STEM Next and Panasonic Foundation Launch AI Innovation Challenge for Afterschool Programs
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Enter for a chance to win up to $5,000 for your program! Submissions due November 19, 2026.
Do the young people in your afterschool program have ideas for using artificial intelligence to solve problems in their community or around the world? This is their chance to develop those ideas, showcase their innovation and compete for a national prize for their afterschool program!
STEM Next’s AI Innovation Challenge, created in partnership with the Panasonic Foundation, challenges high school youth in structured afterschool programs to develop innovative projects addressing real-world challenges using AI. Youth identify a local or global issue they care about, then use AI to research the issue, explore ideas, and strengthen their proposed solution.
The challenge gives young people the chance to learn how to use AI responsibly as a research and development partner as they create innovative solutions to issues that matter to them — all while competing for a cash prize for their afterschool program.
Program leaders provide guidance and support while youth lead the research, idea development, and presentation of their projects. Program leaders can sign up now to enter the challenge with their youth team(s), with a deadline to submit by 11:59 PM EST on November 19, 2026.
The Prize
- Two first-place projects: $5,000 each
- Three second-place projects: $3,000 each
- Five third-place projects: $1,000 each
Prize funding is awarded to the program site for each winning project. Programs with a winning project will be featured in STEM Next communications and may be invited to participate in future opportunities.
How to Enter the Challenge
- Form one or more youth teams: A program site may have youth work together on one project or split them into multiple teams, with up to five project entries submitted as part of the program site’s submission. Each project entry is evaluated independently; however, only one project per program site is eligible to receive a prize award. If an organization operates multiple program sites, each site may submit its own entry.
- Sign up for the challenge: You must complete the sign-up form letting us know your program site plans to participate. Please use an email address that is routinely monitored, as we will send emails throughout the challenge with important resources, reminders, updates, and submission information leading up to the November 19, 2026 deadline.
- Use the challenge toolkit to begin guiding youth to shape their project: The AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit includes the challenge overview, AI safety guidance, project planning support and facilitation guidance to help educators support youth as they use AI to research an issue, explore possible solutions, organize ideas, identify risks, and strengthen their thinking.
- Create submission materials: Each youth team will create an AI Research & Development Snapshot that explains the problem, proposed solution, AI process, and potential impact and an up to 5-minute pitch video or recorded presentation. Detailed guidelines for the AI Research & Development Snapshot and video pitch are provided in the toolkit.
- Submit Your Final Entry: Final entries must be submitted by an adult educator, program leader, or staff member from the participating program. All submissions are due by 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, November 19. Submissions must include the team’s AI Research & Development Snapshot, pitch video, and required educator survey. The online form and instructions will be emailed to you once you sign up for the Challenge. You can preview the form here.
Eligibility
The AI Innovation Challenge is open to structured out-of-school-time programs in the United States that serve youth in grades 9-12. Eligible programs include afterschool programs, STEM clubs, robotics teams, makerspaces, summer programs, and other structured learning experiences offered or supervised by a school, library, museum, community organization, faith-based organization, or similar institution.
Youth may participate individually or in teams. Each program site may submit up to five team projects, but only one project per program site is eligible to receive a prize award. All entries must be submitted by an adult educator, program leader, or staff member on behalf of the participating program site.
A program site refers to a single afterschool program location serving youth. Organizations operating multiple sites may submit entries for each program site independently.
Note: No prior AI experience or technical skills such as coding are required for youth or educators to participate. Upon signing up for the challenge, educators receive STEM Next’s AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit, which includes detailed facilitation guidance, AI safety resources, and step-by-step materials to help them confidently support youth throughout the challenge.
Judging Criteria
All eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges. Submissions will be scored using the following 100-point rubric.
| The project addresses a meaningful local or global issue and proposes a solution that is creative, relevant, and potentially scalable. Strong submissions clearly connect the proposed solution to the community context, research, evidence, and any feedback or testing the team completed. |
| The team uses AI tools thoughtfully and responsibly as a research and development partner. Strong submissions show how AI supported research, solution development, planning, risk review, feedback analysis, iteration, or pitch preparation. The strongest submissions show how youth questioned, verified, revised, and improved AI outputs. |
| The project demonstrates alignment with CCL Framework by showing how youth practiced durable skills, engaged in career-connected STEM, connected their work to a real community or global issue, and explored how AI and STEM skills are used in real-world roles. Strong submissions show youth applying critical thinking, collaboration, communication, project planning, responsible AI use, and problem-solving while developing their AI Research & Development Snapshot and pitch. |
FAQ: Entering the Challenge
The AI Innovation Challenge is open to structured out-of-school-time programs in the United States and the District of Columbia that serve youth in grades 9-12. Eligible programs include afterschool programs, STEM clubs, robotics teams, makerspaces, summer programs, and other structured learning experiences offered or supervised by a school, library, museum, community organization, faith-based organization, or similar institution.
Youth may participate individually or in teams. Each program site may submit up to five team entries, but only one entry per program site is eligible to receive a prize award. All entries must be submitted by an adult educator, program leader, or staff member on behalf of the participating program site.
A program site refers to a single afterschool location serving youth. Organizations operating multiple sites may submit entries for each program site independently. x
The AI Innovation Challenge gives youth the opportunity to drive their own learning by exploring issues they care about, developing innovative solutions, and using AI as a tool to support their thinking. Aligned to STEM Next’s Career Connected Learning Framework, the challenge helps youth build durable skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, project planning, AI literacy, and problem-solving while exploring connections to future STEM and AI-enabled careers.
Program leaders facilitate the challenge by helping youth stay organized, providing guidance and encouragement, and supporting responsible AI use. Youth lead the research, idea development, and presentation of their project. The adult educator or program leader submits the final entry on behalf of the participating program.
Each program site completes one submission form, regardless of how many youth teams participate. That submission form may include up to five unique project entries, each created by a different youth team.
Each project entry must include its own AI Research & Development Snapshot, pitch video, project title, and youth team. Students may only participate in one project entry.
Each project entry is judged independently; however, only one project entry per program site is eligible to receive a prize award.Hiu
Yes. A multi-site organization may submit multiple entries if each entry is tied to a unique site, youth team, and project.oz
No. Because the submission includes program information and a required educator survey, entries must be submitted by an adult educator, program leader, or staff member. w T
After you submit the sign-up form, the email address you provide will receive an email with a link to the on-demand Challenge Overview video and the AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit. Please use an email address that is routinely monitored, as we will send periodic emails throughout the challenge with important reminders, resources, updates, and submission information leading up to the November 19, 2026 deadline. e
No. Signing up does not commit your program to submitting a final project. It simply helps us share the resources, reminders, and updates you need to participate.
Question:
Do I have to complete the sign-up form multiple times, for each project team that plans to submit on behalf of this program site?
No. A participating program site is only required to complete the sign up form once so that we can email you important information during the challenge period. If you accidentally submit the sign-up form more than once, that’s okay. We’ll use the information you provide to ensure you receive challenge communications.
FAQ: Creating Your Project
Youth may focus on a local or global issue they care about. Examples include climate resilience, food insecurity, public health, sustainable technology, education, accessibility, transportation, community safety, environmental health, or another issue that matters to their local or global community.
Question:
Do youth need AI experience? What about program educators — should we have experience with AI?
No. No prior AI experience is required for youth or educators. The AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit provides educator facilitation guidance, AI safety resources, and step-by-step materials to help you confidently support youth throughout the challenge.
No. This challenge focuses on AI literacy, critical thinking, research, project planning, responsible AI use, feedback, iteration, and problem-solving, not coding.
No. Teams do not need to build a finished product or build a working prototype.
The challenge focuses on research, responsible AI use, solution development, planning, feedback, iteration, and communication.
Each youth (individual or team) will create two main project materials for the submission:
- AI Research & Development Snapshot: A structured project artifact that explains the problem, proposed solution, AI process, feedback or iteration, career-connected skills, and potential impact. (A template will be provided)
- Pitch video: An up to 5-minute video or recorded presentation that creatively explains the team’s idea.
The adult educator or program leader will also complete the required educator survey as part of the final submission form.
The AI Research & Development Snapshot is the main project artifact youth teams will complete. It helps youth document their problem, research, proposed solution, AI process, feedback or iteration, and potential impact. A template will be provided in the toolkit so submissions are consistent and manageable to complete and review.
The AI Research & Development Snapshot should be no more than 11 slides using the provided slide deck template.
Yes. All submissions should use the AI Research & Development Snapshot template provided in the toolkit so every submission includes the same core information and can be reviewed fairly. The pitch video is where youth have more creative flexibility in how they present their idea.
The pitch video or recorded presentation is a short presentation, up to 5 minutes, where youth explain their problem, proposed solution, AI process, feedback or iteration, and potential impact.
Teams may submit a youth-narrated slide deck, voiceover video, screen recording, smartphone video, live presentation recording, digital story, or another simple recorded presentation.
The pitch video or recorded presentation should be no more than 5 minutes.
No. The pitch video or recorded presentation should be youth-created and should reflect the team’s own thinking, decisions, and explanation of the project. Youth may use AI to help organize ideas, outline a script, create captions, support editing, or improve clarity. However, AI should not generate the entire video, replace youth explanation, create a fake presenter, or produce fake evidence of youth participation.
No. Youth do not need to appear on camera if they are not comfortable. Teams may submit a youth-narrated slide deck, voiceover video, screen recording, or other recorded presentation format. Programs should follow their own media permission policies.
No. Simple, authentic submissions are encouraged. Smartphone videos, narrated slides, screenshots, and screen recordings are all acceptable. We care more about youth thinking, responsible AI use, feedback, impact, and clear communication than polish.
Each team will complete one simple test or feedback step and explain how it helped improve their solution. This could include getting feedback from peers, educators, mentors, family members, or community members; testing a paper sketch or simple model; comparing two solution ideas; or asking AI to identify possible gaps or risks and then deciding what to improve.
Teams do not need to build a finished product or advanced prototype.
After signing up, you’ll receive the AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit, which includes educator facilitation guidance, responsible AI guidance, suggested AI tools, project templates, submission instructions, and additional resources to help youth complete the challenge successfully.
FAQ: About the Prizes
Eligible submissions will be reviewed by judges using the published judging criteria.
Each submission will be evaluated for innovation and impact, AI collaboration and strategy, Career Connected Learning alignment, and presentation. Judges will look for youth thinking, responsible AI use, feedback or iteration, career-connected skill development, and clear communication.
Yes. Awards cannot be used for lobbying, advocacy, or policy work. Prize funds should support the winning program’s STEM, AI, youth development, or out-of-school time programming.
No. W-9 forms are not required at the time of submission.
Selected winners will receive secure follow-up instructions for any required prize paperwork.
The official challenge rules can be found on the challenge overview page.
View Official Rules
The post STEM Next and Panasonic Foundation Launch AI Innovation Challenge for Afterschool Programs appeared first on STEM Next.
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