USD 100 to enter · Compete for a USD 1,000 prize pool|Applications close February 15, 2027
Live sessions every Saturday at 9:00 AM EDT from Feb 27, 2027. Every session is recorded for students in other time zones, and every weekly deliverable receives written mentor feedback.
Each tool is introduced in a live session and applied to the student's own product that same week. Students are free to use any tools that fit their project.
ChatGPT - Prompt design, structured outputs, research synthesis
Perplexity - Sourced research with citations
Gemini - Cross-checking answers and comparing model behaviour
Claude - Long-document analysis, critique of their own work
Lovable - Turn a brief into a working web app
Base44 - Full-stack app building with built-in data and auth
Tool subscriptions are not included in the entry fee.
Open any week to see the concepts taught, the tools used, what happens in the live session, and how the deliverable is assessed.
Understand how AI models actually work, then find a problem worth ten weeks of your life.
Understand what AI actually does, learn how founders spot opportunities, and identify problems around you.
CONCEPTS · TOOLS · SESSION · DELIVERABLE
Match your problem to the right AI capability and create your solution blueprint.
Get a working product on the screen, then make a business case for it.
Stop planning. Start building. Ship the first working feature of your prototype.
Who needs your product? Why would they use it? Would anyone pay for it? Build the business around the idea.
Submit your project for review and get written mentor feedback on the full rubric.
Strengthen the product with feedback, then submit your strongest version.
Use your review feedback to strengthen the product and improve how you present it.
Polish your product, record your best demo, and submit everything.
Everyone pitches live at the Semifinals, rest over the break week, then the Grand Finals.
Every student's project is reviewed by Harvard student mentors. The top 10 advance to the Grand Finals.
No session. No deliverable. Rest before the Grand Finals.
Ten finalists. One live pitch each. Questions from Harvard student mentors and awards announced.
Practical skills students walk away with - not theory, not certificates, real capability.
Build and ship an AI product Take a problem from a blank page to a working prototype other people can use, using AI build tools independently.
Take a problem from a blank page to a working prototype other people can use, using AI build tools independently.
Use AI critically, not passively Design prompts deliberately, spot hallucinations, verify sources, and explain where a model's answer came from.
Design prompts deliberately, spot hallucinations, verify sources, and explain where a model's answer came from.
Run real user research Write interview questions, talk to real people about a problem, and change a product based on what they said.
Write interview questions, talk to real people about a problem, and change a product based on what they said.
Model a business Define a customer, price a product, size a market, and defend the numbers when a mentor pushes back.
Define a customer, price a product, size a market, and defend the numbers when a mentor pushes back.
Every week starts from first principles and builds on no-code AI tools. Students who already code take an optional light-code path with mentor support.