Dates

  • Registration opens: July 1, 2026
  • Kickoff + build period begins: Saturday, August 1, 2026
  • Build period: August 1–8, 2026
  • Submission deadline: Saturday, August 8, 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific Time
  • Judging: Sunday, August 9, 2026
  • Winners announced: Sunday, August 9, 2026
  • Stanford Neurodiversity Summit presentations: September 19–21, 2026

All times are Pacific Time.

Eligibility

  • Open to high school and college students worldwide.
  • Both neurodivergent individuals and neurotypical allies are welcome.
  • Compete solo or in teams of up to 5 people.
  • Participants who are minors (under 18) must have parent or guardian permission to participate.
  • Hard requirement: every project must involve at least one real neurodivergent user in its design or testing, and the submission must describe that engagement.
  • Employees, contractors, and immediate family of the organizers (IncludEDU and Stanford NNEA) and of the judging panel are not eligible to win prizes.

Project and Submission Requirements

  • Projects must use AI meaningfully (not merely a chat-interface wrapper).
  • Projects must be substantially built during the hackathon period. Any pre-existing code or assets must be clearly disclosed in the submission.
  • A complete submission includes a 3-minute demo video, a written project description, and a public GitHub repository link.
  • The submission must demonstrate, with evidence, that real neurodivergent users were involved in design or testing.
  • All content must be the team's original work or properly licensed; third-party assets must be credited and used in compliance with their licenses.
  • Submissions must be in English or include English subtitles/translation for the demo video.

Prizes

Total prize pool: $3,000

  • Grand Prize — $1,000. Best overall project across all tracks (judged independently from track winners). Winner is invited to present at the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit.
  • Track Winner: AI for K–12 Learning — $500. Best project in Track 1.
  • Track Winner: AI for Connection & Wellbeing — $500. Best project in Track 2.
  • Track Winner: AI Creative Amplifier — $500. Best project in Track 3.
  • Neurodivergent Innovator Award — $500. Best project led by a neurodivergent individual or team, honoring "nothing about us without us."

Prizes are paid by IncludEDU. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes. Prize amounts are in USD.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Submissions are evaluated by a panel including Stanford neurodiversity researchers, AI industry professionals, education faculty, and neurodivergent community advocates, on these criteria:

  • Impact on neurodivergent youth — 30%. Does this meaningfully address a real need? Is the impact demonstrated, not just claimed?
  • Innovation in AI application — 25%. Is AI used meaningfully and creatively, not just as a chat-interface wrapper?
  • Usability & accessibility — 25%. Could a neurodivergent individual actually use this comfortably? Was it designed with — not just for — them?
  • Technical execution — 10%. Does the prototype work? Is the code reasonably structured?
  • Presentation quality — 10%. Are the problem, solution, and impact communicated clearly in the video and writeup?

In the event of a tie, the judging panel will deliberate and make a final selection. Judges' decisions are final.