Bennington Young Innovators Awards
Part of the Bennington College Young Creators Awards
The Bennington College Young Innovators Awards celebrate exceptional high school students in grades 9-12 who are thinking critically, creatively, and responsibly about artificial intelligence (AI).
These awards recognize students who are not simply using AI tools, but who are asking deeper questions about what AI can make possible, what it can corrode or distort, and what human judgement still requires.
Open to students worldwide, these awards are free to enter and offer cash prizes up to $2,000, recognition, publication, or showcase opportunities, and scholarships for students who enroll at Bennington College.
Submissions open September 1. In the meantime, sign up to receive updates.
About the Award
The Bennington Young Innovators Awards recognize the next generation of creators, thinkers, and problem-solvers whose work explores artificial intelligence with curiosity, creativity, and care.
Whether you are using AI as a creative collaborator, investigating its impact on society, or designing a tool to address a real-world problem, we want to see work that demonstrates original thinking, responsible experimentation, and a willingness to ask difficult questions.
Why Bennington College?
At Bennington College, artificial intelligence is explored as an ethical, technical, creative, and human question. Students work closely with faculty, collaborate across disciplines, and shape their own paths through technology, art, design, science, philosophy, and culture.
The Bennington Young Innovators Awards invite high school students into that same spirit: curious about what AI can do, skeptical about how it is used, and ready to ask deeper questions about the future they are helping to create.
Submission Categories and What to Submit
Students may submit work in one category.
Optional prompt: While your submission can focus on any aspect of AI, consider/incorporate this optional prompt:
- What should AI refuse to do?
Category 1: Creative Generation
Use AI as a collaborator to produce an original creative work. Submissions may include visual art, music, writing, video, interactive media, or any combination.
Your final work must be accompanied by a brief statement (500 words max) explaining the creative process: what tools were used, what the AI contributed, what you shaped or overrode, and what the final work means to you.
Category 2: Critical Evaluation
Write an original essay (1200 words max) that investigates an AI-related question through the lens of ethics, society, history, philosophy, law, or culture.
The essay should demonstrate your own thinking and research. We are looking for your original argument, not a summary of existing positions or opinions.
AI tools may be used in the research process, but the student must include a short note (300 words max) describing how AI was used and what its limitations were.
Category 3: Practical Deployment
Build or design something that uses AI to address a real problem. This may be a tool, a prototype, a system, a workflow, or an intervention.
The submission must include:
- A short video (3 minutes max) demonstrating the project,
- A written explanation (500 words max) covering what problem it solves, how AI is involved, what its limitations are, and what human judgment the project requires.
No deep technical expertise is expected; the emphasis is on thoughtful problem-solving.
Requirements and Submissions
Eligibility and Requirements
- There is no entry fee.
- Only one submission per discipline award is allowed per student.
- Select only one submission category to enter.
- Open to students in grades 9–12 worldwide.
- All entries must represent the student’s original thinking and accurately disclose any use of AI tools.
- Work that misrepresents authorship, sources, or AI use will be disqualified.
- Entries must be reviewed and approved by a sponsoring teacher or mentor.
- Grade 12 students must submit through the Common Application or Coalition Application process (no application fees required, non-binding, no supplemental essays required). Once the application is complete, we will send a follow-up email with YCA submission instructions. Since so many YCA participants also apply to Bennington, this approach allows students to submit their college and YCA applications through a single process.
- Students who have already graduated from high school are not eligible.
Please review our FAQs for additional information.
Submission Guidelines
Your entry should follow the requirements for the category you select.
All submissions must clearly identify the AI tools used, if any, in the creation, research, design, and development of your entry. Students should be prepared to explain their process, choices, and the role of human judgement in the final submission.
All entries must be reviewed and approved by a high school sponsor teacher. We will use your sponsoring teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact a mentor to sponsor your work.
How Entries are Evaluated
Submissions are reviewed in two rounds:
- Round 1 - Faculty and Student Panel: A panel of Bennington Center for Artificial Intelligence (BCAI)-affiliated faculty and advanced students conducts initial review, assessing originality, quality of thinking, and the strength of the human-AI relationship demonstrated. The pool is narrowed to finalists.
- Round 2 - External Judges: Finalists are reviewed by a small panel including at least one external voice — drawn from BCAI's speakers' series network, advisory board, or other partners. Final rankings are determined.
Judging Criteria:
- Originality and quality of the final work.
- Transparency about the AI tools used and their role.
- Evidence of human judgment: what the student chose, changed, rejected, or shaped.
- Critical awareness: does the student understand what AI did well, where it fell short, and what the implications are?
- Engagement with complexity: does the work wrestle with something difficult, or does it settle for easy answers?
Awards, Scholarships, and Recognition
Cash Prizes (per category)
- First place: $2,000
- Second place: $1,000
- Third place: $500
Distinguished Submissions
- Distinguished designation by category and grade level: $250
- Particularly strong submissions of original work may be selected for this designation. While these submissions may not have been selected for the top three composition prizes, students whose quality is distinguished amongst other entries will be recognized.
Scholarships
- First Place Winners who enroll at Bennington receive a full-tuition scholarship for four years
- Distinguished Designation Recipients who enroll receive a half-tuition scholarship for four years
- Finalists who enroll receive a $25,000 annual scholarship for four years.
Publication and Showcase
- Winning and distinguished entries may be featured on Bennington's website, social media channels, publications, and other showcase opportunities throughout the year.
- These entries will remain the property of the student.
Important Dates and Deadlines
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 1 | Submissions open |
| November 1 | Submission deadline |
| November - December | Round 1 judging (faculty / student panel) |
| January | Round 2 judging (external panel); winners selected |
| Spring | Award winners announced; press release; winning entries published and/or showcased |
Questions
If you have questions about eligibility, submissions, or awards, we’re happy to help.