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

Empowering Middle and High School Students to Solve Real-World Problems with AI

Dates: March 28 and 29, 2026

Location: The Link, 425 Town Plaza Ave, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

Join the AI for Good community to develop technology that matters. Code with purpose, collaborate with a diverse network of peers, and leverage AI-driven innovations to engineer analytically-grounded solutions that create sustainable, real-world impact.

Follow the site below for registering your team.

2026 CodeforAwhile Registration Site

Unleash Your Data Power:

Compete with Your Peers and Make an Impact in Florida!

Are you passionate about Science and Technology?
If you are a middle or high school student in Duval or St. Johns Counties in Florida, this is your chance to shine! The 2026 CodeforAwhile Datathon is an exciting in-person event designed just for you.

Why Participate?

Build Your Skills in the Age of AI	Build Your Skills in the Age of AI: Dive into the world of data science and master the intersection of human logic and artificial intelligence. Enhance your problem-solving abilities by leveraging Generative AI for rapid coding, automated data synthesis, and advancing your analytical depth to stay ahead in an AI-driven landscape.
Network with Peers and College Students	Network with Peers and College Students: Connect with fellow students who share your passion for data science and gain valuable insights from experienced college mentors. Receive personalized feedback from UNF Computing student mentors to enhance your work on critical phases of the AI competition, including problem understanding, data preparation, and data analytics.
Learn by Doing	Learn by Doing: Tackle real-world data science challenges using curated datasets designed by UNF Computing Professors. These challenges are perfect for practicing AI-driven problem solving, giving you hands-on experience with developing practical, data-centric solutions.
Gain Recognition	Gain Recognition: Stand out in your college applications by showcasing your dedication to going beyond the classroom. The top three winning teams will receive prizes, earning well-deserved recognition for their outstanding skills. A panel of industry leaders will judge the competition, evaluating the presentations made by students to determine the winning teams.

Introduction

Data science competitions offer an exciting opportunity for middle and high school students to push boundaries, showcase skills, and get recognized for their dedication. For those who enjoy solving complex problems using math, data, and technology, the CodeforAwhile Datathon is the next big challenge. This event focuses on AI-augmented problem solving, where students learn to harness artificial intelligence as a "force multiplier" to uncover deep insights within massive datasets.

In the CodeforAwhile Datathon, motivated middle and high school students collaborate with peers. Working in teams, students navigate complex data landscapes, utilizing AI co-pilots to refine analysis and present findings to a panel of judges. The event encourages teamwork and critical thinking, specifically focusing on AI4Good—using intelligent algorithms to tackle real-world social and environmental issues impacting Florida.

Participating in the Datathon is a rewarding way for students to develop talents and potentially make a difference in the community. Students will have the chance to present AI-driven insights to industry leaders, demonstrating a commitment to using technology for a more sustainable and equitable future.

How to Participate

Ready to take on the challenge? Register now and be part of something amazing. Your journey into the world of data science starts here!

Middle and High school teachers who wish to coordinate their students’ participation in the competition are highly encouraged to register teams of two or three students from grades 6 through 12. Members of a team must be from same school. Students are expected to coordinate with a teacher to complete the registration process. Multiple teams from the same school are welcome to participate.

Ensure that the name, email, and grade level information for each team member is included when registering a team. Teachers must register their participating teams on or before March 25, at 11:59 PM EST by visiting the link below.

CodeforAwhile Datathon Team Registration

This competition is offered free of charge.

Hackathon Location

The Link is an environment that fosters creativity, productivity, and human development. It is a premier coworking and event space with dedicated and floating desks, community spaces, lounges, and meeting rooms with amenities like fast Wi-Fi. The Link is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including an immersive studio and video conferencing equipment, and hosts regular events for professionals and families, all contributing to its reputation as a community hub for work and play. The Link has facilities for showering and refreshing for event attendees.

The Link offers flexible workspace solutions and a collaborative environment perfectly suited for generating and executing innovative ideas in a short timeframe.

The Link is located at 425 Town Plaza Ave, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081.

The Link at Ponte Vedra — A collage of The Link event spaces.

Competition Schedule

9 AM: Datathon Kickoff, problem overview, and data sources review
9:30 AM: Start digging in and research on why the problem is important? who does it affect? what are current solutions?
11 AM: Analyze data and discover patterns, trends, and stories the data is telling. Find insights that are worth pursuing.
12:30 PM: Lunch break. Step away from screens and mingle with other students to discuss the Big Ideas.
1:30 PM: Brainstorm ideas for potential solutions to the problem utilizing the insights discovered in the morning.
3 PM: Build prototypes for the solution.Middle schools consider developing interactive mockups. High schools consider developing working web apps.
5 PM: Review and test the prototype.
5:30 PM: Start preparing slides to translate data solution into a story that a judge can understand.
6 PM: End of day 1. Continue working on the solution and preparing for the final presentation remotely.
9 AM: Final Tech Check. Ensure live demos work and slides are visually consistent.
9:30 AM: Save all work and upload solution and presentation files to the event portal.
10 AM: Middle School Team Presentations. Focus on storytelling and how AI helped in solving the problem.
12:30 PM: Lunch break
1:30 PM: High School Team Presentations. Focus on technical logic, data accuracy, and AI Augmented Workflow.
3:30 PM: Judges deliberation
4 PM: Award ceremony

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.

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

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

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."

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.

Datathon: Presentation Requirements

Final presentation should be a story of how teams tackled a complex problem. While AI tools are allowed, judging score depends on how students directed those tools to reach a meaningful solution.

Presentation must include the following sections:

The Problem: What specific real-world challenge was selected for this project? What is the significance of this problem on a local or global scale?

Data Analysis and Insights: What specific findings were derived from the dataset? What patterns, anomalies, or trends were identified during the analysis phase?

Human-AI Collaboration:

Tool Selection: Which AI tools were utilized, and for what specific tasks?
Methodology: How did the team direct the AI to achieve the desired outcomes?
Verification: In what instances were AI-generated outputs evaluated, and what methods were used to verify their accuracy or identify potential biases?

The Solution: What is the proposed solution, and how does it function as a prototype? How does the design of this solution logically address the specific insights discovered in the data, and what evidence confirms its technical feasibility?

Social Impact and "So What?": What is the potential impact? What is the projected impact of this solution on the target population? What measurable improvements does this approach offer compared to existing solutions? Based on the data, what is the estimated scale of the population that could benefit from this intervention?

Future Scope: What are the technical and logical requirements to transition this project from a prototype to a real-world application? Given a hypothetical budget of $10,000 and a six-month timeline, what specific milestones and resources would be prioritized to implement this solution effectively?

Evaluation Criteria

Each participating team will be evaluated on their solution innovation and presentation of the results. Winners of the datathon will be determined based on the below evaluation factor weightings and scores received.

Critical Thinking (25%): Ability to explain why specific data features or AI methods were chosen. Evidence of verifying AI-generated facts/code for accuracy.

Innovation using AI Orchestration (25%): The Human-in-the-loop factor. How did students guide the AI? Did they spot AI errors? We are looking for students who "managed" the AI rather than just letting it do the work.

Strategic Solution Design (20%): Is the solution logical, creative, and feasible? Does it actually solve the problem presented, or is it just a "cool" piece of tech?

Social Impact (15%): Alignment with "AI for Good." How effectively does the solution address the specific needs of the affected population? Can the team articulate the real-world value? Do they have a clear vision for how this moves from a "project" to a "solution"?

Communication (15%): Clarity of the presentation, quality of visuals, and the team’s ability to handle Q&A from judges.

Scoring Ratings

For each category above, judges will rate the team on a Scale of 1–5, which is then multiplied by the weight.

5 = Excellent presentation on all counts

4 = Very good presentation with minor issues

3 = Pitch can be significantly improved but is satisfactory overall

2 = Pitch is incomplete and severely lacking

1 = Presenter fails to address the criteria

In the event of a tie in cumulative scores, judges will break the tie by awarding a bonues points. This preference is given to the team that most effectively used AI to accelerate their own original ideas, rather than relying on AI-generated suggestions, and demonstrated the highest level of critical thinking and skepticism toward AI outputs..

Awards and Prizes

Top-performing teams in both the Middle School and High School divisions would be recognized during the awards ceremony. Prizes will be awarded to each individual student within the winning teams.

Middle School Division:

First Place: $100 per student
Second Place: $50 per student
Third Place: $25 per student

High School Division:

First Place: $200 per student
Second Place: $100 per student
Third Place: $50 per student