If you are a high school student who is interested in tech, chances are you are looking for AI related opportunities that you can leverage to develop your skill set and use it for college applications. One great opportunity is participating in AI competitions, which will deepen your understanding of this pivotal technology and demonstrate your ability to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios - a skill admission officers highly value! 

In this post, we’ll be covering the World AI Competition for Youth (WAICY), and why it should be on your radar if you’re interested in AI and machine learning.

What is WAICY?

The World AI Competition for Youth (or WAICY) is a global AI competition that fosters participation in STEM, particularly in artificial intelligence. In this competition, you will have the chance to solve real-world problems through AI, either by creating AI-generated artwork, coding a program to address this issue, or using a robot to further your idea.

WAICY is a great competition that caters to all audiences, especially with its three tracks for different levels of expertise, options for both virtual and in-person submission, and no registration cost! 

Is WAICY prestigious?

Since its inception in 2018, WAICY has grown by leaps and bounds, with 3,200 participants in 2022 and over 58 countries represented in last year’s competition (wherein there were 600 projects submitted). The competitiveness and number of participants will make your win more impressive as it showcases your caliber and the level of knowledge that sets you apart from others. 

Moreover, another bonus of participation in WAICY is the networking opportunities where you can connect with other passionate and talented high schoolers who are all interested in STEM (and AI). You can capitalize on this network by creating joint projects or conducting research together! 

Finally, since you’ll be working with one or more of the latest tools in the AI sphere, from ChatGPT to DALL-E to Midjourney, you’ll effectively future-proof your profile.

Who is eligible to participate?

One of the largest advantages of WAICY is its accessibility, as it’s open to all K-12 students across the world. There are no registration costs, nor do they expect you to have any prior AI knowledge. 

How does the application process work?

You will first have to decide between attending WAICY Virtual or the in-person event, which was at Penn State in 2023 (2024 dates and locations are yet to be announced). 

Do note that we will be using the 2023 dates to showcase the application process, but expect the deadlines to be within a similar timeframe for the 2024 edition. 

For online, the application process is as follows:

• You’ll need to submit the online application by November 25, 2023.

• Your project submission needs to include:

• The project name.

• A brief description (200 words max).

• An explanation of the AI usage (50 words max).

• A 5-minute video of your project, followed by the grading rubric.

• Slides and other supporting material, if you have any.

• You will be allotted time to present your project on November 28, 2023.

Registration for the event at Penn State New Kensington Digital Foundry on December 2, 2023, is necessary for in-person participation. This is also the presentation day for virtual participants. Both virtual and in-person participants will present their projects to the judges and have a live Q&A session with them.

Here are a couple more things to keep in mind:

• Each competition track (more on that below) will also have its own specific submission requirements above and beyond those listed above.

• You can participate individually or as a team, through WAICY recommends that you form a team of 3-5 students.

How is WAICY structured?

WAICY is divided into three distinct tracks, each with its own focus, submission guidelines, and level of expertise required:

• AI Showcase Track: In this track, you’ll have to submit a project that uses AI to solve a real-world problem. Using a presentation and a video, you will need to showcase the chosen problem, your proposed AI solution, and what expected positive impact it can make.

• AI Generated Art Track: In this track, you’ll be using a text-to-image AI model like DALL-E 2, Midjourney, or Stable Diffusion to create a painting based on this year’s theme, “Joys of Family''. Being an art track, there’s a fair bit of leeway here in what you portray as long as you adhere to the main theme.

• AI LLM Prompt Engineering Track: This track is specifically meant for upper-middle and high school students, though there is no application restriction per se. The goal is to build on the theme of “AI as a Service” and turn an AI into an ongoing experienced assistant in a chosen domain. You will need to creatively and intelligently come up with the prompts required to make the AI a subject matter expert that users can interact with repeatedly and gain insights from.

Each track is open to all students regardless of which grade they are in and prior subject knowledge.

What are the prizes you can win? 

WAICY offers awards for the top three submissions and recognizes two more for each track in each category of schooling (high school, middle school and elementary school). 

Apart from these awards, you can also stand to win the AI Excellence Award, the Impact Excellence Award, and the Design Excellence Award, all based on the judgment rubrics of the competition.

8 tips to help you win WAICY

If you’re looking to participate in WAICY, here are a few tips to make your submission stand out. 

1. Navigate the theme well: 

Make sure the focus on your project and research is aligned with the year’s theme, as you will get points for originality and creativity in how you present and choose to explore it. We recommend trying to find a novel approach or a niche aspect to explore as this will set your project apart from the rest. 

2. Utilize the resources provided by WAICY:

Take advantage of the massive list of resources by WAICY that is meant for students of all ages to understand the nitty-gritties of AI and its applications. This is one of the best resources that you should use to drastically improve your chances of winning. 

3. Try out the tools yourself: 

All the tools that WAICY uses (ChatGPT, Bard, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion) have free variants with plenty of features that you can explore. Your best shot at understanding these tools is to log in and experiment with their capabilities, strengths and limitations. This will give you an idea of how you can implement your idea and how you may need to modify the tool to suit your capabilities. 

4. Deliver a powerful presentation: 

Regardless of which track you participate in, presenting your idea is half the battle (and 10% of your score). Make sure to spend a good bit of time on your slides/video/art presentation and present it in front of an audience (maybe friends or family) to grow comfortable with presenting your idea in a conscious and engaging manner. 

5. Find a team and collaborate: 

Individual participation is always an option. However, we strongly recommend that you find yourself a team of like-minded AI enthusiasts. Participating in a team will make your submission more competitive as you can work in groups with complementary skill sets to create a much better project. Moreover, you can bounce ideas off each other to arrive at better, more creative and more intelligent solutions! 

6. Dig through the work of past winners: 

WAICY has helpfully listed the winners of each of the last five years, with a video covering the more notable ones. You can use this as a starting point or inspiration for your own work. Focus on understanding why these projects are one, what the judges like, and what is unique in their approach. 

7. Practice and seek regular feedback: 

Making the project is only half the battle, and your presentation and Q&A are equally as important. Try to find a teacher or mentor whose guidance will help refine your presentation and Q&A responses. Bringing in someone with a fresh perspective will help with a more thorough evaluation, where they can help isolate and rectify the obvious gaps in your work. 

8. Stay updated: 

AI is still a relatively young field that is rapidly evolving. We highly recommend staying up-to-date on the latest developments in order to gain inspiration for your project or even suggestions to improve your final work! One recommendation is opting for project-based programs such as Veritas AI that will help you build your AI skills and create unique projects. 

If you’re looking to build unique projects in the field of AI/ML, consider applying to Veritas AI! 

Veritas AI was founded by Harvard graduate students, and through the programs, you get a chance to learn the fundamentals of AI and computer science while collaborating on real-world projects. You can also work 1-1 with mentors from universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and more to create unique, personalized projects. In the past year, we had over 1000 students learn data science and AI with us. You can apply here!

Image Source: WAICY Logo