AI Art
The quest goes live Mon 19 Oct, 09:00 SGT.
- Primary
- Secondary
- University
Open to all three divisions · Full challenge unlocks when your place is confirmed
YOUTH AI HACKATHON · SINGAPORE · SEASON 26/27
Think it. Make it. Say it.
For students aged 7–24 studying in Singapore, in three divisions judged separately. Register your team and your challenge unlocks once your place is confirmed. Build until 9 Jan; Demo Weekend is 16–17 Jan 2027.
Registration opens 19 OctFor parents & teachers
Open registration, no cap · S$68 per student · about 15 fee-waiver places
- A parent confirms every place under 21
- Player Cards show nicknames only: no photos, no schools
- Organised by YCESS, a society registered in Singapore
- WHO
- Ages 7–24 · studying in Singapore · any nationality · 3 divisions
- TEAM
- Teams of 1–4 · solo welcome
- QUESTS
- 4 quests · open to all ages
- ENTRY
- S$68 per student · fee-waiver places
- REGISTER
- Open registration, no cap · 19 Oct – 2 Jan
- DEMO WEEKEND
- Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan 2027 · Singapore
01 · HOW IT WORKS
Five levels to Demo Weekend.
Registration is rolling. Sign up any time from Mon 19 Oct and your challenge unlocks as soon as your place is confirmed, so the earlier you start, the longer you get to build. Every challenge can be done well in one week, and everyone has the same deadline.
- LV 1
Register
From Mon 19 OctForm a team of 1–4 and pick a quest. Under 21? A parent confirms your place.
- LV 2
Unlock
When your place is confirmedPay, get every confirmation in, and your full challenge and resource pack arrive by email.
- LV 3
Build
Until Sat 9 JanMake it at home or at school. Adults can teach tools. The ideas are yours.
- LV 4
Finalists
Wed 13 JanReviewers screen every project. 3–5 finalist teams per track in each division present live.
- LV 5 · FINAL STAGE
Demo Weekend
Sat 16 – Sun 17 JanFinals Day on Saturday, Showcase & Awards Day on Sunday. Every participant is welcome at Demo Weekend.
SAVE POINTSRegistration closes Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGTProjects due Sat 9 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGTNo building on the day.
02 · CHOOSE YOUR QUEST
Four quests. Pick one.
All four quests are open from day one. Pick the one you’d love to make and register your team. Your full challenge for your division arrives as soon as you’re confirmed. Join early and you get more time; everyone has the same deadline, and every challenge can be done well in one week.
AI Robotics & Smart Devices
The quest goes live Mon 19 Oct, 09:00 SGT.
No robot? No problem. Build on screen, in cardboard or with a kit; all three are judged the same.
- Primary
- Secondary
- University
Open to all three divisions · Full challenge unlocks when your place is confirmed
AI for Good
The quest goes live Mon 19 Oct, 09:00 SGT.
- Primary
- Secondary
- University
Open to all three divisions · Full challenge unlocks when your place is confirmed
AI Agents
The quest goes live Mon 19 Oct, 09:00 SGT.
- Primary
- Secondary
- University
Open to all three divisions · Full challenge unlocks when your place is confirmed
Every quest ends with a Boss Check: the first thing judges look for in your project. AI has to do a real job: take the AI out, and your project should stop doing its main job. You pick one quest when you register and can change once, until Sat 2 Jan 2027. Can’t decide? There’s a Spin for a track button when you register.
03 · DIVISIONS
Choose your division.
Three divisions, each judged separately, with its own finalists and awards. Same four quests, same five criteria, same fee.
Teams with a member aged 12 or under have a lead adult, aged 21 or over, who comes to Demo Weekend. A parent or guardian confirms every place under 21.
Your division decides who you compete with. Your real age decides your tools, consent and safety rules.
Primary · Ages 7–12
- Born
- 17 Jan 2014 – 16 Jan 2020
- Projects look like
- Visual models, block coding, interactive stories or simple devices, with a simple test.
- Process log
- At least 3 dated entries
- Finalists on stage
- 5 min talk + 3 min Q&A
- Adults
- A lead adult (teacher or parent) registers the team, looks after safety and comes to Demo Weekend. Each member's parent or guardian also confirms their place.
- Playing up
- Your team can choose to play up into Secondary.
Secondary · Ages 13–17
- Born
- 17 Jan 2009 – 16 Jan 2014
- Projects look like
- A prototype you can demo, with a test table and one round of improvements.
- Process log
- At least 4 dated entries
- Finalists on stage
- 7 min talk + 3 min Q&A
- Adults
- A parent or guardian confirms each member's place.
- Playing up
- Your team can choose to play up into University if every member is 16 or over on Sat 16 Jan 2027.
University · Ages 18–24
For students at JC, IB, poly, ITE, university and other institutions, plus 2026 school leavers, 2027 starters and NSFs.
- Born
- 17 Jan 2002 – 16 Jan 2009
- Projects look like
- A working result, with a clear test method and known limits.
- Process log
- At least 5 dated entries
- Finalists on stage
- 10 min talk + 3 min Q&A
- Adults
- Members aged 21 or over confirm their own place; a parent or guardian confirms for anyone under 21.
- Playing up
- Any team with a member aged 18–24 plays here: nobody plays down.
04 · PLAYER CARD
Get your card. Bring your crew.
Once your place is confirmed, you can make a Player Card: an original card with your nickname, quest, avatar and one line about your build. It levels up as you hit checkpoints, from Idea to Shipped. Sharing is up to you. Player Cards open by Fri 30 Oct.
- STEP 1
Make your card
- STEP 2
Save it or share it
- STEP 3
Invite friends with your code (ages 13+)
How your card changes
- Checkpoints light up as you build
- “Brief unlocked” shows the date you got your challenge
- Each quest has its own foil
YAI Ambassador
Aged 13 or over? Join the YAI Ambassador Programme and earn Spark Points when friends sign up with your code and are confirmed. Rewards are fixed by level, never drawn by luck, and never cash.
Children aged 12 and under: cards are made with a parent and shared by a parent. Children never see points and are never ranked.
Nothing to buy. One card per child. No random rewards. Every card is checked by a real person before it goes live.
05 · JUDGING
How we judge, and what you can win
Not judged on lines of code, how expensive your kit is, how many tools you used, the size of your project, or your accent.
| Criterion | Weight | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Creativity | 30% | Is the idea really yours? |
| Understanding & independent work | 25% | Can you explain what you made, what the AI does and what you decided? |
| Completeness | 20% | Does it work, and did you test it? |
| Communication & teamwork | 20% | Can you explain it clearly, and did everyone pitch in? |
| Responsible AI use | 5% | Did you credit your tools and keep people safe? |
Finalists
Online screening, 10–12 Jan: at least two reviewers score each project on the same five criteria, and a third joins if their scores differ by 20 points or more. 3–5 finalist teams per track in each division present live. The optional Reach Bonus adds up to 5 screening points for the most-liked posts in each division.
Judges
Finals Day: three judges per division, from education, AI technology and creative fields. They score on their own first; we then average the scores. Judges are listed here from Fri 18 Dec.
Awards
Each division’s Champion, 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up are chosen from its finalists (fewer places if a division has fewer than five finalist teams). Trophies and cash prizes; amounts announced once funded.
Community Choice
On Sun 17 Jan, checked-in participants vote in the room for the projects they like, one vote per project. It’s separate from the judged awards.
Every valid submission receives a certificate: a participation certificate for every team member, plus a finalist certificate for finalists and an award certificate for winners.
06 · DEMO WEEKEND
Two days. Everyone’s work on show.
Sat 16 Jan · Finals Day
Finalists present live in their division's zone: 5, 7 or 10 minutes, then 3 minutes of questions. Every participant and family is welcome to watch.
Sun 17 Jan · Showcase & Awards Day
Every team may exhibit its project. Visit the tables, vote for Community Choice, meet our partners, then celebrate the awards for every division.
Every participant is welcome at Demo Weekend (Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan). Please RSVP by Thu 14 Jan, 23:59 SGT.
07 · FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS
For parents: help them learn, let them lead.
All help gets written down in the team's process log. That isn't a penalty. It's how judges see what your child did.
Adults can
- Teach how a tool works
- Explain ideas and knowledge
- Help find and fix problems
- For under-13s, type or operate a tool as the child directs, where the tool's rules allow (parents, teachers and lead adults, not teammates)
- Check wiring, batteries and safety
Adults can’t
- Come up with the idea
- Make the decisions
- Build it for them
- Use their own account on a 13+ or 18+ AI tool to do AI work for an under-13
- Present or answer questions for them
Safety
Staff, judges and volunteers sign a code of conduct. None of them is ever placed alone with a child in a closed room. Sign-in, sign-out and authorised pick-up for younger children. Participants aged 18 or over follow the Code of Conduct's rules for adults.
Data
We never give student or parent lists, or referral data, to partners. Public results use display names only. Player Cards never show photos, real names or schools.
Money
S$68 per student. Please read the refund policy before paying: no refund if a student withdraws; a full refund if we cancel. Nothing else to buy: no kits, no paid tools, no random rewards.
Lead adults
Every team with a member aged 12 or under has a lead adult (a parent or teacher aged 21 or over) who comes to Demo Weekend and arranges pick-up.
Real people
Questions? Write to support@ycess.com. We reply within 2 working days.
PARTNERS
Partners
ORGANISED BY
Partner announcements are coming.
Partners never receive student or parent lists. Partner booths are kept apart from judging and have no effect on scores. At most one judge per division may come from a partner.
Become a partner08 · FAQ
Questions families ask first
P-21When does our challenge unlock? What can we see before we register?
The four quests (titles, short descriptions and Boss Checks) and the judging criteria are public from Mon 19 Oct. Your team's full challenge for its track and division, a starter card and the resource pack arrive by email once your place is confirmed: the fee is paid and every confirmation is in (a parent or guardian for each member under 21). We send it as soon as the last step is done. Please don't post the full brief publicly.
S-1I can't code. Can I still join?
Yes. No quest requires typed code: free, no-account tools and block coding can earn full marks, and a Robotics sidekick can be an on-screen robot. Judges don't score lines of code. Creativity counts most, at 30%.
P-8How much can I help my child?
You can teach tools, explain ideas and help troubleshoot. The idea, the decisions and the presentation must be your child's. For under-13s, you may type or operate a tool as your child directs, where the tool's rules allow it, but you can't use your own account on a 13+ or 18+ AI tool (such as ChatGPT) to do AI work for them. Please write down all help in the process log. It's not a penalty; it helps judges see your child's own work.
P-20We registered in December. Can we still do well?
Yes. Every challenge can be done well in one week, and judges score the quality of the thinking and making, not the size of the project or the hours spent. There's no bonus for joining early and no extension for joining late: every team has the same deadline, Sat 9 Jan. Your full brief includes a two-week plan and a 7-day plan.
P-18Will every team present on stage? Could we not be chosen?
Not every team. Registration has no cap, so we choose finalists: after an online screening from 10 to 12 Jan, 3–5 finalist teams per track in each division present live on Sat 16 Jan. We can't know in advance how many teams will take part, so we can't promise any team a place in the finals. Whatever the result, every valid submission receives a certificate, every participant is welcome at Demo Weekend, and every team may exhibit its project on Sunday.
C-1Do I have to share my Player Card?
No. Cards are off unless you switch them on, aren't listed or searchable, and you can switch yours off anytime. All cards are deleted on 30 Apr 2027.
Got an idea? Get your team in.
Open registration, no cap, until Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT. Your place is confirmed, and your challenge unlocks, once payment and confirmations are done.
Registration opens 19 OctAdd 19 Oct to my calendar