16 AI activities for teens (projects, courses and competitions)

Students build an app, many now using AI, and submit to their member of Congress. Winners are recognized in Washington. A real deadline and audience push teens to finish.

Watch for: The 2026 deadline is Oct 26, 2026, at noon ET per most sources; your district must be participating. Plan for the 2027 cycle if you miss it.

The federal youth AI contest that ran as the Presidential AI Challenge in 2025-26 now appears as the Presidential SI Challenge. Teams use AI to tackle a community problem, with an adult sponsor.

Watch for: The official page lists registration for the 2027 challenge open through Dec 18, 2026. Check rules on the official page.

Teams of girls and gender-diverse youth build an app or AI solution for a community problem, with mentors and a free curriculum. Divisions go up to 16-18.

Watch for: Competition eligibility is limited to girls and gender-diverse youth; the curriculum is open to all. Check the 2026-27 sign-up dates.

A nonprofit working to widen who builds AI, with partner university programs like Stanford AI4ALL for high schoolers. Strong for teens from groups underrepresented in tech.

Watch for: Programs, costs and deadlines vary by partner; many apply in spring.

A competition with math, coding and machine learning problems that selects the U.S. team for international AI olympiads. Best for teens who already love math and Python.

Watch for: Round 1 is usually held early in the year; confirm dates on the official site.

The international stage for student AI competitors. Following it gives ambitious teens a goal and a look at what high-school AI work can look like.

Young creators worldwide share projects in categories including AI. No winners' pressure; it's a showcase with a global gallery. Over 15,000 took part in 2026.

Train a classifier in the browser and drop it into an App Inventor app, like a recycling sorter or a plant helper. A finished app makes a great entry for the contests above.

Six self-paced chapters on what AI is, machine learning, neural networks and its impact, with exercises and a certificate. Parents and teens can take it side by side.

A well-known free course that has learners training real models from the first lesson, then explains the theory later. For teens with some Python who want to go deep and build things that work.

Watch for: Uses cloud notebooks that may need accounts; check each service's age terms.

Short units made with Google DeepMind researchers, including a 'Discovering AI' lesson for ages 14-16. Good structured learning for a curious teen at home, and designed for teachers with no AI background.

Play a short game where your own hiring choices train a biased algorithm. Then discuss real cases. Great for teens drawn to fairness and justice.

An interactive, in-browser language model that shows next-word probabilities and which words it pays attention to. Teens who use chatbots every day finally see the machinery, and it often changes how they use them.

A nonprofit network of teen coding clubs and online events where teens build and ship projects, AI included. Good for finding peers who build things.

Watch for: Online community with chat; talk with your teen about safe online behavior.

Teens can test a question with AI, like how well a model identifies local plants, and enter local fairs that feed into ISEF. Science-fair rules push for careful methods.

Watch for: Projects with human data or photos need approval under fair rules.

Robotics teams use sensors, computer vision and autonomous code under real deadline pressure. Teamwork, adult mentors and a full season of building make AI ideas concrete, and many teams welcome beginners.

Watch for: Time commitment is big; team fees and travel can add up.