New competition builds on Tennessee students’ national success in the Presidential AI Challenge and invites K-12 students statewide to use AI to address challenges in their communities
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (October 21, 2026) – Following a national championship win by a team of Tennessee elementary students in the Presidential AI Challenge, AI Tennessee is launching a new statewide competition designed to give more K-12 students the opportunity to explore artificial intelligence, solve real-world problems and build skills for the future.
The AI Tennessee Challenge is organized by AI Tennessee, the ADEPT Center, and other statewide partners, including the Tennessee Department of Education, ETSU, Fisk University, MTSU, SCORE, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN), Tennessee Tech, The University of Memphis, and Vanderbilt University. It invites K-12 students across the state to identify a problem affecting their school, community, industry or region and explore how AI could help address it. Students may develop a new idea, investigate an existing challenge or create and test an AI-powered solution.
The statewide competition builds on AI Tennessee’s work supporting Tennessee students and educators participating in the inaugural Presidential AI Challenge. In June, a team of fourth and fifth grade students from Alcoa Intermediate School won its age group in the national competition in Washington, D.C. The students developed “Homework Helper,” an AI tool designed to reduce homework-related anxiety by helping students manage their time and work through problems without simply providing answers. The team advanced to the national competition after winning state and regional contests and was supported by AI Tennessee and faculty from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“The students from Alcoa demonstrated what young people can accomplish when they have the opportunity to apply AI to problems that matter to them,” said Dr. Vasileios Maroulas, Associate Vice Chancellor for Next Generation Computing at the University of Tennessee and Executive Director of AI Tennessee. “Through the AI Tennessee Challenge, we are expanding that opportunity statewide, giving students across Tennessee the chance to develop new skills, tackle real-world challenges, and become part of the next generation of innovators.”
The challenge is open to students attending school or being homeschooled in Tennessee and includes three grade bands: elementary school (K-5), middle school (6-8) and high school (9-12). Students may participate individually or in teams. Every project must have an adult sponsor, who may be a teacher, parent, librarian, instructional coach or community leader.
Students will begin by identifying and researching a real-world challenge and considering the people and communities affected. From there, they will develop an AI-related solution, gather evidence, test or prototype ideas when appropriate, seek feedback and communicate what they learned. Projects may address issues in areas such as education, healthcare, agriculture, accessibility, the environment, workforce development and public safety.
“The goal is not simply to teach students how to use an AI tool,” added Dr. Anne Ho, Director of AI R&D for the AI Tennessee Initiative. “It is to help them become thoughtful problem-solvers who understand what AI can do, where it has limitations and how human judgment remains essential. Those are skills students will carry with them throughout their lives.”
The AI Tennessee Challenge kicked off October 19, with a virtual information session to follow on October 23, covering eligibility, project expectations, responsible AI and judging. Optional virtual office hours will be offered throughout October and November to help participants move from identifying a problem to developing an AI idea and preparing their submissions.
Projects are due November 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submissions will be judged by region (East, Middle, and West Tennessee), with three winners selected per grade band in each region (27 total). One grand prize winner will also be selected from each grade band. The resulting winning teams will be recognized at a student celebration held December 11 during Computer Science Education Week.
To register and learn more, visit: https://www.aitennessee.ai/ai-tn-challenge/
For questions about the AI Tennessee Challenge, contact aitnchallenge@utk.edu
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