TAICY
TomoClub AI Innovation Challenge for Youth
Real problems. Real solutions. Prove it.
Round 1 opens Aug 21
AI is the tool.
Your thinking
is the point.
Find a real-world problem that bugs you. Propose a solution. Use AI to build a prototype. Then explain your thinking — that's the whole game.
Spot a real problem
At home, at school, in your neighborhood, or online — something that makes life harder for someone.
Build a solution
Propose an idea with a clear way it actually helps.
Use AI
Any AI tool works. Build a simple prototype of your solution.
Show your thinking
Explain your idea like you're telling a friend.
Pick your
problem.
Nine places to start looking. These are inspiration, not rules — you can enter with any real problem you've noticed.
School Life
Heavy bags, homework chaos, lost water bottles — what slows your school day down?
e.g. a smart revision buddy · a lost-and-found finder
Home & Family
What makes life harder at home — for you, your parents, or your grandparents?
e.g. a medicine reminder for grandparents · a chore-splitting helper
My Community
Look around your neighborhood: what's broken, unfair, or hard for someone?
e.g. a safe-routes map · a helper for local shopkeepers
Planet & Environment
Pollution, plastic, disappearing birds — which one would you fix first?
e.g. an air-quality alert buddy · a plastic-swap guide
Green & Sustainable Living
How could your family or school waste less, reuse more, and save energy?
e.g. an energy-saving tracker · a school recycling organizer
Farms & Food
How does food get from a farm to your plate — and what goes wrong on the way?
e.g. a crop-disease spotter from photos · a food-waste planner
AI & Data Centres
AI has problems of its own: it uses huge amounts of power and water, and it sometimes gets things wrong.
e.g. an AI energy calculator · a fact-check helper
The Online World
Scams, screen time, mean comments — what would make the internet kinder and safer?
e.g. a scam-spotter quiz for grandparents · a screen-time coach
Open Track
Spotted something nobody else sees? That's exactly what we're looking for. Any real problem counts.
Your problem. Your rules.
One bar for every track.
A problem you actually noticed, a solution with a clear "how", and real back-and-forth with AI — that's what judges look for, whatever you pick.
Create
You enter on your own. Identify a real-world problem, build a prototype of a solution using AI, and tell us about it in a short video — 2–3 minutes, like you're explaining it to a friend.
No format scores higher than another.
Judges score your thinking — not your production quality.
Show us
your thinking.
- What did you ask?
- What did you change?
- What did AI get wrong?
Every submission includes a short AI Use Log — three quick answers about how you used AI and what you decided yourself. AI can help build the idea. The thinking must be yours.
What gets
you through?
Four criteria. One weighted score — and the bar is the same for every track. Judges score each one; the total is your Round 1 score.
Identification
Solution
Prototype
Articulation
An original problem you actually noticed beats a generic one. A solution with a clear mechanism beats a vague wish. A real back-and-forth with AI beats a single one-shot prompt. And a clear explanation ties it all together.
You solved it with AI.
Now solve it with a team.
Top-scoring students from Round 1 are invited to the live Round 2 challenge on Sep 26.
- a.Students are placed into random teams of 3 — new teammates, new dynamic.
- b.Teams compete in live multiplayer games designed to test how you analyse, collaborate, and strategise.
- c.Elimination format: semi-finals → finals, all in one live session.
Everyone gets a
personalized assessment.
Not just the winners. Every participant receives a personal report after Round 1 — sent Sep 23.
- Strengths
- Growth Areas
- Certificate
There's something
to win — for you.
These are individual student awards — won by students, not schools. Enter through your school or completely on your own: either way, you're competing for these yourself.
Nintendo Switch Game
LEGO Creator Set
Kindle
Amazon Echo Dot
Headphones
Amazon Gift Card
Portfolio Building
Your project becomes a real portfolio piece — proof that you can spot a problem and build the fix.
Paid Internship
Standout students earn paid internship opportunities with TomoClub.
Industry Exposure
Meet real builders and see how ideas turn into products people actually use.
Your school can
take the trophy too.
On top of the student prizes above, there's a second award — for schools. The Champion School is the school with the highest aggregate Round 1 score among schools with at least 5 participating students. Every student's score counts toward the total — not just the top few.
Two separate awards.
Student prizes are won by individuals — with or without a school. The Champion School trophy is an extra award your school can win on top.
🏆 Trophy + feature in TomoClub communications
- Aug 21Applications open
- Sep 20Application deadline
- Sep 21–23Judging
- Sep 23Assessment reports + Round 2 invites
- Sep 26Round 2 — live
- Sep 28Awards + prizes
Questions,
answered.
Who can participate?+
Any student aged 8–15, anywhere in the world. Students enter Round 1 individually.
Do I need to know how to code?+
No. You can use any AI tool to build your prototype. Judges score your thinking — not how fancy your tools are or how polished the production is.
Do I have to pick a track?+
No — the example tracks are inspiration, not rules. They're there to spark ideas. You can enter with any real-world problem you've noticed, and every entry is judged by the same criteria.
Which AI tools can I use?+
Any AI tool — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or others. Whichever you use, you'll fill in a short AI Use Log: what you asked, what you changed, and what AI got wrong.
What can I submit?+
Your prototype as a video, PDF, HTML file, or link — plus a 2–3 minute video explaining your idea like you're telling a friend. No format scores higher than another.
How does judging work?+
Four weighted criteria: Problem Identification (25%), Proposed Solution (25%), Working Prototype (30%), and Presentation / Articulation (20%). Judges score each criterion, and the weighted total becomes your Round 1 score.
What happens after Round 1?+
Every participant receives a personalised assessment report — strengths, growth areas, and a certificate — on Sep 23. Top-scoring students are invited to Round 2, live on Sep 26.
Do I need to work in a team?+
Round 1 is individual. If you're invited to Round 2, you'll be placed in a random team of 3 for the live team challenge.
Do individual students win awards too?+
Yes! The prizes — Nintendo Switch game, LEGO Creator set, Kindle, Amazon Echo Dot, headphones, Amazon gift card — are individual student awards. You compete for them yourself, whether you enter through a school or on your own. Select students also earn portfolio building, paid internship, and industry exposure opportunities. The Champion School trophy is a separate, extra award for schools.
What is the Champion School award?+
The school with the highest aggregate Round 1 score among schools with at least 5 participating students wins a trophy and a feature in TomoClub communications. It's separate from the individual student prizes — students win those on their own.
Is there an application fee?+
No — TAICY is free to enter.
Can I edit my submission after the deadline?+
No. Submissions close Sep 20 and can't be edited after that — so give yourself time to finish.