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Register now, no cap, until Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT (Singapore time, UTC+8).

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Youth AI Hackathon · Finals in Singapore

Think it. Make it. Say it.

For students aged 7–24, wherever they study, in three divisions judged separately. Students anywhere, any nationality.

PRESS START · choose your worldRegister your team

Registration closes Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT · projects are due Sat 9 Jan · Demo Weekend is Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan 2027.

Organised by YCESS, a society registered in Singapore · Player Cards show nicknames only

Academic Advisory Panel 20 members

Panel members serve in their individual capacity; affiliations are listed for identification only. See all 20 ▶

POWER-UPS

Power-ups from our partners

Tools, credits and prizes our partners give YAI participants.

  • Prize

    VIP memberships

    For every member of the top 3 teams in Secondary and University: 2 years, 1 year and 6 months.

  • n8nFor participants

    A free month of n8n Cloud Pro

    300 for eligible registered participants. Redeem by 20 Jan 2027.

  • SSOJetPrize

    5 SSOJet Business licences

    One year each, for the AI Agents quest winners.

  • For participants

    A free .xyz domain

    Free for the first year. 350 for eligible registered participants; under-18s through a parent or lead adult.

  • For participants

    Prune Pro

    Free until 9 Jan 2027 for eligible teams (18+), plus Best Use of Prune prizes of 12, 6 and 3 months of Pro.

  • For participants

    An Anvil educational licence

    Many of Anvil's paid features, for 100 registered participants until the end of February 2027. Under-18s join through a parent or school.

  • For participants

    Supervisely computer-vision platform

    Free access for registered teams to label images and video for AI Robotics and AI for Good projects, 14 Dec 2026 to 9 Jan 2027.

  • SentiSight.aiFor participants

    €50 of SentiSight.ai credit

    For registered teams in every division, 1 Dec 2026 to 9 Jan 2027: label images and train image-recognition models online. €50 of credit per account; accounts are for ages 16+, so a teacher or parent creates the account for younger participants.

  • MagnificFor participants

    30% off Magnific Premium

    AI image generation and upscaling for the AI Art quest: 30% off the Premium monthly plan for University-division teams whose members are all 18 or over (no under-18 access, even through a parent). 50 uses, until 28 Feb 2027.

  • Prize

    Plasticity Studio licences

    For every member of the six winning teams in AI Art and AI Robotics & Smart Devices (one per division): up to 24 Studio licences for 3D design.

  • OSOYOOFor participants

    20% off OSOYOO robot cars

    For registered teams building for the AI Robotics & Smart Devices quest: 20% off any OSOYOO robot car. After the event, OSOYOO refunds the robot car in full for the top 3 AI Robotics & Smart Devices winners.

  • For participants

    PCBWay build funding

    Apply to PCBWay's Future Innovators Program: 50% of eligible manufacturing costs covered, up to US$200 (one application per person). The team that wins the Best Robotics & Embodied AI Award also gets US$120 of PCBWay credit.

  • For participants

    StoryMint free until 9 Jan

    AI storybooks for every student in a registered team: unlimited picture books and colouring books, 3 novels, 1 comic and PDF downloads until 9 Jan 2027, with a code of your own on your team page. 300 codes. Under-18 accounts are managed by a parent or teacher.

Codes reach registered participants on their team page; partners never receive student or parent lists. All partners ▶

Schools and clubs: bring 30 students, get your name on yai.sg ▶

A WORD TO YOUNG INNOVATORS

Dream beyond limits

“The future of AI belongs to those who dare to imagine, innovate, and create. May YAI inspire the next generation to turn bold ideas into meaningful real-world impact. To every young innovator: dream beyond limits, challenge the impossible, and shape the future.”

Dacheng TAO (official profile, opens in a new tab)Distinguished University Professor, Nanyang Technological University

WHY YAI

Reasons to choose YAI

A registered society’s AI project challenge, built for fairness and safety. Students make it themselves, present it live, and every family gets the same deal.

  • A parent confirms every place under 21
  • Player Cards show nicknames only: no photos, no schools
  • Organised by YCESS, a society registered in Singapore (UEN T19SS0173D)
  • Published judging criteria, at least two reviewers each
  • S$68 per student, fee-waiver places available
  • Every valid submission gets a certificate

Key facts

Who
Ages 7–24 · students anywhere · 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
Any time, no cap · 19 Oct – 2 Jan
Demo Weekend
Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan 2027 · in person in Singapore

What families can count on

  • Staff, judges and volunteers sign a code of conduct
  • Sign-in, sign-out and authorised pick-up for younger children
  • We never give partners student or parent lists
  • No kits, no paid tools, no random rewards
  • Full refund if we cancel
  • Questions? Write to support@ycess.com. We reply within 2 working days (Singapore).

// 01 · Player select

Choose your world

Start here. Your division goes by birth year, and each world has its own mission and examples.

1P · EXPLORERAGES 7–12Explorer WorldMake something smart. Show your family.Stage5 minLog3 entriesPrizesS$3,800 Enter Explorer World2P · CHALLENGERAGES 13–17Challenger WorldBuild it. Break it. Pitch it.Stage7 minLog4 entriesPrizesS$9,250 Enter Challenger World3P · BUILDERAGES 18–24Builder WorldShip something real. Defend it live.Stage10 minLog5 entriesPrizesS$18,500 Enter Builder World

Find your division

Enter a date of birth. We work it out on this page and don’t save it.

Divisions go by birth year, not school year. Your team plays in the division of its oldest member, and can play up into any older division for a bigger challenge.

Teams, grown-ups and playing up

Teams of 1–4. A team with a member aged 12 or under has a lead adult, aged 21 or over, who comes to Demo Weekend whenever the team attends. A parent or guardian confirms every place under 21. Your division decides who you compete with; your real age decides your consent and safety rules. A whole team can play up into any older division for a bigger challenge.

How divisions and teams work

02 · QUESTS

Four quests. Pick one.

Every world plays the same four quests. Tap your division on a card for your mission and a worked example.

AI Robotics & Smart Devices

Build Your Real-Life Sidekick

Every hero needs a sidekick. Build one that senses, decides and acts.

BOSS CHECK Tap to see

The loop works (sense → decide → act), and you can say why AI beats a simple rule, like a timer that always does the same thing.

No robot? No problem. A simulation, a desktop robot, an old phone, cardboard or a kit: all count, judged the same.

You pick one quest when you register, and can change once. Can’t decide? Spin for one.

All about the quests

Can’t decide? Spin for a track.

Not sure which quest to pick? Hit Spin and we’ll pick one of the four at random. It’s just for fun: keep the result or choose yourself.

Once you confirm your registration, a spun quest is your choice, and your one track change still applies. Nothing here is saved or sent.

03 · PRIZES

Win in your own world.

Trophies and cash prizes in every division, plus eight Special Awards: S$35,550 in total.

Explorer WorldPrimary · 7–12
ChampionS$2,000
  • 1st Runner-upS$1,000
  • 2nd Runner-upS$500
  • Community ChoiceS$300
Challenger WorldSecondary · 13–17
ChampionS$5,000
  • 1st Runner-upS$2,500
  • 2nd Runner-upS$1,250
  • Community ChoiceS$500
Builder WorldUniversity · 18–24
ChampionS$10,000
  • 1st Runner-upS$5,000
  • 2nd Runner-upS$2,500
  • Community ChoiceS$1,000

+ 8 Special Awards, S$500 each, open to teams in every world

  • Best AI Innovation
  • Best AI Agent
  • Best Robotics & Embodied AI
  • Best Design & User Experience
  • Most Creative Idea
  • Best Real-World Application
  • Best Social Impact
  • Best Pitch

Per team. Fewer places if a division has fewer than five finalist teams. Community Choice is voted in the room on Sun 17 Jan.

All about prizes

04 · SEASON MAP

Five stops to Demo Weekend.

Your challenge unlocks once your place is confirmed: start early, build longer.

Add the dates to my calendar

  1. LV 1

    Register

    19 Oct – 2 Jan
  2. LV 2

    Unlock

    Once you're confirmed
  3. LV 3

    Build

    Until Sat 9 Jan
  4. LV 4

    Finalists

    Wed 13 Jan
  5. LV 5 · BOSS STAGE

    Demo Weekend

    Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan
+5 BONUS

Share your build, earn bonus points

The five most-liked posts in each division earn up to 5 extra screening points: the Reach Bonus. Under 13? A parent or your school posts for you.

#YAISG#YourTeamName

Use #YAISG on every post, and add your team’s own tag once you have one. Tagging @yaisingapore is welcome; #ThinkMakeSayIt is optional.

The safe-share checklist

05 · JUDGING

Five criteria. The same for every world.

Not judged on lines of code, how expensive your kit is, the size of your project, or your accent.

  • 30%Creativity
  • 25%Understanding & independent work
  • 20%Completeness
  • 20%Communication & teamwork
  • 5%Responsible AI use
How scoring, finalists and awards work
How projects are judged: five criteria and their weights
CriterionWeightIn plain words
Creativity30%Is the idea really yours?
Understanding & independent work25%Can you explain what you made, what the AI does and what you decided?
Completeness20%Does it work, and did you test it?
Communication & teamwork20%Can you explain it clearly, and did everyone pitch in?
Responsible AI use5%Did you credit your tools and keep people safe?

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. Finals Day: three judges per division, who score on their own first. Each division’s Champion, 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up come from its finalists, and checked-in participants vote for Community Choice on Sun 17 Jan. Every valid submission receives a certificate.

Full judging detailsDemo Weekend detailsAcademic Advisory Panel

06 · FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS

Grown-ups help. Kids lead.

Adults can teach, explain, help fix and type for younger children. The idea, the choices and the talk on stage are the child’s.

  • Safety
  • Data
  • Money
  • Lead adults
  • Real people
Safety, data, money and lead adults

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 partners student or parent lists, or who referred whom. A community partner only sees how many students joined and paid through its code or link, never who. Public results use display names only. Player Cards never show photos, real names or schools.

Money

S$68 per student (Singapore dollars), by PayNow from any Singapore bank app; from outside Singapore, by most international debit or credit cards. 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 whenever the team attends, and arranges pick-up.

Real people

Questions? Write to support@ycess.com. We reply within 2 working days (Singapore).

For parents & teachersSafety & code of conduct

07 · 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 unlock on your team page once your place is confirmed: the fee is paid and every confirmation is in (a parent or guardian for each member under 21). They're there 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 tools and block coding can earn full marks, and a Robotics build 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 younger children, you may type or operate a tool as your child directs. 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.

All FAQs

Got an idea? Get your team in.

Your challenge unlocks once your place is confirmed.

Register your teamSee the four quests