About the challenge

We have assembled a set of prompts for you to base your project off of! Some of our sponsors have also provided their own prompts that you may choose to follow (choose these to be considered for a sponsor prize!).

Our Prompts:

• Your challenge with this prompt is to create mindful, unique tech solutions that address a pressing issue in your community. Whether it’s improving access to education, advancing public health, fostering inclusivity, boosting small businesses, or tackling climate change, think about the unique challenges faced by the people around you. The team that best executes this prompt will be given the "Ari Birnbaum Community Impact Award".
• Design, accessibility, and ease of use are critical components of any project. Your challenge with this prompt is to do your best to focus on the user's perspective and mindset to solve a real-world problem; this can refer to implementing improvements in UI/UX, doing precise planning, being inclusive in terms of individuals who may use your application, or anything else that prioritizes design. The top team will be deemed "Best Design".
• As "The Innovation University," Stevens emphasizes prioritizing ingenuity and "thinking outside of the box." We want to see you take this to heart as a team and come up with the most innovative solution to a real-world problem for this prompt, with the top team being deemed "Most Innovative".
• With our mascot being Attila the Duck, we want to see you implement ducks into your project in a creative way. Teams that choose to follow this prompt should have ducks featured somewhere within their project, ideally with practical use or a larger purpose (ie. not just a picture of a duck in the corner). The team that makes best use of this prompt will be deemed "Attila's Favorite".
• Best Overall: This award recognizes the project that excels across all categories—innovation, design, impact, and execution. Your challenge with this prompt is to create a well-rounded, high-quality solution that not only addresses a real-world problem effectively but also demonstrates technical excellence, user-focused design, and creativity. The winning team will have built a project that stands out as the strongest contender across the board, showcasing ingenuity, thoughtful implementation, and meaningful impact.

Sponsor prompts:

ADP:

Imagine a smart AI assistant that helps employees make informed career moves by turning
complex payroll and market data into actionable insights. Your task is to build an AI-powered
system that answers tough career questions, identifies earning potential, and visualizes future
growth—all through natural conversations.

Full prompt here

Chubb: 

We would like to include a Chubb category: Harnessing AI for Community Risk Awareness Prompt: Create an informational tool or app that educates users about potential risks in their community (e.g., natural disasters, health concerns).

• Technology
  Is the project complete? Does it function as intended? Is the code readable and clean (overall quality)? How efficient is the code? How sophisticated is their approach to their solutions / tech stack? Are there impressive technical skills demonstrated?
• Design
  Is the design good overall? Is the UI/UX appealing? Is accessibility considered? Is the UI responsive and scalable?
• Business
  How unique is the idea? Can it be expanded to a larger scale? Can it be adopted by companies? Does the project solve a real-world problem? How important is said problem?
• Presentation
  Does the presentation explain the project clearly and concisely? Does the team explain their projects potential impact or benefit? Does the video demo the project's features well? Does it leave you with a clear idea of how / why to use this project?
• Inspiration
  Is the idea unique and innovative? Does it address a relevant problem? Are you excited about the idea / want to see it to fruition?