Overview：

In an era where data drives human progress and AI transforms every facet of work and life, the next generation’s ability to harness artificial intelligence has become a defining skill for the future. The International Competition for Data Science and AI rises to this imperative, creating a global stage for exceptional young minds to master data science skills through real-world challenges.

 

Hosted by CAESER at HKUST, Spatial data lab at Harvard University, Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing, and Applications (CSTCA) at George Mason University and KNIME platform, this premier challenge empowers high school and university students worldwide to solve global challenges by analyzing real datasets, or Boost AI’s brainpower by redesigning workflows to make models faster, smarter, and more efficient.

 

The Competition Schedule

• Registration closes: December 31, 2025

• Written materials submission: January 20, 2026 (10 days before finals)

•  Presentation slides submission for Live Final: January 28, 2026

•  Live Final & Awards Ceremony: January 31, 2026, in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hybrid mode)

 

Prizes

Global Prizes :

• Champion: 1 team
• 2nd Place: 2 teams
• 3rd Place: 3 teams
• Excellence Awards: 10 teams

 

Regional Prizes:

Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards will be presented separately in each competition region (The number of awards in each region will be scaled based on the number of participants)

 

Submission Requirements

• Category 1: Solve real-world problems using KNIME workflow and AI models.
• Category 2: Optimize the efficiency of KNIME AI models

(Note: . Participants must select either Category 1 or Category 2 for their submission；All the submitted materials must be presented in English.)

 

Eligibility

• High School Division: Current high school students can participate as individuals or in teams of up to three persons.
• University Division: Current undergraduate students can participate individually or in teams of up to two persons.

 

competition rules and guidelines

For details, please click here 

 

Registration 

A registration fee of USD $200 per participant is required. 

Interested participants should register for the competition at here by 23:59, 31 December 2025 (Wednesday):

Important note: Please be advised that for team entries, each team member must complete the registration process individually and pay the separate fee.

 

 

enquiry

Organizing Committee, International Competition on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Address: Room 2338, Lift 3, Academic Building, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

E-mail: caeser@ust.hk

Please include the relevant contact name in enquiries for quicker response

• Competition affairs: Mr. Nicky TANG
• Global outreach& communications: Ms. Gisele ZHOU

Web: icdsai.hkust.edu.hk

 

 

 

Judging Committee