16 . 01 . 2027 · Iași · Palas

Winter AI
Youth Challenge.

A full day in which high-school pupils, university students and young founders build real solutions, present them and win prizes in applied AI. AI for real problems, mentors from the Iași IT hub, prizes you can actually use: EUR 5,000 in cash + gadgets and other surprises.

Apply now See the day's programme
01
About

The first AI #TalentPipeline

Winter AI Youth Challenge is the strategic strand through which the festival connects young people from the largest university centre in eastern Romania with public administration and the real economy: city halls, companies, mentors, partners and concrete career opportunities.

Teams work for 7 hours straight on real problems set by public authorities and companies. At the end, they present to a jury of founders, decision-makers, investors and teachers, and go home with prizes they can actually use and, for some of them, an internship offer.

200+
Young people involved
7h
Non-stop hackathon
15+
Mentors from companies
∞
Opportunities after the event
02
Who it is for

Who can apply.

Registration is open to all young people in Romania and the region with an interest in AI, whatever their technical experience or field of study.

  • A High-school pupils Grades IX-XII · any specialisation
  • B University students Every level of university study
  • C Robotics and AI clubs Existing teams from schools and faculties
  • D Young founders With a project of their own · aged up to 25

AI for real problems.
Beyond the academic approach.

7 hours of hackathon. Mentors, prizes you can actually use,
direct access to employers.
03
Challenges

What the teams work on.

Sponsors and partner companies set real problems, from business or from the community. Teams choose a theme and build a working prototype in 7 hours.

/ 01 - HERITAGE

AI for heritage and cultural tourism

Smart guides for museums and monuments, personalised recommendations, making the most of the heritage of Iași, from the Palace of Culture (Palatul Culturii) to Copou.

/ 02 - URBAN

Mobility and transport

Smart traffic, parking, public transport, road safety, for cities like Iași.

/ 03 - HEALTH

Preventive health

AI screening, recommendations, organising services, assistants for patients.

/ 04 - EDUCATION

Personalised education

Adaptive platforms, assisted assessment, careers guidance, assistants for teachers.

/ 05 - CIVIC

Communicating with citizens

A municipal chatbot, assistants for public services, petition analysis, urban analytics.

/ 06 - RETAIL

Retail and hospitality (HoReCa)

Recommendations, customer loyalty, demand forecasting, assistants for customers and for internal operations.

04
Prizes

Real prizes,
not decorative medals.

Youth Challenge prizes are designed as levers for a career or a start in business, not as mere trophies.

/ Place 01 · GRAND PRIZE

The winning team

The festival's most visible prize, with a direct impact on careers.

  • A microgrant to develop the prototype
  • High-performance laptops
  • A paid internship with the main sponsor
  • 6 months of mentoring after the event
  • Visibility in the national media
/ Places 02 - 03 · INNOVATION

Innovation Awards

Prizes of equivalent value, each aimed at a different segment.

  • Scholarships
  • Tech equipment
  • Internships with sponsor companies
  • Access to a mentoring programme
/ SPECIAL

Sponsor prizes

Prizes awarded by each sponsor, in categories of its own.

  • Best UX
  • Best Technical
  • Most Impactful
  • Internship offers on the spot
05
The day's programme · 16.01.2027

A day at the Youth Challenge.

From early morning until evening: energy, mentoring, a working prototype, a presentation to the jury and prizes you can actually use.

09:00 - 09:30
Registration & welcome breakfast
Teams arrive, badges, breakfast, first contacts with the mentors.
09:30 - 10:00
Opening keynote
A young AI founder tells them, in their own generation's language, how to build a career with AI.
10:00 - 10:30
Challenges announced & teams formed
Sponsors present the themes. Teams finalise their line-up.
10:30 - 13:00
Hackathon · Session 01
Brainstorming, architecture, design, the first lines of code. Dedicated mentors for every team.
13:00 - 14:00
Lunch & mentor speed-dating
Mentors rotate between tables to give quick feedback, halfway through the hackathon.
14:00 - 16:30
Hackathon · Session 02
Finishing the prototype, preparing the 4-minute presentation, testing with the mentors.
16:30 - 17:30
Final presentations & judging
Every team takes the stage: 4 minutes to present + 2 minutes of questions.
17:30 - 18:15
Awards Ceremony
The winners announced, prizes handed over, photos and a moment of public recognition.
18:15 - 20:00
Closing reception · networking with sponsors
A relaxed drinks reception. Internship offers, swapping contacts, follow-up conversations.
Apply · 4 steps

Come to Iași.

Form your team (2-4 people) → send your application → online bootcamp → come to Iași. We help finalists with travel and accommodation.

Deadline for team registration: 15 December 2026.

Team registration

Teams of 2-4 people: high-school pupils, university students or young founders aged up to 25. We confirm your registration by email and send you the bootcamp details.

07
For supervising teachers

You register the teams. Here is what we ask of you and what you get.

In practice, high-school teams register through a teacher. Your role ends with registration and accompanying the team; on hackathon day the work is done by the pupils, with mentors from companies.

  • We ask forThe team name and the list of members2-4 people, aged up to 25
  • We ask forWritten parental consent for minorsWe send the form after registration
  • You getAccompanying-adult accreditation for all three daysIncluding the main stage
  • You getPreparation materials for the teamOnline bootcamp before the festival
  • You getA certificate of participation for the school's recordsOn request, after the event

We help finalist teams from outside Iași with travel and accommodation. For groups of more than two teams from the same school, please write to us in advance at [email protected].

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