Global Student Contest Hero 2025

The Code-optional Data Contest for Everyone!

Submit Now

Transform Data into Real-World Impact

Showcase your skills. Solve challenging problems. Win big.

 

Quick Facts: Requirements and Prizes

Is this a hackathon?

While perhaps not the same as a typical hackathon, our contests share the same ethos - by challenging students to solve interesting and time-limited problems through the creative and ingenious use of Altair's software tools.

Who can enter? 

Students of any age and geographic location. 

When is the deadline?  

You can submit any time from now until November 30th, 2025, 11:59 PM (EST) 

What do I need to do? 

Show off your most innovative data-driven project using Altair AI Studio - think predictive models, AI solutions, visualizations, or optimization tools.

How do I get started?

Pick a category and get going!  Available categories:

  1. Work with your own dataset and use case. 
  2. Use the dataset and use case provided by us.
  3. Use the dataset provided by us and define and solve your own use case.

What can I win? 

The best 3 submissions earn substantial cash card prizes ($2000, $1000, $500).

GSC Workflow v1

The Process: How It Works

  1. Download Altair AI Studio
  2. Learn the tool using the learning resources on this page and the AI Studio Academic Hub.
  3. Choose your challenge (see the 3 categories below).
  4. Record a short video explaining your project and your key results.
  5. Upload your video to a public video hosting platform (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
  6. Submit your video link through the submission form below for a chance to win a cash prize.

Choose Your Challenge

 

Category 1: Your Data, Your Use Case

Category 2: Our Data, Our Use Case

Category 3: Our Data, Your Use Case

  Category 1-2 Category 2-2 Category 3-2
 

Solve an interesting use case of your choice using any publicly available dataset.

 

Use the dataset and solve the use case provided by us.

 

Use the dataset provided by us, but define and solve your own use case.

 

Use Case

 

In this category, the objective is entirely up to you. It could be anything you are interested in or can think of - from predicting housing prices to detecting fraudulent transactions.

 

Your video must demonstrate how you addressed the following objective using the Air Quality Monitoring Dataset:

  • Develop a prediction model to identify the primary pollutant in the air and classify air quality levels (Good, Moderate, or Unhealthy) across different locations. 
  • Generate insights into pollution patterns that support decisions for environmental management and public health initiatives.

 

Develop your own objective.

Think outside the box and identify a new angle or hidden insights in the provided data.

You can combine the dataset with other public datasets for richer analysis or define a completely new application of the same data.

Dataset

 

To find your own data set, you can use common sources like Kaggle, UCI Machine Learning Repository, or Data.gov. But you can also use any other open data portals.

 

You must use this data set for this category: 

You must use this data set for this category:

 

Download AI Studio to Get Started

Download
 

How to Get Started with my Data Analysis?

  1. Import your chosen data into AI Studio
  2. Clean and prepare the data for your analysis
  3. Analyze the data based on your selected use case
  4. Derive insights from your data 
  5. Make a decision based on your derived insights

 

The example submission on the right gives you an idea of how your submission could look so that it follows the rules and fits the requirements

Submit and Win Big

Starting in September 2025 and ending in November 2025, we'll award prizes for the most exceptional student submissions.

Prizes: 

🥇 First Prize - $2000
🥈 Second Prize - $1000
🥉 Third Prize - $500

https://47251.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/47251/Students%20with%20cash.png
Students must apply data science to improve a real-world application, demonstrating clear advancements in accuracy, efficiency, sustainability, usability, or other optimized outcomes.
  • Students must use Altair AI Studio to create their submission.
  • Students may enter as individuals or as part of a team. There is no limit to team size, but the prizes are only awarded to the person who submits the entry,  not to each person on the team.
  • Students may enter several entries, but can only submit one submission per category. If more than one entry per category is submitted, only the first one will be reviewed by the judges. Each submission must be unique.
  • All judging is at the discretion of Altair, and all decisions made by Altair are final.
  • Download and read the terms and conditions of the Altair Global Student Contest before you submit.

 

Note for Minors: Students under the age of 18 who want to submit to the contest must have a parent or legal guardian read and accept the consent form for minors.

 

REQUIRED: All data workflows must be created using Altair AI Studio. 

Optional tools you may use in addition: 
  • Python/R integration (e.g., Python Learner, Python Model, R Model operators). 
  • Extensions available in AI Studio (e.g., Generative AI, text analytics, deep learning, etc.). 

A short video explaining your project and accomplishing the following:

  • 5 minutes maximum length
  • Clear presentation of your results and gained insights.
  • Explanation of how your analysis helped you make effective decisions or solve the problem. 

 

Make sure to follow the rules and meet the requirements.

Tell a clear story

  • Define your use case
  • Explain/ show your process (e.g., planning --> learning --> solving --> testing --> results)
  • End with impact (e.g., How does your project make a difference, or what’s next?)
  • Use clear, natural narration (i.e., avoid mumbling or rushing)
  • Record in a quiet space (avoid background noise)
  • If you're using background music, keep it low so your voice is always easy to hear.

Be creative

  • Show yourself and your personality
  • Use clear visuals
  • Show, don’t just tell—include footage of your prototype, tests, simulations, or data visualizations.

Watch and imitate the Sample Submission Video

 

The video will be judged by:

  1. Relevance (real-world use case) and originality of the problem.
  2. Workflow Design - Data preparation and modeling quality.
  3. Clarity of insights and results (i.e., how clearly the results are presented and whether meaningful insights were drawn from the analysis).
  4. Decision Support (i.e., how effectively the submission connects results to practical decisions or real-world applications).
  5. Presentation Quality (i.e., video and audio quality, creativity of presentation, etc.) 

 

Extra credit will be awarded for:

  • using multiple or advanced features of Altair software
  • posting or promoting your video on your preferred social media platform, tagging Altair in the post, and adding the link to the post in their video description. 

 

For Category 1

  • You can submit a project you’ve already completed using Altair AI Studio (e.g., from a school project or another contest or hackathon), as long as it follows the contest requirements.
  • Creativity counts and will get you more points!
  • You can choose the type of analysis (e.g., predictive modeling, clustering, sentiment analysis, visualization, or a combination).
  • This category is great for those who are creative, innovative, and have a strong interest in specific topics or types of data.

For Category 2

  • Experiment with different modeling approaches and visualize your results for better interpretability.
  • This option is great if you want a guided challenge with clear evaluation criteria to guide your work. 

For Category 3

  • Be creative and think outside the box
  • You can adjust your objective to your own interests around the provided data.
  • This option rewards originality, innovation, and creative use of the provided dataset.

The more creativity and own input you provide in your project, the more points you will get from the judges.

  • E.g., a great category 1 project is going to get more points than a great category 2 or 3 project.
  • But a great category 3 project and video can get more points than a poorly executed or explained category 1 project.
Learning Platform

Why Participate?

  • Learn new or showcase existing data science skills and stand out to potential employers.
  • Get hands-on experience using AI Studio, an industrial-strength software trusted by professionals worldwide. 
  • Practice practical problem-solving while working on real applications of AI, ML, and data science, not just theory.
  • Get a chance to win one of the substantial cash awards

Students sitting at a table in a library while learning and working on a laptop

Don’t Know How to Use AI Studio Yet?

No worries! You can quickly get up to speed with our free learning resources: 

RapidMiner Academy – Step-by-step courses to master the tool. 

Altair RapidMiner YouTube Channel – Video tutorials, tips, and project demos. 

 

Got stuck?

Go to our Community and look for an answer, and if you can't find it,  ask AI Studio experts through a post.

For answers to common questions, explore the FAQ page.

 

Submit Your Entry

Previous Contest Highlights

Optimization Rockstars 2024-25

See the winners of our previous Global Student Contest who optimized robotics applications with Altair tools.

 

See Previous Winners
https://47251.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/47251/Untitled%20design%20(1).gif

Ready to Submit Your Entry?

Go To Form