Questions, answered.

Any student aged 13–18 anywhere in the world. You can compete solo or in a team, and no prior coding or startup experience is required.

Registration is free. There is no entry fee, no submission fee, and nothing to buy at any stage.

Registration is open August 20 to November 1, 2026. The build phase runs November 2 to December 20, 2026, which is also when the submission portal is open. Judging runs December 22, 2026 to January 20, 2027, and the online finals run January 22 to February 14, 2027. Finalists are scheduled individually across that window, so you pick a time that works where you live. Results are announced February 14.

Yes. 2026–27 is the inaugural cycle of IASC. We are upfront about that: there are no past winners to show you and no track record to point to. What we can promise is a published rubric, real judge feedback for every team, and awards that arrive by email rather than awards we hope to afford.

Not in the inaugural cycle. IASC does not offer cash prizes or startup grants in 2026–27. We decided it was better to promise only what we can guarantee than to advertise money we have not raised. Awards are signed digital certificates, shareable badges, and a full scored breakdown for every team that submits. Everything is delivered by email, so it reaches you wherever you are.

No. Judges evaluate the quality of your idea, entrepreneurial thinking, and how effectively you use AI — not raw programming skill. Many strong submissions are built with no-code and AI tools.

Yes — it's encouraged. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Lovable, Bolt, Replit AI, Midjourney, Flux, Runway, and ElevenLabs are all permitted at every stage.

Every team submits a 2-minute unscripted founder Q&A video answering prompts published at the start of the build phase, including a direct question about what you built versus what AI built. Judges score understanding, not just output. A polished submission a team cannot explain will score poorly.

Two required items: a 3-minute pitch video and a 2-minute founder Q&A video. A pitch deck of 8–10 slides is highly recommended, and a prototype or MVP is optional.

Six weighted criteria: problem importance (20%), innovation (20%), AI implementation (20%), product quality (15%), business potential (15%), and presentation (10%). Scoring is done by an AI evaluation system built for this competition, running multiple independent passes that are averaged. The organizing team then reviews every top-tier submission by hand before finalists are named.

Yes. Use the group registration option on the register page. You register once as the coordinator, and we email you a link to share with your students so each of them can sign up individually in under a minute. You stay on the list for competition updates so you always know what stage your students are at.

No. IASC is run entirely online, including the finals. Everything — registration, the build phase, submission, judging, and the final pitches — happens over the internet. There is no travel, no venue, and no cost to take part from anywhere in the world.

Teams may have up to five members. You can also compete solo — solo entrants are judged on the same criteria with no adjustment.

No. A polished prototype is not expected. Judges primarily evaluate the quality of the idea, problem selection, business potential, and AI implementation.

You do, entirely. Your team retains full ownership of your startup, code, and materials. IASC only asks permission to display your project name, description, and submitted pitch materials for judging and for promoting the competition.

Yes. All participants under 18 must confirm parent or guardian permission at registration and provide a guardian email address.

Almost anything meaningful: healthcare, education, finance, climate, agriculture, accessibility, robotics, scientific research, productivity, public safety, and more. The emphasis is on AI-powered products people would actually use.