1. General Overview
The USAII's Global AI Hackathon is a virtual international innovation event where students collaborate in teams to design AI-powered solutions to real-world challenges.
Participants work together online, build prototypes, and submit their ideas to be reviewed by industry experts and academic judges.
The hackathon includes two tracks:
High School Track
College Graduate & Doctorate Track
Teams must register in the highest academic level represented on the team.
USAII's Global AI Hackathon 2026 is exclusive to students only. Full-time students from any degree or doctoral program are also eligible. Working professionals enrolled in any Degree or Doctoral Programs are not eligible to participate in the competition. Should anyone win the competition (in any category) and be discovered as a working professional, the prize and other benefits will be awarded to the next-best team/s.
2. Should I Register?
NO
Students participate with many different skill levels. Some teams include experienced developers, while others include students new to AI.
What matters most is:
Teams may use coding, no-code tools, or simple prototypes.
Many participants join their first hackathon through this event.
The hackathon includes guidance, recorded learning resources, and mentor support to help new participants succeed.
Participants gain:
That’s completely normal.
Most teams develop their ideas during the hackathon after the challenge is revealed.
The event is designed to help teams explore ideas and experiment.
3. Teams & Collaboration
Yes.
Many students register as solo participants and find teammates during the team formation phase.
Participants can connect with others through:
Yes.
Global collaboration is encouraged, and teams may include students from different schools, universities, or countries.
Yes, but teams compete in the highest academic level represented on the team.
For example, if a team includes one college student and several high school students, the team competes in the College track.
The best AI solutions are rarely built alone. Teams bring diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and complementary skills that lead to stronger, more responsible outcomes than any one student could create individually. Collaboration also reflects how AI work happens in the real world, where cross-functional teamwork is essential.
The hackathon is designed to help students build the skills AI careers actually require — communicating across disciplines, navigating disagreement, dividing responsibilities, and combining different ideas into one cohesive solution.
It also enables meaningful global collaboration. Teams may form across schools, countries, and time zones, giving students the opportunity to work across cultures and experience the truly global nature of today’s AI challenges.
4. Hackathon Format & Time Commitment
Teams will:
High School: 7-days guided sprint
College & Graduate Track: 1-week build experience
No.
All workshops and speaker sessions are pre-recorded, allowing participants in different time zones to access them anytime.
5. Tools & Platforms
Devpost: registration, team formation, project submissions and, judging
Discord: announcements, team formation, mentor support and, participant discussion
Yes.
Teams may use any legally accessible AI tools.
You simply need to disclose the tools used in your project submission.
No.
Free tools are completely acceptable. Judges evaluate ideas, reasoning, and impact, not expensive software.
Yes.
Teams may build solutions using coding, no-code tools, low-code platforms, or prototypes.
6. Challenge Categories & Reveal
Challenges focus on real-world problems where AI can support better decisions and outcomes.
Examples may include:
Challenges are developed with input from:
Students will know the general challenge categories, but the specific challenge prompts will be revealed during the hackathon kickoff.
Revealing the final challenge details at kickoff ensures:
Yes.
Teams will be able to select the challenge that interests them most within their track.
7. Qualifier Round
The Readiness Qualifier is a short AI thinking assessment that all teams complete before the hackathon begins.
It helps confirm that teams understand how to think about real-world problems, AI solutions, and responsible technology use.
The qualifier ensures a high-quality and fair competition for all participants.
“The Readiness Qualifier is designed to assess how teams think about AI — not how much technical experience they already have.”
Teams will respond to a short series of prompts based on a hypothetical scenario.
Questions may ask you to think about:
You will also submit a short pitch statement describing your approach.
No.
The qualifier focuses on thinking and reasoning, not building a solution.
No coding or prototype is required.
The qualifier includes approximately 8 short questions, which may include:
Teams will select one of three general challenge areas to frame their thinking:
These themes help guide the scenario used in the qualifier.
The qualifier takes place about one week before the hackathon begins.
Teams will receive instructions and access through the hackathon platform.
The qualifier typically takes 10–15 minutes to complete.
Responses are evaluated using an AI-assisted scoring system that measures key aspects of AI thinking, including:
After submitting your responses:
Results will be shared through email and the hackathon platform.
Yes.
Teams will receive a brief automated report summarizing their results.
Teams that qualify will receive confirmation and move forward to participate in the full hackathon.
Additional instructions and resources will be shared before the event begins.
Yes.
Teams completing the qualifier may receive:
No.
The qualifier is completed once per team.
Strong responses typically show:
Technical complexity is not required.
No.
The qualifier measures how you think about problems and AI solutions, not memorized knowledge or coding skills.
The hackathon expects a very large number of registrations.
The qualifier helps ensure that participating teams are prepared to engage thoughtfully with the challenges and make the most of the hackathon experience.
8. Project Submissions
Final submissions include:
All submissions are uploaded on Devpost.
No.
A prototype or demonstration is sufficient.
Many teams submit screen recordings, mock interfaces, or concept demonstrations.
Teams may submit demos as:
The demo does not need to be deployed live.
Yes.
Teams may use any legally available AI tools, but they should disclose the tools used in their submission.
No.
Teams may use:
9. Judges, Mentors & Speakers
Judges include AI practitioners, researchers, and industry experts who review projects using a standardized evaluation rubric.
Mentors provide guidance and feedback to help teams refine ideas, technical approaches, and presentations.
Mentors do not build solutions for teams.
Mentors will host scheduled office hours and Q&A sessions during the hackathon.
The hackathon includes talks from experts in AI, technology, and innovation to help participants learn and gain inspiration.
No.
All sessions are pre-recorded and available on demand.
10. Judging Process & Fairness
Projects are evaluated using a structured rubric based on:
The hackathon uses multi-round judging.
Projects are reviewed asynchronously by judges, and top submissions advance to later rounds.
No.
Judges evaluate recorded pitch videos and project submissions.
Fairness is ensured through:
No team is advantaged by time zone or expensive tools.
11. Awards, Prizes & Scholarships
Yes.
The hackathon offers cash prizes, scholarships, and recognition awards.
The event offers $15,000 in total prizes distributed across the High School, College, and Graduate tracks.
Awards may include:
Scholarships for AI certification programs may be awarded to select teams based on innovation, impact, and responsible use of AI.
Winners will be announced during the Global Awards Ceremony after judging is completed.
The ceremony highlights top projects and recognizes winning teams across all tracks.
Winning teams may also be featured on the event website and social media.
12. Still Deciding?
Yes.
Many participants join hackathons to learn something new and challenge themselves. You don’t need to be an expert in AI or programming to participate.
Curiosity, teamwork, and creativity are the most important qualities.
That’s completely normal.
Many participants register solo and find teammates during the team formation phase. The Discord community helps connect students from different schools and countries.
That happens in many hackathons.
Even partial prototypes can demonstrate strong ideas and thoughtful design. Judges care more about your reasoning and approach than whether the project is fully complete.
Hackathons are about exploration and experimentation.
Many of the strongest projects evolve during the event as teams learn and refine their ideas.
Registration usually takes only a few minutes on Devpost.
You can register now and decide on your team or idea later.
If you’re curious about AI, enjoy solving problems, and want to collaborate with students around the world:
Register for the hackathon and start exploring ideas.
You can always refine your team and project once the event begins.
13. AI Bootcamps
Bootcamps are designed to build your understanding of AI concepts and tools.
You will:
This becomes your starting point for the hackathon.
Yes. You’ll gain:
No. The bootcamp is not designed for any specific hackathon track.
It focuses on building your overall understanding of AI so you can approach any track with more clarity.
The bootcamp is designed to build your AI foundation and awareness.
It does not guarantee an advantage or increase your chances of winning.
However, it helps you feel more prepared and confident by strengthening your basics before you begin.
After completion, you will:
Top teams may win prizes, recognition, and opportunities.
No — but it is highly recommended.
Students who complete bootcamps tend to:
Yes. You will gain: