For parents & guardians

Short version: we collect as little as possible, we don’t sell data, and we don’t put kids in front of an AI — support comes from real people. The Idea Challenge is a program of Exponential Scholars, a North Carolina nonprofit.

What we collect

A nickname (not a full name).
Age and a community name (town / city / county).
A school name or ZIP code (at least one) — these help us reach students fairly across NC.
The idea content your kid writes or records.
An email address only when they finalize their submission — used exclusively to contact finalists.

What we don’t do

No ads, ever.
No third-party analytics or tracking pixels.
No selling or sharing of data with marketers.
No precise location or phone numbers.

Safety

We don’t put kids in front of an AI. If your child books a coaching call, it’s with a vetted volunteer adult. If anything a child shares with us suggests they may be unsafe — self-harm, bullying, or abuse — we respond with care and point them toward a trusted adult and, in the US, 988.

Prize fulfillment

Finalists will be contacted via the email collected at submission. A parent or guardian co-signature is required before any prize is disbursed. To send a payment, we’ll ask winners for a full name, date of birth, and mailing address — kept private and used only to send the prize.

Delete request

Email hello@ideachallengenc.org to request your kid’s entry be deleted.