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Elevate Great AI Competition 2025 win up to £5,000
Enter here
“Every baby born in the 2020s is a child of the AI era, and this will shape how they develop, interact and experience the world. We must urgently consider the positives, negatives, risks and opportunities associated with that.”
“Every baby born in the 2020s is a child of the AI era, and this will shape how they develop, interact and experience the world. We must urgently consider the positives, negatives, risks and opportunities associated with that.”
Sophie Flemig, Chief Executive, Elevate Great
Sophie Flemig, Chief Executive, Elevate Great
Elevate Great AI Competition
We are delighted to launch Elevate Great’s AI Competition 2025, open to current undergraduates and taught Masters students at any UK university.

 

As well as contributing to a key emerging issue in both AI and childhood development, entrants can win prizes of up to £5,000. There will also be networking and career development opportunities.

key points
  • Open to students in the UK
  • Prizes of up to £5,000
  • Networking and career opportunities

ABOUT

Introducing Elevate Great
At Elevate Great, we believe in the power of early years relationships to transform lives, and recognise that AI will increasingly permeate those relationships. As an organisation committed to fostering innovative solutions, we are inviting students to help us explore the role of AI in supporting early childhood development.

 

Our AI competition runs in three stages over January-June 2025, and we are inviting submissions from individuals or multidisciplinary teams of up to five people. Entries for the first stage close aton March 3rd, 2025 at 23h59.

Find out more

  • By entering the Elevate Great AI Competition, you could win
    the following prizes and opportunities:

     

     

     

     

    * Team entries will share this prize money between team members.
    In addition, starting from Stage 2, the groups will present their work to industry leaders, and winners will be invited to an exclusive AI workshop with global experts, offering a unique opportunity to develop your skills and build valuable connections within the industry.

     

    Each stage of the competition is also an opportunity to showcase the real-world application of your academic studies and thinking on AI, and enhance your CV.

     

    The Elevate Great AI Competition runs over three stages in Semester 1, 2025, focusing on the opportunity to use AI to positively influence key aspects of early childhood development. We are seeking proposals for how to deploy AI beneficially in this context or how to address or mitigate any risks associated with it.

     

    The first round of the competition is open to undergraduates and taught Masters students at UK universities during the 2024/25 academic year, entering as either individuals or teams.

     

    Up to 10 submissions will be selected to develop and showcase their proposals in greater detail in the Stage 2.
    Three winning entries will then advance to the Stage 3, a live online pitch event with a top prize of £5,000.

     

     

     

    Round 1

    Initial Proposal
    		 

    Semi-Final

    Developing the Proposal
    		 

    Final

    Live Online Pitch Event
    • Vision piece (max. 1,000 words)
    • Report proposal (max. 500 words)
    • Open to undergraduate and taught Masters students at UK universities
    • Timeline: Last entries by March 3rd 2025
    • Written report (max. 5,000 words)
    • Recorded elevator pitch (max 3mins)
    • Open to: Round 1 submissions invited to progress
    • Timeline: Submissions open on 17th March and close on 6th May 2025
    • Pitch summarising your report (max. 15mins)
    • Q&A (15mins) with judges and invited audience
    • Open to: Three semi-final winners
    • Timeline: Finalists and presentation date will be announced on 19th May.

     

     

    What next?

     

    See the section below on Stage 1 for more details on what is involved and how to enter.

    In Stage 1 of the Elevate Great AI Competition, we are asking individuals or interdisciplinary teams (of up to five people) to submit two short pieces. Please note that you need to complete both elements, and submit them by March 3rd, 2025 at 23h59.

     

     

    1. Vision piece (max 1,000 words): We want you to describe a day in the life of a child in 2029, aged 0-5, looking at AI’s role in their routines and development, and how it influences their interactions with parents, caregivers, and other significant figures in their lives.
    2. Report proposal (max 500 words): We also want you to identify an AI-related opportunity to positively influence key aspects of that child’s development. We are looking for solutions that deploy AI beneficially in early childhood development or could address / mitigate the risks associated with it in this context. Your proposal should sketch out your approach, how you would develop it further, and the expertise / experience that you and your team bring.

     

     

    Judging criteria will focus on creativity and vision, technical insight into AI applications, and understanding of early childhood development.

     

     

    To enter, click the button below

     

    Enter here

     

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Eligibility

    Answer
    Our 2025 competition is open to current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students. However, we may offer similar opportunities in the future. If you’re planning to study later on, stay tuned for future opportunities!
    Answer
    No. Our 2025 competition is open to current undergraduate and taught postgraduate students from recognised universities in the United Kingdom.
    Answer
    No. Each individual person is limited to one entry. You can submit your entry either individually or as part of a team.
    Answer
    If a team member leaves, the remaining members can continue in the competition and are eligible to receive the prize.

     

    After Stage 1 of the competition, it is not possible to add new team members. This is to ensure fairness and consistency throughout the various stages of the competition.

  • Submissions

    Answer
    The maximum word count includes footnotes and in-text citations, but excludes the reference list and bibliography.
    Answer
    No, all entries must consist of original content created exclusively for the competition. However, we hope that the insights and ideas you develop during the competition will inspire and inform your future projects.
    Answer
    No, to maintain fairness in the competition, we cannot consider requests for deadline extensions.

  • Communications

    Answer
    Yes! You can contact us at hello@elevategreatawards.com.
    Answer
    Following submission, entrants will receive an automated email. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact hello@elevategreatawards.com.
    Answer
    Outcomes for Stage 2 of the competition will be emailed to the entrants by 12:00 pm on Monday 17 March 2025. 

    Outcomes for Stage 3 of the competition will be emailed to the entrants by 12:00 pm on Monday 30 June 2025.

    Answer
    Due to the volume of entries, feedback will not be provided for Stage 1 of the competition. However, feedback will be available during Stages 2 and 3.
If you have a question that is not answered above, please contact us at hello@elevategreatawards.com