Everything you might want to know.

A statewide challenge for North Carolina. One prompt: what's your idea to help your community? Two parallel tracks — students in grades 5–12, and teachers. Submit a 1–2 minute video; a real human reviewer responds within 3 business days. A yes unlocks $1,000 on acceptance, and the objectives in your acceptance letter can unlock up to $10,000 more.

A program of Exponential Scholars, a North Carolina nonprofit creating life-changing opportunities for gifted students across the state, with a focus on underserved communities.

Rolling submissions open June 15, 2026 and close October 15, 2026. Submit any day. Yes-or-no review within 3 business days. No single deadline, no cohort.

$500,000 for 2026 — $250K for the student track + $250K for the teacher track. No cap on winners per track.

Two tracks, two structures. Students: $1,000 flat on yes — paid via check or ACH to a parent/guardian. Teachers: you ask for an amount between $100 and $5,000 on your entry — a yes pays the amount you asked for, directly to you. Both tracks can unlock up to $10,000 more when objectives are met. Above $600, the IRS requires a 1099 — we handle the paperwork.

When we send your acceptance letter, we'll spell out 2–4 specific objectives that, when verified, unlock the next tier. They're tailored to your idea — proof you ran it in the real world. Examples: served X people, partnered with Y organization, shipped a working prototype.

Yes. Students can submit individually or in a group of 2–4. Teachers can submit jointly with a co-teacher. One entry per team; the prize is paid to a designated lead.

Yes. Cash prizes are real and paid out. The Challenge is convened by Exponential Scholars, a North Carolina nonprofit. Above $600, the IRS requires a 1099, and we handle that paperwork.

Any student in North Carolina, grades 5–12. That's roughly ages 10–18.

No. You do NOT need coding experience. You don't need to be on the honor roll. You don't need a business background. You don't need a finished plan. You just need an idea you've actually thought about.

No. You can do this on your own, or with a couple of friends. Adults can encourage you, but the rubric doesn't reward parent editing — a slick adult-edited pitch will lose to a real kid voice with a specific idea.

About 45 minutes to draft and submit your first version. The yes-or-no review comes back within 3 business days.

A 1–2 minute video — just you, on camera, explaining your idea. We give you a recorder right in your browser. Take as many tries as you want; only your chosen take counts.

Yes. We're matching applicants with volunteer human helpers — adults who'll spend 15 minutes with you on Zoom, by email, or by phone. They ask questions, give honest notes, and (if it helps) can show you how to use AI tools you may already have access to. They don't write your idea — that's yours. Email hello@exponentialscholars.org to get connected.

No. There's no embedded AI on this site for V1. If you'd like to use AI tools to brainstorm — like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — feel free, and a human helper can walk you through it if you've never used one. But the judges watch your video, in your words. Adult-sounding polish doesn't win.

Any teacher in North Carolina — public, private, charter, or homeschool. If you teach in NC, you can submit.

No. To submit, no. To run your idea inside school facilities, that depends on what you're doing — we can help you think it through after acceptance.

About 45 minutes to draft and submit. Yes-or-no review within 3 business days. If accepted, the work is whatever your idea actually requires — no required meetings, no required programming.

Often yes. Many teacher ideas evolve into formal pilots — that's exactly the kind of objective unlock the second tier rewards.

Direct deposit or check, paid directly to you (no co-signer required, unlike the student track). Above $600, we'll need a W-9 and will issue a 1099.

Teachers have a clearer sense of what specific interventions cost — supplies, partner honoraria, stipend for time. Forcing a flat amount means under-funding some projects and over-funding others. So we ask teachers to tell us what they need, between $100 and $5,000. Specific asks beat vague ones; reviewers don't penalize bigger asks if the budget makes sense.

We collect a nickname, age, and community — never a full name, school, or precise location. No third-party tracking, no ads, no data selling. A parent email is collected only if the kid finalizes their entry, and only used for prize-related contact.

No. There's no embedded AI on the site. Students can choose to use AI tools (like ChatGPT or Claude) to brainstorm if they have access — and our human helpers can walk them through how. But the final submission is a 1–2 minute video of the kid on camera, in their own words. The rubric explicitly does not reward polish, vocabulary, or adult-sounding phrasing.

Via check or ACH to a parent or guardian co-signer. Above $600, the IRS requires a 1099 to the guardian — we handle the paperwork.

Encourage them, ask questions, give them the link. But adult-edited pitches lose on the rubric — the judges are looking for the kid's real voice and specific lived knowledge. The most helpful thing you can do is get out of the way.

Anyone — counselor, librarian, club leader, parent, neighbor, friend — who tells a kid about the Challenge. The kids most likely to enter are the ones a trusted adult forwarded the link to. You can also nominate a student through the Champions page.

Yes. The Champions page has a 45-minute workshop guide. Email us for the slide deck and we'll send it within 48 hours.

Yes — especially 4-H clubs, NC State Extension, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, Communities In Schools, libraries, and college access programs. Email hello@exponentialscholars.org and we'll get back to you.