Do the young people in your afterschool program have ideas for using artificial intelligence to solve problems in their community or around the world?

The AI Innovation Challenge, created by STEM Next Opportunity Fund in partnership with the Panasonic Foundation, gives high school youth the opportunity to explore those ideas while competing for prize funding for their afterschool program.

Youth identify a local or global issue they care about and use AI as a research and development partner to research the issue, explore possible solutions, and strengthen their thinking. Throughout the challenge, youth lead the work while educators provide guidance and support.

What’s the Prize?

• Two first-place winning projects: $5,000 each for their program site

• Three second-place winning projects: $3,000 each

• Five third-place winning projects: $1,000 each

Programs with winning projects will also be featured in STEM Next communications and may be invited to participate in future opportunities.

Who Can Participate?

Eligible afterschool and other structured out-of-school-time programs serving youth in grades 9-12 across the United States are encouraged to participate.

No prior AI experience or coding skills are required for youth or educators. After signing up, educators receive a free AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit with facilitation guidance, AI safety resources, templates, and everything needed to confidently support youth throughout the challenge.

Final project submissions are due November 19, 2026.

Learn more, review eligibility, and sign up: https://stemnext.org/ai-innovation-challenge