathon sents were sent to Team Leader.

If you did not recive - then your submission was not complete.

** NOTE: there was a type in the email (

Hackathon Kickoff: Sunday June 14 10:00 am ET https://webinar.zoho.in/meeting/register?sessionId=1371179302

The kickoff is on Sunday June 14 NOT Saturday June 14

5 months ago

⏰ Final Hours — AI Readiness Qualifier Closes Tonight at 11:59 PM ET

This is your final reminder that the USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 AI Readiness Qualifier closes tonight, June 10, at 11:59 PM ET.

*NO EXCEPTIONS*

If you haven't completed your qualifier yet, you still have time — but you need to act now.

To access your qualifier:

Go to qualifier.usaii.org
Team LEader - Enter the email address you used to register on Devpost for all team members
Complete all sections and click Submit before 11:59 PM ET tonight
Team Leader (contact email) will get confirmation and results (you can forward on to other team members)

The qualifier takes 30 minutes…

5 months ago

USAII AI Builder Speaker Series

You are working through the Qualifier. Now it's time to build — and we want to make sure you're set up to build something great.

We're excited to announce the launch of the USAII® Global AI Builder Series — 21 expert sessions (15–20 minutes each) available on-demand, designed specifically to help you go from idea to a real AI solution before the June 21 submission deadline.

These sessions feature engineers and leaders from Meta, Apple, AWS, Snowflake, Google DeepMind, Stripe, PepsiCo, and more. They cover exactly what you need right now:

• How to move from problem → AI solution…

5 months ago

FIND A TEAM

As we get down to the last few days of the Qualifier - there are still a few students looking to join a team.

If this is you .... fill out this form and we will try to cpnnect you to other students in your track

https://forms.gle/ntutmNqEJrwNWbkj7

5 months ago

USAII Hackathon Parental Consent - for students under 18

If your are under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must complete the USAII Parental Consent Form before that team member may participate.

Simply complete the formhttps://aihackathon.usaii.org/guardian-consent-form

Thank you

5 months ago

The Qualifier is OPEN — Complete It by June 10 at 11:59 PM ET

The AI Thinking Readiness Qualifier is now open. Your team has until June 10 at 11:59 PM ET to complete and submit.

→ Complete the team qualifier now: https://qualifier.usaii.org/

📋 What to Expect

• The qualifier is completed by the team leader on behalf of the full team

• Takes approximately 30 minutes to complete

• You review a scenario and answer structured prompts on problem framing, AI approach, responsible AI, and human oversight

• Final advancement decisions will be communicated by June 12 at 6:00 PM ET

⏰ Key Dates

•…

5 months ago

LAST DAY: Devpost Registration Closes Tonight at 11:59 PM ET

Today is the final day to register all team members on Devpost. The deadline is tonight, June 6 at 11:59 PM ET. After that, team rosters are locked.

🚨 Complete This Today

• Devpost registration: https://usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com

• Deadline: Tonight, June 6 at 11:59 PM ET

• All 2–5 team members must be registered to participate in Qualifier

• On June 14 you can add team members to Devpost project for hackathon submission

🎯 Qualifier Opens Tomorrow Morning

Starting tomorrow, June 7 at 10:00 AM ET, your team leader can access the qualifier…

5 months ago

Devpost Deadline Tomorrow — Don't Let Your Team Miss Out

Tomorrow is the Devpost registration deadline. Make sure every member of your team is registered and added to your team project by June 6 at 11:59 PM ET. If anyone is missing, they will not be able to qualify or compete.

⚠️ Act Now

• Register team members on Devpost: https://usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com

• Deadline: June 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

🎯 Qualifier Opens Sunday

• Qualifier opens: June 7 at 10:00 AM ET

• Qualifier closes: June 10 at 11:59 PM ET

• Qualifier link: https://qualifier.usaii.org/

Use today and tomorrow to…

5 months ago

Parental Consent Form - participants under 18 years of age

For students under 18 at time of Hackathon start, June 14 - you need to complete a parental consent form.

https://aihackathon.usaii.org/guardian-consent-form

Thank you,
USAII

5 months ago

Devpost Deadline is June 6 — Is Your Full Team Registered?

A quick reminder: all team members must be registered on Devpost by June 6 at 11:59 PM ET. This is required before you can complete the qualifier.

✅ Devpost Registration Checklist

• Every team member has created a Devpost account

• Your team size is 2–5 members in the correct track

• Register : https://usaii-global-ai-hackathon-2026.devpost.com

🎯 Qualifier Reminder

• Qualifier opens: June 7 at 10:00 AM ET

• Qualifier closes: June 10 at 11:59 PM ET

• Complete your qualifier at: https://qualifier.usaii.org/

Prepare now: review the AI Readiness Qualifier User…

5 months ago

The Qualifier Opens in 1 Week — Here's How to Prepare

You're one week away from the AI Thinking Readiness Qualifier — the required step that unlocks your team's place in the hackathon. Here's what you need to know to walk in confident.

⏱ Qualifier Dates

• Opens: June 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

• Closes: June 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

• Results: June 12, 2026 by 6:00 PM ET

• Qualifier link: https://qualifier.usaii.org/

📋 How the Qualifier Works

The qualifier is an AI thinking assessment — not a coding challenge. It takes approximately 30 minutes and is completed by the …

5 months ago

You're Registered — Here's Everything You Need to Compete

Welcome to the USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026! We're thrilled to have you competing on this global stage. This email is your complete guide to everything you need to do — from today through the Awards on June 27.

📋 PREPARE (Now – June 6)

✅ Register Your Full Team on Devpost — Deadline: June 6, 11:59 PM ET

Every team member must have a Devpost account. These accounts are used to verify your registration for the Qualifier — anyone not registered on Devpost will be unable to access the Qualifier, and completing the Qualifier is required to…

6 months ago

UPDATE: Hackathon Student Profile

Urgent: To make sure that we have your complete student profile for your Hackathon certificate - you must have your School, City, State on your Devpost Profile.

Steps to Update Your Devpost Profile:

Access Settings: Click your profile image/username in the top right.
Edit Profile: Select "Settings" and choose the "Profile" tab.
Update Info: Edit your school, city, state.
Save: Click "Save Changes"

Note - if your school is not in the list, simply type in your school name, click "enter" and your school will be added to the list.

6 months ago

TEAM FORMATION — READ THIS IF YOU'RE TRYING TO ADD TEAMMATES ON DEVPOST

Thank you for registering for the USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026! We're excited to have you with us.

We've heard from a number of participants who are looking for teammates — and we want to make sure you know exactly how to connect before the build window opens.

***********************************************
🔍 HOW TO FIND TEAMMATES NOW
***********************************************

You have two great options to find your team before June 14:

1. Devpost — Visit the hackathon page and use the "Looking for teammates" feature to post your skills, interests, and the type of team you're hoping to join. Browse others…

6 months ago

Discord Setup

You registered for USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 —

join our Discord community to connect with teammates,

mentors, and get updates.

Discord link: https://discord.gg/ePjenJnyh4

Once inside, react with your track emoji in

#welcome-start-here to unlock your channels.

🎒 High School | 🏛️ College | 🎓 Graduate

CLICKING ON YOUR TRACK EMOJI IS REQUIRED TO ACCESS THE HACKATHON CHANNELS

#Help & Support (help-desk, tech-support, hackathon-resources, qualifier-resources)

click on 🎓 Graduate to access:
#Grad Track (grad-general, grad-team-formation, grad-challenge-questions)

click on 🏛️ College to access:
#Undergrad Track (undergrad-general, undergrad-team-formation, undergrad-challenge-questions)

click on 🎒 High School to access:
#High School Track …