Dates

Saturday, October 24, 2026 - Sunday, October 25, 2026

Prizes

Includes $7,500 in prizes! Specifics to be announced shortly.

Ethical Consideration

As data scientists and technologists, it’s important to design and deploy your projects responsibly — with attention to privacy, bias, transparency, and societal impact.

Questions to consider:

• What ethical and responsibility concerns are relevant to your project?

• How has your team addressed these issues, or what steps do you still need to take before deployment?

If you’d like guidance, stop by the #ethics-genius-bar channel to chat with a mentor who can help you think through your project’s ethical implications!

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

• Problem-Need Fit (20%)
  Clarity of problem definition and alignment with user needs.
• Idea & Relevance (25%)
  Creativity and potential impact of the idea.
• Technical Execution (25%)
  Functionality, stability, usability, and innovative use of tools. Emphasis on accessibility and working demos, not unrealistic deployment.
• Design (15%)
  UX clarity, navigation, visual consistency, accessibility, and thoughtful details that enhance usability.
• Responsibility & Ethics (10%)
  Reflection on ethical and responsible use of data/AI. Considerations of bias, fairness, accessibility, transparency.
• Presentation (5%)
  Clarity, engagement, and ability to communicate the project’s purpose and impact.