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 educators. Submit a 1–2 minute video; a real human reviewer responds within 10 days. Winning ideas get $1,000 to get started, and you can earn up to $10,000 more if you make real progress on your idea.

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 July 15, 2026 and close October 4, 2026. Submit any day. Yes-or-no review within 10 days. No single deadline, no cohort.

$500,000 for 2026 — $250K for the student track + $250K for the educator track.

The same for both tracks: winners get $1,000. Students are paid via check or ACH to a parent/guardian; educators are paid directly. Both tracks can earn up to $10,000 more if you make real progress on the idea.

If you win, we follow up with a short note spelling out 2–4 specific things to try, tailored to your idea — proof you ran it in the real world. Examples: served X people, partnered with Y organization, shipped a working version. Doing them is what unlocks up to $10,000 more.

Two trained judges watch every video and score two things: Community impact (is the need real, specific, and grounded in a community you actually know?) and Feasibility (are there logical first steps — do you show awareness of what it would take?). Judges also confirm the idea is genuinely yours. They are explicitly instructed NOT to judge production quality, vocabulary, accent, fluency, or on-camera comfort — a shaky video of an original idea beats a slick video of a generic one.

Friends, classmates, and co-teachers are great for thinking an idea through — but every entry is individual. One person, one idea, one video, and any award is paid to that person. If two of you each have an idea, submit two entries.

Yes. Cash prizes are real and paid out. The Challenge is convened by Exponential Scholars, a North Carolina nonprofit.

Any student in North Carolina entering grades 5–12 in fall 2026 — so if you finished 4th grade this spring, you're in. 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 entirely on your own. Adults and friends can encourage you and talk it through with 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.

Not long. It's a short video, not a long application. The yes-or-no review comes back within 10 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. You can request a free 15-minute coaching call with a real person — on Zoom, by phone, or by email. To request one, email hello@ideachallengenc.org with a few times that work for you. They ask questions and give honest notes. They don't write your idea — that's yours.

Sure. Notes, a friend off-camera, as many takes as you want. What the judges watch is your video, in your words — and adult-sounding polish doesn't win.

It's self-defined: teachers (public, private, charter, homeschool), principals, counselors, coaches, club and community leaders. If you work with young people in North Carolina, you can submit.

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

Submissions open July 15, 2026 and close October 4, 2026. Submit any day in that window. Yes-or-no in 10 days.

Direct deposit or check, paid directly to you (no co-signer required, unlike the student track).

A 1–2 minute video, recorded in your browser. No editing, no slides, no script required.

No. Entries are individual. A co-teacher can absolutely help you shape the idea, but each submission comes from one educator, and any award is paid to that person. If you both have ideas, submit separately.

Often yes. Many educator ideas evolve into formal pilots, exactly the kind of real progress the second tier rewards.

Winners get $1,000, the same as the student track, for simplicity. Make real progress on the idea and you can earn up to $10,000 more for the same project.

We collect a small amount of information: a nickname, student age, and the community they represent. A parent email is collected only if the student finalizes their entry, and is used to confirm your consent and share their results. No third-party tracking, no ads, no data selling. Non-winning videos are deleted after the Challenge. Full details at ideachallengenc.org/privacy.

Two trained human judges, privately. They see the video and grade level — never your kid's name or your email. The rubric does not reward polish, vocabulary, or adult-sounding phrasing, and your kid gets written feedback either way.

Via check or ACH to a parent or guardian co-signer.

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 who are most likely to enter are the ones a trusted adult forwarded the link to.

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

Yes — we work with schools, clubs, libraries, and community organizations across North Carolina. Email hello@ideachallengenc.org and we'll get back to you.