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This fall, your school can meet the moment with AI by participating in the Fairfax AI Innovation Challenge, sponsored by Playlab and Amazon and part of the Presidential AI Challenge. By joining, your school will empower students to explore the big questions shaping their future:
‘”What kind of world would I create with AI?”
Participating schools will encourage students to join the optional FCPS Student AI Challenge. Through a guided, self-paced curriculum, participating students will learn the basics of artificial intelligence, experiment with building their own AI-powered apps, and work in teams (2-3 students) to design creative solutions to real problems in their schools and communities**.**
Students will share their work in a culminating school competition (1st place: $150, 2nd place: $100, third place: $50 for each student winner). School winners also receive an invitation to showcase their project at FCPS AI Innovation Night in February 2026. At this event, one team will win grand prize - $1000 Gift Card for each student and school coaches. Campus coaches may split the $1000 prize. All students are encouraged to submit to the national competition by Jan 20th. The White House has pledged over $1.5 million in cash prizes for both student and teacher innovations.
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🖊️ Sign up here!
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🖊️ Sign up here by November 7th!
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To join, one school leader must register the school here to participate.
FCPS HS principals and staff can view a school toolkit on Atlas intranet to support sharing this opportunity with their school communities. The school toolkit will also be updated with resources as needed for the duration of the program.
During registration, the school leader will list names and emails for 1-5 educators that will serve as campus coaches to support the Challenge for their school. Coaches will complete two training sessions and provide support to students who decide to participate in the challenge. Coaches will receive a $200 Gift Card for participating.
What will coaches do?
Each coach will be paired with a group of participating student teams; their job is to support them in completing the challenge during the months of November and December. Their role is flexible—supporting students in whatever way works best for their school: 1:1 check-ins, virtual guidance, Class or advisory time, lunchtime groups, after-school clubs, etc. To ensure an equitable experience and given the program's competitive nature, participating school coaches should align in approach.
Who should be a coach?
A coach can be any teacher, counselor, parent/guardian, or school leader who is passionate about helping students think big about their futures and who isn’t afraid to learn new technology skills. Coaches don’t need to be AI or tech experts.
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Coaches must complete two online training sessions covering AI basics, the Playlab platform, the student curriculum, and competition guidelines. By the end, coaches will be ready to lead their campus teams and will receive a $100 Gift Card and certificate of professional learning completion (for credit or sharing on LinkedIn) for completing training:
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Schools will have access to a communication toolkit (coming soon) to invite students and families to learn about the Challenge. Options include hosting information nights, sending communications, or recruiting through classes and clubs.
⚠️ Students must register here to participate by Friday, November 7th to participate.
Students must participate in teams of 2-3 students. Students may list their preferred teammates on the sign-up form. Each team is paired with a coach for support.
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