Deadline: January 12, 2026
Applications are open for the Stanford Accelerator for Learning Create+AI Challenge 2026. The Create+AI Challenge invites educators, researchers, technologists, and students to imagine how artificial intelligence can advance learning, augment teaching, and expand opportunity, always with humans at the center.
Too often, AI in education is used for automation. The Create+AI Challenge—hosted by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning with support from Google.org—asks a different question: How can AI augment human potential?
They want to surface projects that put educators and learners at the heart of AI design—ensuring these tools expand access, agency, and connection, and in turn advance learning, well-being, and opportunity.
Tracks
Applicants should select one track. Each centers on how AI augments human talent and interactions to advance learning and teaching.
- Augment Teaching: AI solutions that respond to teacher pain points in their work, especially those that enable or enhance the ability to develop the social relationships with students in school.
- Augment Learning: AI learning tools that foster participation, especially for learners with disabilities or learning differences.
- Augment Career Opportunities: AI solutions that support skill-building, mentorship, and pathways to meaningful work.
Benefits
- $400,000 in total funding across multiple awards, including:
- Two $50,000 awards in each of the three tracks of “Augment Teaching,” “Augment Learning”, and “Augment Career Opportunities”
- Multiple other awards ranging from $10,000-$20,000 across all three tracks
- Mentorship and connections with Stanford faculty, researchers, technologists, and collaborators, including learning science and teacher co-design workshops
- Visibility at the AI+Education Summit (February 10 and 11, 2026)
- Potential invitation to continue project development at Stanford in a summer 2026 cohort
Eligibility
- Educators, researchers, designers, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, students are all encouraged to apply. At least one team member must hold a Stanford affiliation (current student, scholar, staff, or alum).
- Teams may include individuals from outside Stanford, including international applicants (subject to U.S. sanctions and export-control restrictions).
- Applicants must be 18 years or older.
- Individuals may participate on only one team.
- Stanford employees must confirm that participation complies with Stanford policies regarding outside activities, conflict of interest, and use of university resources.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed by a panel including educators, researchers, technologists, and learners. Each submission will be scored on the following criteria:
- Innovation & creativity
- Learning impact
- Fairness & inclusion
- Use of learning sciences & design
- Measurement plan
- Feasibility & sustainability
Application
Your submission should include:
- A completed online form (via Google Form).
- A PDF proposal or pitch deck (max 10 pages).
- A two-minute video introducing the idea.
- (Optional) Prototype, demo, or short video.
- (Optional) Financial model or budget.
Your proposal PDF should include:
- Project title and selected track
- Summary of your idea
- Problem and target audience
- Proposed solution and how it uses AI
- Connection to learning science or design principles
- Expected outcomes and how you’ll measure them
- Fairness and accessibility considerations
- Timeline, milestones
- Team bios
- Budget summary, funding requested and intended use
- Funding requested and intended use
For more information, visit Create+AI Challenge.
