General Competition Information

AIS Student Chapter competitions provide students with opportunities to learn, observe, and develop their skills with current industry leaders. The aim is to allow students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-life situations they might face in the workforce.

2026 Conference Competition Tracks

• Artificial Intelligence: AI Driven Talent Optimization, Sponsored by EY
• Business Analytics: Data-Driven Decision Making, Sponsored by CGI
• Cybersecurity: Strengthening Cyber Defense in Financial Services, Sponsored by KPMG
• Cybersecurity & Risk Analysis: Securing Critical Infrastructure Supporting Data Centers, Co-Sponsored by Mr. James Elliot and Microsoft

Monetary Awards

• 1st place team: $2000 USD
• 2nd place team: $1000
• 3rd place team: $500

General Rules for Competitions

• Faculty can give insight and advice, but the competition submissions should reflect the students’ work.
• A team must consist of 2-4 students and include at least one undergraduate student. 
• Students can participate in multiple competitions but cannot be finalists in multiple competitions. If a student is a finalist in more than one competition, the student must choose which one to compete in at the finals held at SCLC 2026.

• Team names and all submitted materials must not include any information that identifies your university. If a team name or any part of the submission contains university-identifiable information, the entry will be disqualified.

Competition Timeline

• Competition details announced - November 2025
• February 16, 2026 (11:59 PM Eastern) - Preliminary submissions due 
  
• February 26, 2026 – Finalists notified
• March 27, 2026 – Final presentations (during SCLC) and winners announced

Contact

For questions or additional information about any tracks, please email jamesmadisonais@gmail.com and place the track name in the subject line.

For questions or concerns regarding the competition format or guidelines, please email studentchapters@aisnet.org and place the track name in the subject line.