AI Empowers Thoughts and Ideas: 2nd "U18 AI Championship" Decided to Be Held

AI Empowers Thoughts and Ideas: 2nd "U18 AI Championship" Decided to Be Held

The General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director: Yuta Sato) announces the "2nd U18 AI Championship," a nationwide AI presentation contest for individuals aged 18 and under, to be held in August 2026.

This competition provides a platform for participants to present ideas for "deepening their interests" or "solving everyday problems" using AI, regardless of their programming skills. It offers an opportunity for participants to communicate their "thoughts" and "ideas" to society through the tool of AI.

The national finals are scheduled to be held on Friday, August 7, 2026, as part of the "Education AI Summit" at the House of Representatives First Committee Room in Tokyo. Details regarding applications will be announced at an information session planned for mid-April.

▼ Information Session Application Form https://forms.gle/MCco3Ddj9bvv9dzBA

Background and Objectives of the Event

As AI rapidly integrates into society, there is a growing need for the next generation to grow into "mastering AI" rather than just "being used by AI." This competition was established with the aim of nurturing the ability to solve everyday problems using AI, starting from individual passions. It is a creative challenge platform for presenting original and practical ideas to society.

Competition Overview

Competition Name

2nd U18 AI Championship

Organizer

General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education

Sponsorship

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Application Pending) Digital Agency (Application Pending)

Eligibility

Individuals aged 18 or under as of April 1, 2027 (Individuals/Groups welcome)

Participation Fee

Free

Application Deadline

June 22, 2026 (Monday) 23:59

Area Preliminaries

July 4, 2026 (Saturday) 14:00-16:30 Online (Zoom)

National Finals

August 7, 2026 (Friday) House of Representatives First Committee Room (Tokyo - In-person)

Inquiries

taikai@ai-ueo.org

View Details

Features of the Competition

・ No programming required: Anyone with ideas and enthusiasm for using AI can participate.

・ Individual/Group participation welcome: Team participation with members from different schools is also encouraged.

・ Fair judging: All judging on the day of the area preliminaries will be conducted by human judges, and prior AI document screening will not affect the day's evaluation.

・ Certificates for all participants: PDF certificates will be awarded to all participants in the area preliminaries. ※ Contents are subject to change. Details will be announced at the information session planned for mid-April.

Previous Competition

The first competition was held in October 2025 at the EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo venue, where junior and senior high school students from across the country who had won preliminaries competed as finalists.

On the day, participants presented ideas for solving everyday social issues with the power of AI, starting from their "favorite things." Many proposals full of unique perspectives and ingenuity were showcased.

The competition was also featured on Fuji TV's information program "Non-Stop!" as an initiative for next-generation learning utilizing AI.

The venue impressively showcased the next generation evolving AI from a "subject to be learned" to a "tool to be mastered," and judges highly praised the creativity and potential for social implementation.

This competition served as an opportunity to embody the new possibilities of learning in the AI era, connecting each participant's curiosity and inquiry to society.

Scenes from the previous competition

Competition Schedule (Planned)

・ Early April 2026 - June 21 (Sunday) Information Session & Support Period (Optional participation)

・ June 22, 2026 (Monday) Application Deadline

・ June 26, 2026 (Friday) Document Screening Results Notification (Planned)

・ July 4, 2026 (Saturday) East/West Area Online Competition

・ August 7, 2026 (Friday) National Finals @ Tokyo (House of Representatives First Committee Room) ※Schedule is subject to change. Details will be announced at the information session planned for mid-April.

▼ Information Session Application Form https://forms.gle/MCco3Ddj9bvv9dzBA

Organizer

General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education (AIUEO)

General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education (AIUEO)

The General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education is an organization dedicated to promoting the widespread use of AI in education and improving educational quality. They have hosted the "Education AI Summit" for two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025, at the House of Representatives First Committee Room, bringing together government bodies, educators, corporations, and local authorities to share generative AI use cases. Furthermore, through various activities such as AI hackathons at the University of Tokyo, case study presentations at KOKUYO The CAMPUS, and the "Education AI Summit in Interop Tokyo" at Makuhari Messe, they are promoting the update of educational sites. They are implementing practical initiatives nationwide to carve out the future of education.

HP: https://ai-ueo.org/

*The information contained in this press release is current as of the date of publication. It is subject to change without notice.

【Inquiries Regarding This Matter】

General Incorporated Association for AI Utilization in Education, Competition Secretariat

E-mail: taikai@ai-ueo.org