USAII Global Hackathon 2026

USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026: A global virtual AI hackathon empowering students to build solutions for real-world good—from everyday impact to career readiness. About the Challenge The USAII Global AI Hackathon is designed to scale to tens of thousands of students globally while maintaining quality, fairness, and meaningful outcomes. This isn't just another hackathon—it's a movement where students across continents tackle authentic challenges using public or synthetic data, learning to innovate responsibly from day one. What Makes This Different Two-Phase Quality Design – An AI-powered qualifier ensures teams are ready before building INFORMS-Aligned Evaluation – Projects judged on problem understanding, AI reasoning, and responsible design—not just code Global Accessibility – Fully asynchronous content with support across 3 time zones via Discord community Real-World Challenges – All challenges grounded in actual nonprofit and community needs Responsible AI First – Ethics and human oversight are core to every submission No Paid Tool Advantage – Judges do not favor paid AI tools over free alternatives Two-Phase Structure Phase 1: AI Readiness Qualifier (REQUIRED) - Apply between: June 7-10, 2026 Results announced: June 12, 2026 To ensure a high-quality and fair competition, all registered teams will complete a short AI Readiness Qualifier one week before the hackathon begins. This will be used to down select teams if registrations exceed judging capacity. It is a scalability and quality safeguard that confirms teams are real and active, ensures teams understands a challenge, can think critically about AI solutions, and are prepared to participate. Teams will answer a series of brief prompts about a hypothetical scenario, including the problem, users, AI approach, and ethical considerations. Responses are automatically evaluated using an AI-assisted scoring rubric that assesses problem understanding, AI thinking, responsible AI awareness, and clarity of communication. The qualifier typically takes 30 minutes to complete and does not require building anything. Based on scoring and capacity limits, the highest-ranked teams will advance to the hackathon. Teams will receive their results and advancement status via email and through the hackathon platform shortly after the qualifier closes. The AI Readiness Qualifier Access is sent via email on June 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET and will have until 11:59 PM EST on June 10, 2026 to submit their responses. Qualified teams receive approval codes and advance to Phase 2. Phase 2: Hackathon Build (Qualified Teams Only) June 14-21, 2026 Kickoff: June 14, 10:00 AM ET (livestream and recorded) Submission deadline: June 21, 11:59 PM ET All qualified teams across all tracks build during the same 1-week window ⚠️ Devpost registration does NOT guarantee participation. You MUST pass the qualifier to advance. Three Tracks High School Track (Grades 9-12) AI for Everyday Good Build AI tools that help people find support, understand information, or take environmental action in their local community. Challenge Directions: Community: Help is Hard to Find — Make Support Obvious Environment: Make Climate Action Local and Real Undergraduate Track AI for Life & Work Build decision-support tools, navigation systems, or AI assistants that help people manage life, work, and essential services. Challenge Directions: Productivity: Build the "Second Brain" for Real Life Public Services: Fix Systems People Depend On Graduate Track (Master's & PhD) AI for Systems & Society Build advanced AI systems for risk detection, policy simulation, community readiness assessment, or infrastructure optimization. Challenge Directions: Human Safety & Protection: Build AI Systems That Protect People from Harm Public Systems & Policy: Build AI That Helps Communities Make Better Decisions Prizes $15,000 in Cash Prizes + USAII AI Certification Scholarships Each track awards: 🥇 Grand Prize: $2,500 + Scholarship 🥈 Runner Up: $1,500 + Scholarship 🥉 Third Place: $500 + Scholarship 🌟 Best Responsible AI Design: $250 + Scholarship 💡 Best Social Impact: $250 + Scholarship Get Started Phase 1: Pre-Registration (Now) - Program setup and platform preparation Phase 2: Registration & Team Formation (April 26 - June 6) April 26: Registration opens on Devpost April-June: Form teams (2-5 members), use Discord for matchmaking June 6: Registration closes Phase 3: AI Readiness Qualifier (June 7 10:00 am ET - 10 11:59 pm ET) All tracks complete qualifier during same 4-day window Scoring and evaluation June 10-12 Phase 4: Qualifier Approval (June 12 11:59 pm ET) Results announced, approval codes sent to qualified teams Phase 5: Hackathon Build (June 14-21) June 14, 10:00 AM ET: Global kickoff livestream (all tracks) June 14-21: Build period June 21, 11:59 PM ET: All submissions due Phase 6: Judging (June 22-25) June 22-23: Validation & screening June 23-25: Judge scoring June 25-26: Panel deliberation Phase 7: Showcase (June 27) June 27, 10:00 AM ET: Global awards ceremony (livestream and recorded) How to Participate Step 1: Register Individually (April 26 - June 6) Sign up on Devpost Answer registration questions about your track, skills, and team status Step 2: Form Your Team (April-June) Create or join a team (2-5 members required) Use Discord #team-formation for matchmaking Team members can be from different schools or countries Teams must compete within the track aligned with their highest education level Mixed teams must register in the highest-level track represented Devpost assigns your Team ID Step 3: Complete Qualifier (June 7-10) Access link sent via email Answer 8 prompts demonstrating AI thinking Takes 30 minutes to complete Receive results June 12 Step 4: Build (If Qualified) Attend kickoff June 14, 10:00 AM ET (recorded) Build during June 14-21 Submit project with qualifier approval code by June 21, 11:59 PM ET Step 5: Judging & Awards Projects judged by industry professionals Winners announced June 27 10:00 am ET Join the Community Discord: https://discord.gg/ePjenJnyh4 Connect with participants, find teammates, get mentor support, receive updates Qualifier Email: hackathon.qualifier@usaii.org General questions and support Hackathon Email: aihackathon@usaii.org General questions and support Website: https://aihackathon.usaii.org/ Complete program information Questions? See our FAQ page or join Discord #help-desk Ready to build AI for good? Register starting April 26!