President's Innovation Challenge
The President's Innovation Challenge is a multidisciplinary team competition encouraging social and business entrepreneurship to help solve major contemporary problems in Southern Nevada and beyond.
Watch Live Stream
The Challenge
About the Challenge
The challenge provides the opportunity to define how you can apply your knowledge, expertise, and innovative Rebel spirit to help solve an education challenge. Your team will have the opportunity to chart the course to a more sustainable future.
The challenge is what we offer. The idea is up to our students – one that could win them a significant cash prize and even a life-changing path for their future.
Students collaborate in teams to determine innovative solutions. These teams choose to address significant social issues, launch impactful businesses or nonprofits, develop apps that promote sustainable socioeconomic progress in our city, or promote art expansions for residents and visitors.
5th Annual President's Innovation Challenge
How can Artificial Intelligence be harnessed to reimagine the future of human-centric industries and solve the most pressing challenges facing dynamic communities like Las Vegas and beyond?
The 2026 UNLV President’s Innovation Challenge calls upon the boldest
minds—students, their mentors, and community partners—to explore the transformative
power of AI. We are seeking novel applications that not only demonstrate technical
prowess but also carry a clear path to commercialization and tangible impact. We invite
solutions that leverage AI to create smarter, more efficient, and more responsive
systems across any vertical, including:
- Business & Hospitality: Revolutionizing customer experience, operational logistics, and predictive analytics for the worlds premier entertainment and tourism hub.
- Education & Social Science: Personalizing learning, scaling administrative efficiency, modeling social and public policy outcomes, and fostering inclusive communities.
- Fine Arts & Entertainment: Pioneering new forms of creative expression, generating immersive experiences for Nevada’s largest economic driver, and redefining storytelling and content creation.
- Urban Development & Sustainability: Optimizing resource management, enhancing public safety, and building the resilient, data-driven cities of tomorrow.
This challenge is an open call to build the next generation of AI-native products, services, and platforms. We are not just looking for incremental improvements; we are looking for foundational shifts.
Upcoming Events
Competitor Information
- Friday, January 30th @ 8:00am | PIC Team Registration Closes
- Friday, January 30th @ 1:00pm | PIC Info Session
- Week of February 2nd | Market Assessment & Customer Delivery Workshop
- Week of February 9th | Financial Modeling Workshop
- Saturday, February 28th | Hack-a-thon
- Friday, March 6th @ 1:00pm | Pitching and Presentation Skills
- Sunday, March 29th | Submissions Due
- Monday, April 6th | Finalists Announced
- Thursday, April 23rd | Finale
Learn more about the competition and complete the President’s Innovation Challenge interest form by January 20, 2026.
Recaps from Past President's Innovation Challenge Events
Winning Teams
Grand Prize Winner: Team 4Front
- Aryah Certain, Information Systems B.S.B. and Finance B.S.B.A
- Jennifer Tidwell, Hospitality and Gaming M.S.
Community Partnership Winners: Team 4Front
- Aryah Certain, Information Systems B.S.B. and Finance B.S.B.A
- Jennifer Tidwell, Hospitality and Gaming M.S.
Social Impact Winners: Team Next Horizon
- Ariana Khzarjyan, Kinesiology B.S.
- Kirsten Soriano, Biological Sciences B.S.
- Martin Mnatsakanyan, Biochemistry B.S.
- Mariam Roeder, Psychology B.S.
- Melanie Sanchez, Geoscience B.S.
- Riley Ramos, Computer Science B.S.
Technological Innovation Winners: Team NexSledge
- Reasey You, Mechanical Engineering B.S.
- Vaughn Guintu, Mechanical Engineering B.S.
- Callie Taylor, Construction Management B.S.
- Narek "Tony" Tonoyan, Computer Science B.S.
- Cesar Robledo, Electrical Engineering B.S.
- Hayden Stipe, Electrical Engineering B.S.
- Aleisha Ortiz, Computer Science B.S.
Winning Teams
1st: Protege (Team D)
- Jerwin Tiu, Marketing and International Business B.S.
- Stacey Lai, Computer Science B.S.
- Emilie Luong, Mechanical Engineering B.S.
- Cinnamon Sekula, Mechanical Engineering B.S.
- Zachary Walusek, Applied Economics and Data Intelligence M.S.
2nd: Chembot (Team H)
- Liahm Blank, Pre-Professional Biology Major B.S.
- Matahn Blank, Emergency and Crisis Management M.S.
- Abigail Moyal, Education M.S
3rd: VisionByte Labs (Team I)
- Christina Chen, Hospitality B.S.
- Eman Yonis, Business B.S.
- Paul Yu, Education B.A.
- Neel Patel, Electrical Engineering M.S.
- Hassan Adam, Electrical Engineering M.S.
- Paul Stanik, Computer Science M.S.
Winning Teams
1st: LutumPotentia (Team 5)
- Nour Benjelloun, Philosophy B.A.
- Andres Carrasco, Marketing B.S.B.A.
- Ryder Hankins, Marketing B.S.B.A. and International Business B.S.B.A.
- Scott Luk, Management Information Systems M.S.
- Angie Shenouda, Gender and Sexuality Studies B.A.
2nd: YouChef (Team 3)
- Allister Dias, Economics B.S.B.A.
- Ferris Ferris, Computer Engineering, B.S.E.
- Vianey Lozoya, Architecture B.S.
- Richard Palenik, Entrepreneurship B.S.B.A.
- Christen Smith, Hospitality Management B.S.
3rd: Scarlet and Green (Team 2)
- Zachary Billot, Political Science B.A.
- Mary Blankenship, Chemistry M.S.
- Miguel Soriano Ralston, Political Science B.A.
- Jacob Vecchione, Civil Engineering B.S.
- Annie Vong, Political Science B.A.
Winning Teams
1st: Esenjays (Team 10)
- Shaimaa Abdelhaleem, Geoscience Ph.D.
- G Liu, Quantitative Finance M.S.
- Jacob Gross, Accounting B.S.B.A.
- Jonathan Kim, MBA and Quantitative Finance M.S.
2nd: A More Sustainable World (Team 1)
- Andres Rodriguez Lombeida, Public Affairs Ph.D.
- Alejandro Rodriguez Lombeida, Business Administration M.B.A.
- Anyelina Rodriguez Lombeida, Pre-Business (Economics)
3rd: AERO AI (Team 4)
- Osarodion Victory Igbinobaro, Master of Architecture
- Richard Bergstrom, Entrepreneurship B.S.B.A.
- Godson Ebenezer Adjovu, Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D.
- Glenn Nowak, Hospitality Administration Ph.D.
