2026 CodeforAwhile: Data for Good AI Challenge for Middle and High School Students

Competition Schedule

All times listed are in the Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Food and beverages will be provided during the event for participating students and accompanying teachers. Family members and friends of the participating students are welcome to attend the presentations and awards ceremony on Sunday, but they will not be able to participate in other scheduled activities. Only judging panel members will be allowed to ask questions during the presentations.

AI-Augmented Problem-Solving Framework

To tackle the complex community challenges presented in this datathon, we asked all participants to adopt this specific approach. It instructed students to combine human insight with artificial intelligence to deeply understand social issues, design targeted responses, and test innovative ideas.

Under this framework, we challenged students to partner with AI to quickly sift through complex datasets, reveal hidden patterns, and generate alternative options. However, we emphasized that their own human context, values, and local knowledge must guide the final decision-making process. This combination ensured that teams focused on building solutions to real-world challenges that were both data-driven and ethically grounded.

The 5 Stages of the Data4Good AI Challenge Journey

1. Research and Understanding: Diving into the core issues to uncover root causes.
2. Data Analysis: Interrogating the provided datasets to isolate key trends, anomalies, and disparities.
3. Brainstorming Solutions: Generating creative, alternative ideas to address the identified gaps.
4. Prototyping Solutions: Building out practical models or actionable intervention plans.
5. Presentations: Pitching their data-backed insights and final solutions to the panel of judges.

Recommended AI Tools

These tools are recommended because they are free, easy to use, browser-based, and do not require complex setups.

For Research & Understanding

• Perplexity AI: Best for middle/high school because it lists sources. Students can trust it more than a standard chatbot.
• Microsoft Copilot: Free GPT-4 access via browser. Great for summarizing long PDFs or articles.

For Data Analysis and Brainstorming

• Claude.ai: The free version has a very "human" way of explaining data files. Students can upload a CSV and ask, "What are the patterns here?"
• Google Gemini: Export data to a CSV or PDF. Upload it into Gemini and ask questions such as "What are the 3 biggest trends in this data?" or "Create a bar chart showing the correlation between X and Y."

For Prototyping

• Replit: Students can build, test, and host full-stack web applications and prototypes directly in their browser using an AI-powered coding agent.
• Figma: Students can transform simple text prompts into working app designs and functional prototypes, simplifying the transition from an initial idea to a visual product.
• Glide Apps: Students can create a mobile app prototype just by organizing a Google Sheet. No coding required.
• Canva Magic Media: For generating high-quality images of what their product would look like.

For Presentations

• Gamma.app: Students can type a few sentences about their project, and it generates a beautiful, multi-slide presentation in seconds.
• ChatGPT (Free Tier): Best for "Roasting" their pitch—they can paste their script and ask, "Act as a judge and find the flaws in my argument."
• NotebookLM: Automatically transforms dense research documents or rough notes into structured slide decks with speaker notes, allowing students to focus on their delivery rather than formatting.

Rules and Procedures

Eligibility:

•  The competition is open to high school students in grades 6 through 12.
•  Each team must consist of 2-3 students and must be registered by a coordinating teacher.
•  All members of a team must be from same school.
•  Multiple teams from the same school are welcome to participate. There is no cap on the number of teams from a school.
•  Registration is free and the deadline is March 25.

Team Composition:

•  Teams should be formed before the event. If any changes made to team structuring after competition begins, you will need to obtain permissions from Dr. Umapathy.
•  Each team must have a designated team leader to communicate with mentors. All team members are encouraged to interact with the mentors and peers. All team members are encourage to participate in all datathon activities including presentation to judges.
•  Teams should consist of a mix of members who excel in coding, problem-solving, and presenting to ensure a well-rounded approach to the competition.

Problem Cases and Datasets:

•  Teams will be provided with a set of problem cases and relevant datasets at the beginning of the competition.
•  Teams must select one problem case to work on and focus their efforts on solving it.
•  Any external data used must be properly cited and documented.

Computer Usage:

•  Participants must bring their own laptops to the event.
•  Teams are expected to use their own computers to work on the problem case, analyze the dataset, and present their solutions.
•  Organizers will not provide any computer device access during the competition.
•  All software and tools required for the competition should be installed and tested on participants' computer devices before the event.

Mentoring:

•  UNF School of Computing students will be mentoring participating students during the event.
•  Mentors will be available at designated times to provide guidance and feedback on Saturday, March 28.
•  Teams are encouraged to seek help and advice from mentors but must complete the work independently.
•  Please feel free to ask for any clarification questions to event organizers during the event. We will answer your question as soon as we can.

Submission Requirements:

•  Teams must prepare a presentation that includes their problem-solving strategy, solution approach, tasks performed, techniques used, and findings.
•  Presentation and code repository files must be submitted by 9:30 AM on Sunday, March 29. Submission link will be provided during the event.
•  Teams will be required to present their solutions on Sunday, March 29. Middle school teams will have 5 minutes to present. High school teams will have 7 minutes to present. The judges will listen to your presentation and review your solution to rank your team.
•  Teams should also be prepared to answer questions from the judging panel during their presentation.

Code of Conduct:

•  All participants must adhere to a high standard of honesty and integrity.
•  Plagiarism and any form of cheating are strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification.
•  AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are allowed during the event. However, you need to develop your unique solution, or else it will be considered an act of plagiarism, in which case, your team may be disqualified from the event.
•  Participants are expected to treat each other, mentors, judges, and organizers with respect.
•  Any disputes or issues that arise during the competition will be resolved by the organizing committee, and their decision will be final.