The short version: make it yourselves, during the season (19 Oct 2026 – 9 Jan 2027), and tell us who helped and which tools you used. The details are below.
1. Who can take part
Students aged 7–24 on Sat 16 Jan 2027 who study full-time in Singapore, up to first-degree level, at a local or international school, JC, IB, polytechnic, ITE, university or other institution, of any nationality. Aged 18–24 and not studying right now? You can still join if you finished school, JC, IB, polytechnic or ITE in Singapore in 2026, if you have a place at a Singapore institution starting in 2027, or if you're serving full-time NS (NSF). Working adults who aren't studying, university graduates, part-time students, and master's and PhD students can't take part this season. You'll be asked for your school or institution and level. University division members each send proof of eligibility with their project, with ID numbers covered; we record that it's checked and delete it within 30 days. We may ask anyone for proof of age. We don't collect NRIC or passport copies. People who can see unpublished challenges or scores (YAI staff, interns and volunteers, judges and screening reviewers) can't take part. Their relatives can, if they tell us, and that person steps aside from anything to do with the team.
2. Divisions
Three divisions, based on age on Sat 16 Jan 2027, not school year: Primary (ages 7–12, born 17 Jan 2014 – 16 Jan 2020), Secondary (ages 13–17, born 17 Jan 2009 – 16 Jan 2014) and University (ages 18–24, born 17 Jan 2002 – 16 Jan 2009). Each division is judged separately, with its own finalists and awards. Every division gets the same four quests and is judged on the same five criteria; your full challenge sets what's expected in your division. Your division decides who you compete with. Your real age decides your tools, consent and safety rules.
Primary · Ages 7–12
- Born
- 17 Jan 2014 – 16 Jan 2020 (ages 7–12 on Sat 16 Jan 2027).
- Playing up
- A whole team can choose to play up into Secondary. Children aged 12 or under can't play in University.
- Lead adult
- Every team has one: a teacher or parent aged 21 or over who isn't taking part this season. They register the team, look after safety, come to Demo Weekend and arrange pick-up.
- Who confirms
- A parent or guardian confirms each member's place.
- Process log
- At least 3 dated entries. Under-13s may say their intro aloud and have an adult type it in their words.
- Finalists on stage
- 5 min talk + 3 min Q&A
Secondary · Ages 13–17
- Born
- 17 Jan 2009 – 16 Jan 2014 (ages 13–17 on Sat 16 Jan 2027).
- Playing up
- A whole team can choose to play up into University if every member is 16 or over on Sat 16 Jan 2027 (family teams: see rule 4). Primary teams can play up into Secondary.
- Lead adult
- Needed only if a member is 12 or under on Sat 16 Jan 2027, for example a Primary team that plays up.
- Who confirms
- A parent or guardian confirms each member's place.
- Process log
- At least 4 dated entries.
- Finalists on stage
- 7 min talk + 3 min Q&A
University · Ages 18–24
- Born
- 17 Jan 2002 – 16 Jan 2009 (ages 18–24 on Sat 16 Jan 2027).
- Playing up
- The top division: nobody plays down. Secondary teams can play up into it if every member is 16 or over on Sat 16 Jan 2027; family teams are the exception (rule 4).
- Lead adult
- Not needed: children aged 12 or under can't play in University.
- Who confirms
- Members aged 21 or over confirm their own place; a parent or guardian confirms for anyone under 21.
- Process log
- At least 5 dated entries.
- Finalists on stage
- 10 min talk + 3 min Q&A
3. Teams
1–4 members. Solo teams and cross-school teams are welcome. Each student joins one team; each team makes one project. Your team plays in the division of its oldest member. A whole team can choose to play up one division, never down: a Primary team can play in Secondary, and a Secondary team can play in University if every member is 16 or over on Sat 16 Jan 2027 (for family teams, see rule 4). Children aged 12 or under on that day can't play in University. A team that plays up is judged against that division's requirements, with no bonus or penalty for being younger. Please register as a ready-formed team; we don't match teammates. Before registration closes (Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT) you may swap or add members (adding a member needs payment) as long as the team still fits these rules, and you may change division once, never below your oldest member's division. If a new member is older than your division allows, we'll ask you to change division or choose someone else. After registration closes, your division is fixed and never moves down; members may leave if they really need to, but no one new can join. You may use a team name in public. Your team name is also your hashtag, so use letters and numbers only, with no spaces and nothing rude; if it doesn't work as a tag, we'll ask you to change it.
4. Lead adults, and teams with under-18s and adults
Every team with a member aged 12 or under on Sat 16 Jan 2027 has a lead adult, whatever the team's division: a teacher or parent aged 21 or over who isn't taking part this season. The lead adult registers the team, looks after safety, comes to Demo Weekend and arranges pick-up, and may teach and support but follows the same help rules. A team can include both under-18s and adults (18 or over) only if every under-18 member was born within two years of every adult member, or if they're family, such as siblings or cousins, and each under-18 member is at least 13 on the day the team registers. For this rule, anyone under 18 on Mon 19 Oct 2026 (born on or after 20 Oct 2008) counts as under 18. In these teams, an under-18 member, their parent or a teacher registers the team and pays for it, and any prize money goes to a parent of an under-18 member: an adult member is never the team representative or payment contact. Each under-18 member's parent sees the adult teammates' display names and ages and agrees to them separately, and adult members follow the Code of Conduct's rules for adult participants. If an adult joins later, every under-18 member's parent confirms again. Under-21s' places are confirmed by a parent or guardian; from 21, you confirm your own.
5. Tracks, themes and your challenge
There are four tracks, each with one public theme ("quest"). Choose one track when you register; the optional Spin for a track button can pick one at random, and you can keep the result or choose yourself. Your full challenge for your track and division, a starter card and the resource pack arrive by email once your place is confirmed. You may change track once, until Sat 2 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT, using the link in your confirmation email. Your team, division and build window stay the same; work from your old track can be reused only if it fits the new track's rules. After Sat 2 Jan, tracks can't be changed.
6. Help: what adults can and can't do
Teachers, parents, tutors and older siblings may teach tools, explain knowledge and help troubleshoot. Ideas, making decisions and the presentation are the students'. Lecturers, tutors, mentors and colleagues count as helpers too. Where a tool's rules allow it, a parent, teacher or lead adult (not a teammate) may type or operate a tool for an under-13 while the child makes every choice. No adult may use their own account on a 13+ or 18+ AI tool to do AI work for an under-13, and adult teammates never let an under-18 teammate use their account on an 18+ tool. Write down all help in your process log. Disclosed help doesn't cost marks when the ideas and decisions are the students'. Hidden adult work does.
7. Using AI, and saying how
AI must do a real job in your final project; using AI only to brainstorm, spell-check or write your intro doesn't count. Use any tool that's allowed for your age under its own terms; tool age rules go by each student's actual age on the day they use the tool. Tell us which tools and models you used, what they did, and what you decided. Don't put other people's private information into AI tools. Free, no-account tools can score full marks.
AI tool age reminder. Many chat-style AI tools are for users aged 13 or older, some 18 or older, and under-18s often need a parent's permission. This goes by your own age on the day, not your division. Your full brief lists recommended tools for your age. Under-13s use tools that need no account, or that a teacher or school manages. Parents decide whether to give permission where a tool asks for it. See the tool list by age.
8. Made this season
Make your project between Mon 19 Oct 2026 and Sat 9 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT. The build window is the same for every team. Work you do in the window counts, even before you register, so start your process log on day one. Learning tools beforehand is fine; work made before 19 Oct, or a project entered in another competition, is not. A project that's also coursework counts only if you make it in the build window, say so in your project intro, and your course allows it to be entered in an outside competition. Work for an employer or a paying client doesn't count, and neither does work owned by a supervisor, lab or employer. Name every source and credit every tool. Don't use characters, logos, brands, music or art that belong to someone else, even AI lookalikes.
9. What to submit
The work, or a demo judges can open; a short project intro; and a dated process log (at least 3 entries for Primary, 4 for Secondary, 5 for University). Write in English; simple English is fine, and under-13s may say their intro aloud and have an adult type it in their words. No public video and no public code needed. Bringing a device to Demo Weekend? Fill in the hardware declaration. The submission form opens in early December; if you submit more than once, we use your last submission before 23:59 SGT on Sat 9 Jan. Claiming the Reach Bonus? Add your post's link and a screenshot of its likes in the same form. University division: each member adds their proof of eligibility in the same form, with ID numbers covered.
10. After the deadline
You can polish your slides and practise your talk. You can't change the project itself. If something breaks, tell us; any fix must be logged and approved by the YAI team. If your submission is missing something in format, we'll email you on Sun 10 Jan, and you'll have one chance to fix it, by Mon 11 Jan, 18:00 SGT. We don't give coaching on quality.
11. Screening and finals
Registration has no cap, so finalists are chosen. From Sun 10 to Tue 12 Jan, at least two reviewers score every valid submission online, each on their own, using the five published criteria; a third reviewer joins if their totals differ by 20 points or more, and reviewers step aside from teams they know. In each division, 3–5 finalist teams per track present live. The academic committee signs off the finalist list. Every team hears by email at 09:00 SGT on Wed 13 Jan, and finalists confirm by Thu 14 Jan, 23:59 SGT. We don't post the finalist list on the website. Registering doesn't guarantee a place in the finals. On Finals Day (Sat 16 Jan), finalists talk for 5 / 7 / 10 minutes by division (Primary / Secondary / University), then answer 3 minutes of questions. Every teammate gets a turn to speak. English is the main language; Chinese is welcome.
12. Demo Weekend
Every participant is welcome at Demo Weekend (Sat 16 – Sun 17 Jan). On Finals Day (Sat 16 Jan) you can watch the finals in your division's zone. On Showcase & Awards Day (Sun 17 Jan) every team may exhibit its project, the room votes for Community Choice, and the awards for every division are presented. Each student may bring one accompanying adult. Please RSVP by Thu 14 Jan, 23:59 SGT, so we can plan seats, tables and lunch. Every valid submission receives a certificate, finalist or not.
13. Community Choice and YAI Ambassador
These are separate from judging. They don't affect scores, finalist selection or placings, and they never include cash. Community Choice rules are on the Demo Weekend page; YAI Ambassador rules are published by Fri 30 Oct. Both are optional.
14. Reach Bonus and sharing
Sharing is optional, and nobody has to post. Public posts that carry #YAISG and your team's own tag, posted by Sat 9 Jan 2027, 23:59 SGT, can earn the Reach Bonus: at Sun 10 Jan 2027, 12:00 SGT, the five teams in each division whose single best post has the most likes add 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 points to their screening score. One post per team counts, and screening reviewers don't see the bonus. Under-13s post only through a parent's or their school's account. No faces of under-13s without a parent's OK, and no school names, full names or locations. Buying likes, bots, like-for-like groups and paid promotion aren't allowed. Full rules are on the Judging page; how to share safely is on Share your build.
15. Fair play
If we think a rule has been broken, we'll check the facts first and give the team a chance to explain. Then we may ask for a fix, deduct marks or, for serious cases, disqualify. See also the Code of Conduct.
16. Finalists who can't attend
Finalist teams that can't come on Sat 16 Jan can still have their project shown online, but won't be ranked for awards. They still receive their participation and finalist certificates. Their time slot isn't passed to another team.
17. Changes
If we need to change these rules or the challenge brief, we'll update this page, note the date and email every registered team.