Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The China-U.S. Young Maker Competition is an international innovation competition co-organized by the Ministry of Education of China, Tsinghua University, CSCSE, and partners in the United States. It brings together young makers from both countries to collaborate on creative solutions to real-world challenges.

The International Teenagers AI Robotics Innovation Challenge is an immersive program that brings together young engineers and robotics enthusiasts from multiple countries. Participants engage in collaborative challenges centered on artificial intelligence and robotics, fostering cross-cultural exchange and technical skill development.

Participants must be between 18 and 40 years old and must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants should have projects driven by digital technology and demonstrate a strong interest in innovation and problem solving. Employees of the organizing institutions and their immediate relatives are not eligible to participate.

This North America portal is for participants based in the United States. If you are applying from another country, please refer to the respective regional portal. All U.S. applicants register through this platform regardless of which state they are based in.

Both individual and team entries are accepted. Teams may have between 1 and 5 members. Each team must designate one Team Leader who will serve as the primary contact and be responsible for the overall registration and submission.

Yes, participants are typically allowed to register for multiple tracks or submit multiple projects, subject to the competition's specific rules and guidelines.

Cross-border collaboration is encouraged at the spirit level, but for registration purposes, U.S.-based participants register through this North America portal and Chinese participants register through the domestic portal. Joint presentations may occur at the international finals in Beijing.

The competition features multiple tracks including robotics, IoT, sustainable solutions, creative technology, and other innovation-focused categories. Each track has its own evaluation criteria, and teams may enter more than one track with distinct projects.

Projects should be driven by digital technology and address real-world challenges in areas such as resilient communities, environmental protection, public health, clean energy, and sustainable development. Open-source tools and design-driven thinking are strongly encouraged.

Applicants must submit project name, project description (100–2000 words), project presentation deck (PDF, up to 10 slides), optional demo video (under 3 minutes), signed declaration of participation.

The Declaration of Participation is a required document that confirms the originality of the project and the participant's ownership of the intellectual property. By signing the declaration, participants confirm that the project was created within the past year, has not been published or commercialized, and has not received external funding. Participants also agree that the organizers may use photos or videos of the project for non-commercial promotional purposes.

No. There is no registration fee for the competition.

Projects are scored by a panel of expert judges across four dimensions: Innovation & Creativity (25%), Technical Feasibility & Execution (25%), Social Impact & Sustainability (25%), and Presentation & Communication (25%).

Grand Prize winners receive cash awards, official trophies, certificates of excellence, and featured media coverage across organizer networks in both the U.S. and China. Special awards are also given for Best Sustainability Impact, Best Technical Innovation, Best Presentation, and Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration.

The international final round is held in Beijing, China, in early August. National finalists from the U.S. are invited to attend in person for the final pitch day, cultural exchange activities, and the international winner announcement ceremony.

Finalists selected for the Beijing final round will have round-trip airfare, accommodation, and meals covered by the organizers. A detailed travel information package will be sent to qualifying teams after the finalist announcement at the end of July.