USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026 is an online global hackathon with registration open until June 6. The qualifier phase runs from June 7–10, followed by the main build phase from June 14–21, with winners announced on June 27. The event focuses on practical AI development with an emphasis on risk-aware system design. Participating teams are required to identify and address real-world risks within their AI systems, including issues such as bias, misinformation, misuse, and over-reliance.
The format includes a mandatory qualification stage before teams are accepted into the build phase. Participants complete a written AI Readiness Qualifier designed to evaluate reasoning and problem-solving approaches rather than coding ability. Teams that pass move into a week-long development phase where projects are built and submitted asynchronously online.
The hackathon is open exclusively to full-time students across high school, college, and graduate tracks, with separate prize allocations for each category. Projects span AI infrastructure, applied systems, and coordination tools, including approaches related to verifiable execution and decentralized systems.
