BrAIn Hub 2026
Student Competition

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Contest Guidelines

The BrAInhub AI Summit 2026 planning committee invites students enrolled at any Western North Carolina (WNC) higher education institution (see Eligibility below) to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create meaningful solutions for real community problems. Participants will have until May 8, 2026, to identify a community need, develop an AI-enhanced solution, and submit required documentation of their journey from concept to project implementation. Participants may be selected to present at the 2-day summit and will be notified by May 26.Eligibility:Participants can be individual students or teams of up to five members.You and all members of your team must be enrolled and taking at least one class at an institution (college, university, or community college) in WNC between January and May 2026.Institutions must have a campus location in one of the following counties served by Land of Sky to qualify:Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Catawba, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, YanceyProject Requirements:Community Focus: Projects must address a genuine community service need and cannot be primarily commercial in nature. Examples include:Adapting existing civic projects from platforms like Code for AmericaCreating new solutions for local challenges (e.g., improving public transportation usability, supporting community wellness initiatives, leveraging public data to provide new insights for regional planning and governance, addressing environmental concerns, etc).Enhancing access to public services or informationSupporting under served populations in your communityAI Usage: All projects must incorporate and document the use of AI in some capacity. Further, the project must demonstrate how AI can potentially help us identify and solve problems facing our community. Potential uses of AI as a methodology could include: analyzing data, conducting research, identifying problems, making recommendations, designing and creating software, designing physical objects or devices, and any other creative use as long as the use is clearly documented.Project Deliverables:The Project Submission (in PDF format) must include the following elements:Project Summary Narrative (minimum 1,000 words)- must address the following elements:Statement of Purpose: what is addressed; why does it matter; who does it impact and how; what outcomes are you aiming to achieve?Project Selection Rationale: how was the problem identified; what research was conducted; were community members and others consulted; why this initiative?AI Integration - Planned Approach: What AI did you propose to use? How would it help solve or address the problem? What alternatives were considered?AI Integration - Actual Implementation: Which AI systems and key prompts and queries did you use? How did AI prove more effective than traditional approaches? Did you test or verify the accuracy of AI-generated content, outputs, or predictions? How accurate did you find the AI outputs to be?Technical Approach and Innovation:Why is your approach or solution unique or creative, and is it realistic, effective, and responsible? Did you clearly explain how AI tools or methods are used?Project Journey Documentation: Provide a detailed written account covering milestones, setbacks and challenges, and successes and learningsSupplemental Media: Include one of the following to demonstrate your project:Demonstration video (maximum 5 minutes) showing your solution in actionDigital poster or infographic explaining your project visuallyWebsite or app walkthrough with screenshots and explanationsPresentation slides detailing your approach and results*All media must be linked within the PDF submission or embedded appropriately4.Ethical Considerations: All projects must demonstrate responsible AI use, including:Transparency: Clear explanation of how AI makes decisions in your solutionHuman oversight: Appropriate human involvement in AI-driven outcomesPrivacy: Protection of any user data collected or processedFairness: Consideration of how your solution impacts different community groupsSafety: Assessment of potential risks or unintended consequencesSubmission Guidelines:Certification of Originality: Each submission must include a signed statement certifying that:The overall project is original work created by the team membersAll AI tools, platforms, and external sources are properly citedAny adapted or borrowed code, data, or concepts are attributedThe work complies with all ethical guidelinesFormat RequirementsSingle PDF documentMaximum 50 MB file sizeMaximum 10 pages in length12-point font or largerAll external media are linked within the documentDeadline: May 8, 2026 - noonFor any questions about the challenge, contact Mark Sternal ([email protected]).Evaluation CriteriaSubmissions will be evaluated based on the criteria below, with prizes awarded to 3 selected projects.Community Impact (40%)Significance and relevance of the problem addressedPotential for meaningful community benefitEvidence of community engagement or stakeholder inputAI Innovation and Application (30%)Effective and appropriate use of AI technologiesCreativity in applying AI to the problemTechnical sophistication and feasibility of the solutionResponsible and ethical use of AITransparency about AI's role and limitationsAttention to fairness, privacy, and safetyProject Execution / Completeness (20%)Quality of implementation and developmentAbility to overcome challenges and setbacksProgress towards completionDocumentation and Communication (10%)Clarity and thoroughness of the written narrativeQuality and effectiveness of supplemental mediaReflection on learning journey and outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions

Does working on <My Idea> Qualify?Yes, probably. As long as you are meeting the requirements above, you idea or project probably will quality to be entered. The goal of this contest is to see what amazing things WNC students might be able to do for the broader community with the help of an AI tool. AI can be central to your project or you can just use AI to get started by using it to help brainstorming ideas or provide some guidance along the way.Do I need to do this as part of a class assignment or activity?No. You are welcome to participate in this contest independently from your school work. However, we encourage you to speak with your instructor to see if they have any ideas they would like to share with you.Does my project need to be complete by the deadline?No. If your idea or project is a long term effort or otherwise just won't be ready in time for the submission deadline, that's not a problem at all! However, you must follow contest guidelines above and submit the required deliverables by the deadline.