The world's first international secondary-school competition built around genuine scientific research — where students use AI as a real research instrument, not a shortcut. Present your findings at the international finals.
An original investigation — not a textbook exercise.
Data analysis, literature synthesis, hypothesis refinement — documented and justified.
Online preliminary round in November. Judged on rigour, originality, AI integration.
Finalists present live in Hong Kong, December 4–6, alongside 300+ students worldwide.
A-ISPC exists because AI changed what a 15-year-old can actually discover. We built the competition to match — and the credibility to prove it.
Conduct an original scientific investigation that matters — not a solved textbook problem. Your question, your data, your findings.
Use AI meaningfully — for data analysis, literature synthesis, hypothesis refinement. Document how, and why. This is the future of science.
Connect with student researchers from schools worldwide. Present your work at the international finals, in person.
Evaluated by academic leaders and young Olympiad medalists from Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, and across Asia-Pacific.
Finalist certificates strengthen university applications, research portfolios, and scientific CVs — not just a participation sticker.
Hong Kong — December 4–6. Present alongside A-IBFC and Emerald Prize finalists in one landmark week of student achievement.
Register individually or as a team of 2–3 and lock in the $25 flat rate before it rises to $30 on September 2.
Open nowConduct your original research, integrate AI tools meaningfully, and prepare your project report.
Submit your full project report and a 3-minute presentation video. Judged on scientific rigour and AI integration.
Qualifying entries are invited to present at the international finals in December.
Live presentations, expert panel feedback, and an awards ceremony alongside A-IBFC and Emerald Prize finalists.
Ages 12–18. Register as an individual researcher, or as a team of 2–3 with one mentor teacher. The entry fee is the same either way — what changes is when you register. Submit your project by October 15.
Register early to save $5 — the entry fee rises from $25 to $30 on September 2, regardless of whether you enter individually or as a team. All fees in USD, paid securely via Whop. Receipt issued to mentor teacher email. Schools registering 5+ students or teams — contact us for institutional pricing.
Your research is assessed by academic leaders and Olympiad medalists from Asia-Pacific universities and research institutions.
Structure your project, integrate AI meaningfully, and meet the judging criteria.
Download guide →See how past finalists integrated AI, structured research, and presented findings.
View examples →Timeline, project template, and evaluation rubric for coordinating teachers.
Access kit →LLMs, data platforms, and visualization systems suitable for scientific research.
Read primer →Need help recruiting or organizing at your school? We're here for that.
Email support →Judges can tell the difference between "I need a project" and genuine curiosity. Pick something you actually want to know the answer to.
Explain how you collected data or built your system, what tools you used, and why. Reproducibility matters more than polish.
Document exactly where and how AI tools assisted your work — this is required, not optional, and judged as part of your methodology.
Address anomalies and limitations directly. A student who can explain an unexpected result scores higher than a flawless-looking graph they can't explain.
Reference 2–3 related studies and explain how your project builds on or differs from them.
Close your write-up or presentation explaining why your findings matter — to your school, your community, or the field.
A-ISPC 2026 is our first edition, so there are no past finalists to show yet — here's the structure judges will be scoring against, using a worked example.
Question: A student noticed inconsistent watering at a family farm and wondered if a simple AI model could do better than a fixed schedule.
Method: Built a basic prediction model using local weather data and soil moisture readings, compared against the farm's existing fixed schedule over 4 weeks.
AI integration: Used a lightweight ML model (documented in an appendix) to predict next-day watering needs; disclosed which parts were AI-generated code versus student-written.
Result: ~18% reduction in water use, with one week showing no improvement — explained by an unusual rain event the model hadn't accounted for.
So what: Proposed a low-cost version other small farms in the region could replicate.
Weeks 1–2: pick a question and method. Weeks 3–6: research and build. Week 7: write up and record your presentation video. Submit by October 15.
Structure submissions around: Question → Method → AI Use Disclosure → Results → Limitations → Conclusion. This mirrors exactly what judges score against.
Projects are scored on: originality of question, methodological rigor, honest handling of results, awareness of prior work, and clarity of the "why it matters" conclusion.
Useful for literature review summaries, code debugging, and drafting — must be disclosed wherever used in your final submission.
Google Colab, Jupyter, and spreadsheet-based tools for cleaning and analyzing your own collected data.
Simple charting libraries or spreadsheet charts to present results clearly — judges value clarity over complexity.
Submitting AI-generated content as your own original analysis without disclosure. All AI assistance must be documented in your methodology section.
A-ISPC finalists share the finals venue with A-IBFC and Emerald Prize — same week, one unforgettable experience.
Financial literacy & entrepreneurship challenge. Team quiz bowl and pitch finals.
Visit aibfc.org →Traditional art and AI-assisted digital design, judged in separate categories.
Visit emeraldprize.com →December 4–6, Hong Kong. 300+ students, 30+ countries.
See finals week →AI should be a genuine contributor to your research — not a gimmick. Use it for data analysis, literature reviews, hypothesis generation, visualization, or refinement. Document how you used it, justify your choice, and critically evaluate its role. LLMs, computer vision systems, data platforms, and specialized research tools all count. What doesn't count: having AI write your report for you, or using it only for formatting.
No. All team members must be enrolled at the same school, and your mentor teacher must be a staff member of that school. This keeps accountability clear and coordination simple. Schools can enter multiple teams — just register each one separately.
Full refunds are available until October 8, 2026 — one week before the project submission deadline. After that date, registration fees are non-refundable, as judging resources are committed based on entry counts. If A-ISPC 2026 is cancelled by the organizers, all fees are refunded in full.
Physical attendance is strongly encouraged for the full finalist experience. The finals will be held in Hong Kong — the host city is confirmed as Hong Kong. More details will be announced ahead of the finalist notification date. If travel is genuinely not possible for your team, contact us to discuss options.
Entry fees are a flat USD $25 (early bird, until Sept 1) or $30 (standard, from Oct 1) — the same price whether you enter individually or as a team. Payment is collected via Whop by Emerald Horizon Ventures (Hong Kong). Your card is charged in your local currency at the rate applied by Whop or your card issuer. A USD receipt is issued to your mentor teacher's email.
Teams are evaluated on three dimensions: Scientific Rigour (40%) — does your methodology stand up? Creativity of Inquiry (30%) — is your research question original? Thoughtful AI Integration (30%) — did you use AI meaningfully and document its role?
Email our registration team at emeraldhv@nurbakyt.com. We aim to respond within 2 business days. Include a screenshot if you're hitting a technical issue with the form.
Not on the early bird rate, since that's a time-limited offer. For schools registering 5+ students or teams, we offer institutional pricing — contact emeraldhv@nurbakyt.com for a custom quote.
Register before September 1 to lock in $25 — the same flat rate whether you enter individually or as a team.