Competitions
AI for Houston Food Bank Challenge
The AI for Houston Food Bank Challenge gives high school students a hands-on opportunity to use AI to solve real nonprofit and community-service problems.
Teams will attend an AI workshop, select a Houston Food Bank-related challenge, build an AI-powered prototype or interactive demo, and present their solution to judges.
Projects may focus on areas such as food access, volunteer experience, Student Heroes, internal operations, or communicating the Houston Food Bank’s impact.
The event will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2026, from 3:15 to 6:30 PM in Houston, Texas. The exact location will be confirmed shortly.
Please register by August 4, 2026.
Who Can Participate
- Students in grades 9-12
- Teams of 4–5 students
- No coding or previous AI experience is required
- Each team should bring at least one laptop and charger
Event Format
- Short workshop on AI, problem framing, no-code tools, and responsible AI use
- Guided team build session with mentor support
- AI-powered prototype or interactive demo
- 10-minute team presentation followed by a 2-minute Q&A
Guidelines
- The main prototype must be created during the event
- All submitted work must be original
- AI tools are allowed, but teams must disclose which tools they used
- Outside information, images, and other materials must be properly credited
- Teams may only use public, synthetic, or organizer-approved information
- Confidential or personally identifiable information may not be entered into AI tools
- Parent or guardian consent is required for participants under 18
Awards
- First Place
- Second Place
- Third Place
- Most Creative Solution
- Participation certificates for all students
- Selected projects may be reviewed for further development or fall testing
Timeline
Registration opens: July 22, 2026
Registration deadline: August 4, 2026
Event date: August 8, 2026
Event time: 3:15 to 6:30 PM
Contact
Leaders:
Aadya Yadav
ayadav7@CougarNet.UH.EDU
Camila Oropeza
coropez2@CougarNet.UH.EDU
Haowei Yang
hyang38@cougarnet.uh.edu
Advisor:
Dr. Meng Li
mli@Central.UH.EDU