The LaunchPad ChallengeNUS2026
Finally build the thing you’ve always wanted to.
The LaunchPad Challenge is a four-week open sprint for students. Pick any project or research idea you care about, claim free API credits to build it, and the best 20 teams present at the 18 Aug builder showcase at NUS.
Elite sponsors & partners
Supported by those defining the frontier.
SignedSponsor 01 SignedSponsor 02 
SignedSponsor 03 
SignedSponsor 04 
SealedSponsor 05Under wraps
Supported by Agnes, GriffinLabs, OpenAI, and Zo Computer. More sponsor names are being confirmed and will be announced soon.
The idea
No theme. No set problem. Just the thing you’ve been meaning to make.
Pick anything you genuinely want to build or research. Bring it to life in four weeks. Then show why it matters and that it works.
See how it worksFREE
Free to enter
≤3
Solo or teams of up to 3
ALL STUDENTS
Open to all students
How it works
Five dates. That’s the whole plan.
Register, build whatever you care about for four weeks, and the twenty strongest teams take the stage at NUS.
Register by 30 June →11 – 30 JuneRegister and claim your creditsSign up, form your team, and your free API credits land in your account. Registration closes 30 June.
3 July · 0000Building starts, metrics go liveThe Challenge opens and the judging criteria are published, so you know exactly how you’ll be scored from minute one.
31 July · 2359Submissions closeFour weeks, one hard deadline. Submit your build and a short write-up of your thinking.
7 AugustTop 20 notifiedJudges review every entry and invite the twenty strongest teams to the 18 August builder showcase.
18 AugustBuilder showcase at NUSTop 20The top 20 take the stage on 18 August during the AI Symposium, in front of practitioners and peers.
The credits
The credits are on us. So cost never stops you.
Every registered builder gets free API credits for real agent and browser tools. Go further, get more. Amounts to be announced soon.
Free
API credits for every builder
More
For each of the top 20 teams
Prizes
Credit prizes for the podium
What to build
Stuck for an idea? Good problems are everywhere.
The best projects start from something you already care about. Four places to look.
Automate the boring thing
An agent that does the boring thing you keep doing by hand.
Reproduce a paper
A paper you’ve always wanted to reproduce.
Build the missing tool
A tool you wish existed.
Fine-tune on what you love
A model fine-tuned on something you love.
How you win
Judged on how you think, not how it looks.
Understand it
Show you know why the problem is hard.
Make it work
A solution that holds up, or comes honestly close.
Show your reasoning
Walk us through the calls you made and why.
The full evaluation metrics are public from day one.
The AI Symposium · 17–18 Aug
Two days with people who build the real thing.
Technical talks from practitioners on how systems actually get built across 17-18 Aug, plus the 18 Aug builder showcase where the top 20 present. Open to all.
Open to allFor partners
Back the people who’ll build what comes next.
We want partners who care about the builders, not the banner. Four ways in.
Talk to us about partnering →Open up what you face
Share problems
Share the real, unsolved problems your field is wrestling with, as inspiration for builders.
Give them the tools
Provide credits
API or platform credits, so no one’s best idea is capped by what they can afford to run.
Lend your experience
Judge & mentor
Send your engineers and researchers to mentor teams and judge the final work.
Take the stage
Speak
A technically deep talk on how you really build. Architectures, infrastructure, the hard tradeoffs.
For partners
Tell us how you want to plug in.
Share problems, provide credits, judge and mentor, or take the stage. We will shape the involvement around the builders.
Building? You don’t need this form — just register.
Direct contactsymposium@acacia-ai.org
11 – 30 JuneRegister and claim your credits
3 July · 0000Building starts, metrics go live
31 July · 2359Submissions close
7 AugustTop 20 notified
18 AugustBuilder showcase at NUS
Questions
Everything else, quickly.
The AI Challenge
Any current student, undergraduate or postgraduate. Enter solo or in a team of up to three.
The AI Symposium
Register by 30 June. Claim your credits. Start building.
The LaunchPad Challenge · Vol. 01Made at NUS for student AI builderssymposium.acacia-ai.org
- Register: 11–30 Jun
- Build: 3–31 Jul
- Top 20: by 7 Aug
- Builder showcase: 18 Aug
- Register: 11–30 Jun
- Build: 3–31 Jul
- Top 20: by 7 Aug
- Builder showcase: 18 Aug
- Register: 11–30 Jun
- Build: 3–31 Jul
- Top 20: by 7 Aug
- Builder showcase: 18 Aug
Register: 11–30 Jun · Build: 3–31 Jul · Top 20: by 7 Aug · Builder showcase: 18 Aug.