Your child builds an app that solves a real problem, then pitches it to international judges
The Technovation Challenge, formerly Technovation Girls, is an international app and AI competition. Empire AI coaches your child from spotting a problem in their community to a finished entry, ready to submit.
20 coaching classes: [$ early bird]
Usual price [$]. Save [$] when you register by [early bird date].
Registration closes [date]. Places are limited by class size.
About the competition
An international app and AI competition, open to students in Singapore
Technovation is a nonprofit based in the US. In its Technovation Challenge, teams of 1 to 5 students aged 8 to 18 find a real problem in their own community and build a working app or AI tool to solve it. Projects are submitted online, and the early judging rounds can be done online, so your child can take part from Singapore. Taking part is free, and your child does not need to be entered by their school.
Two tracks this season
The original competition
Girls Track
For teams where every member identifies as female, transgender, nonbinary or gender nonconforming. This is the competition known until this season as Technovation Girls.
Only Girls Track finalists go on to the World Summit, the in-person final.
New for 2027
Co-ed Track
Open to students of all genders, so boys and mixed teams can now take part. Same lessons, same rules, same deadlines and same judging as the Girls Track.
Co-ed Track teams can win Regional Honors. Technovation will decide the number of Co-ed Track finalists after submissions close in May 2027.
Three divisions, by age
Your child’s team is placed in a division by the age of its oldest member on 1 August 2027.
Ages 8-12
Builds an app or AI project and explains it in a pitch video and a technical video.
Ages 13-15
Builds an app or AI tool, tests it with real users and plans how people will start using it.
Ages 16-18
Builds a full app, tests it with real users and adds a business plan, the way a start-up founder would.
2026-27 season dates
Set by Technovation. Times converted to Singapore time where it matters.
- 11 March 2027Last day to register a team with Technovation. We set up your child’s account well before this.
- 5 May 2027Submission deadline: 5pm US Pacific time, which is 8am on 6 May in Singapore
- 11 May to 7 JuneJudging round 1, the quarterfinals. Every team that submits is judged.
- 14 June 2027Semifinalists announced by email
- 15 to 28 JuneJudging round 2, the semifinals, held online
- July 2027Finalists and Regional Honorees announced at an online celebration
- To be announcedWorld Summit, where Girls Track finalists pitch live for the Grand Prize
What your child learns
What your child practises while building their app
Technovation judges look at the whole project: the problem, the app, the testing and the pitch. So your child practises all of it, not only the coding.
Building a working app
Your child builds in MIT App Inventor: screens, buttons, lists, saved data and moving between pages. In the first classes, each lesson ends with a small app that runs on a phone.
Adding AI
Chatbots, speech to text, text to speech and image recognition. Your child learns how each one works and adds the right one to their own app.
Solving a real problem
Your child picks a problem they have seen around them, talks to the people it affects, and designs the app around what those people need.
Test, find the problem, fix it
Real users try the app and say what is confusing. Your child fixes the bugs, improves the design and tests again.
Pitching an idea
Every team makes a pitch video and a technical video. Your child learns to explain the problem, the solution and how the app works, clearly and in a few minutes.
Using AI within the rules
AI tools are allowed if the team says how it used them. AI cannot replace your child’s own thinking, decisions and work. Your child learns where that line is.
How it works
Prepare for the competition in 20 classes
Forty hours of coaching in four stages. Your child learns the tools first, then builds their own app, then prepares everything Technovation asks for.
Learn to build apps
Classes 1 to 5
A counter app, a login page, a to-do list and a multi-screen app, then a small app of their own design.
Add AI
Classes 6 to 8
An AI chatbot, a voice app that listens and speaks, and an app that recognises what the camera sees.
Build the competition app
Classes 9 to 15
Pick the problem, plan the screens, build it, add AI, test it with real users and polish it.
Prepare and submit
Classes 16 to 20
Research and slides, the technical video, the pitch video, then a final check against the judging rubric before submitting.
See all 20 classes
Stage 1: Learn to build apps
- MIT App Inventor basics. Buttons, labels and variables. Builds a counter app.
- Layouts and forms. Arranging a screen, text boxes and if-then logic. Builds a login page.
- Lists and data. Adding and removing items, and saving data on the phone. Builds a to-do list app.
- Moving between screens. Several screens, passing information between them, and a menu bar. Builds a multi-screen app.
- App design challenge. A small app of your child’s own design, using everything so far.
Stage 2: Add AI
- Intro to AI and chatbots. How AI works inside an app, and how to write good prompts. Builds an AI chatbot.
- Speech and text. Apps that listen and talk back. Builds a voice app.
- AI image recognition. Using the camera so the app can recognise what it sees. Builds an image classifier.
Stage 3: Build the competition app
- Picking the problem. A real problem in the community, who it affects, and ideas to solve it.
- Planning the app. Sketching every screen and deciding what the app will and will not do.
- Building it, part 1. The main screens and how the user moves through them. First working version.
- Building it, part 2. The main features. Second version.
- Adding AI. A chatbot, the camera, sensors or data from the internet, whichever suits the app.
- Testing with users. Real users try the app. Your child fixes what breaks and keeps a testing log.
- Final touches. Colours, fonts and layout, so the app looks finished and is easy to use.
Stage 4: Prepare and submit
- Research and slides. Shaping the story of the project and the research behind it.
- Technical video. Scripting, screen recording and editing a demo of the app and the code.
- Pitch video. Scripting, filming and editing the pitch: the problem, the solution and why it matters.
- Putting the entry together. Project description, team photo, code file, screenshots and written sections.
- Final check and submission. Checking every item against the judging rubric, then submitting before the deadline.
The entry
What your child’s team submits
Technovation asks every team for more than an app. The classes are planned so each piece is finished before the deadline.
Every division
- The app’s source code
- A short project description
- A pitch video and a technical video, each a few minutes long
- A written learning journey with photos of how the project developed
- A team photo and short introduction (optional)
Older divisions also submit
- Junior (13-15): a plan for how people will start using the app
- Senior (16-18): a business plan for the app
Written sections must be in English. Videos in another language need English subtitles.
Based on Technovation’s 2025-26 submission guidelines. If the 2026-27 guidelines change any item, we follow the new version.
From a past Empire AI team
Watch what one of our teams submitted
EcoPrint is an app that helps people understand their carbon footprint, built by an Empire AI team for Technovation Girls. These are the two videos the team submitted, and they show the level your child will be working towards.
Pitch video: the problem, the research and the solution
Technical video: how the app works, and the code behind it
Top projects from recent years are in the Technovation App Gallery. Browse a few with your child before you register.
Who it is for
Is this right for my child?
No coding experience is needed. The first five classes teach MIT App Inventor from the beginning. [Trainer to confirm: still true for ages 16-18, or do they need some coding first?]
A good fit if
- Your child notices problems around them and has ideas to fix them
- Your child wants to build an app that real people use, not only follow a tutorial
- Your child can stick with one project for several months and work towards a deadline
- Your child is happy to speak on camera, or wants to get better at it
- Your child is thinking about computing, AI or business as a subject or career
- Your child wants a finished project to show in DSA, Early Admissions Exercise or polytechnic applications
Solo or with friends
Teams have 1 to 5 students. Your child can enter alone or with friends. Each teammate registers separately, and you tell us who they are teaming up with so we put them in the same class. [Will we also match solo students into teams, as we did last year?]
Which track your child enters
It depends on who is in the team. A team where every member identifies as a girl can enter the Girls Track. A team with any boy enters the Co-ed Track. Tell us when you register and we will check it with you.
Why take part
A working app, judged by an international panel
An app people can use
Your child finishes with a working app, built around a problem they care about and tested by the people it is for.
Judged internationally
Teams compete in their age division. Regional Honors are given in each of five regions, and Singapore is in Asia & Oceania, so your child is compared with teams from their own part of the world.
Something to show for it
A finished app, two videos and a written entry give your child a real project to show and talk about, including for DSA, Early Admissions Exercise or polytechnic applications. Read more.
Girls Track awards for 2027: 15 finalist teams worldwide, each member receiving a US$500 educational award, plus free travel and accommodation for the whole team to the World Summit, worth over US$10,000 per team. One Grand Prize team per division receives US$750 per member instead.
Both tracks: Technovation will name 30 Regional Honors teams across the five regions, each member receiving US$250.
Co-ed Track: Technovation will decide the number of finalists after submissions close in May 2027, and any awards beyond the finalist prizes in June or July 2027.
About Empire AI
Who is teaching your child
An Empire AI team was shortlisted for the Technovation Girls Global Semi-Finals in [2024 or 2025?].
One package for ages 8-18
The investment
Taking part in the Technovation Challenge is free. Our fee covers the coaching classes and our help getting your child’s entry submitted correctly. The same package applies whether your child enters solo or in a team. Each team member registers separately.
Technovation Challenge coaching
Forty hours of coaching. Early bird price, per child, until [date]. Usual price [$].
- 20 classes x 2 hours (40 hours of coaching), in a small semi-private group
- MOE-registered trainer
- MIT App Inventor from the basics, plus AI chatbots, voice and image recognition
- Solo or team entry, with teammates placed in the same class
- Your child’s app planned, built and tested with real users in class
- Help scripting, recording and editing the pitch video and the technical video
- Help setting up your child’s Technovation account and team, and declaring any AI use
- A final check of the whole entry against the judging rubric before it is submitted
Class dates
20 x 2-hour classes, starting [start date] and finishing before the 5 May 2027 submission deadline.
Class days and times are being finalised. Tell us your preferred days and centre when you register, and we will confirm your child’s slot by WhatsApp by [date]. Teammates are placed in the same slot.
Submission deadline
5 May 2027, 5pm US Pacific time (8am on 6 May in Singapore), submitted online to Technovation
Travelling during the programme? Tell us when you register, or at least 24 hours before any class your child will miss, and we will reschedule those classes so your child does not fall behind.
Your child brings their own laptop to every class. MIT App Inventor runs in a web browser. [Trainer to confirm: are Chromebooks and iPads OK, and does your child need an Android phone or tablet to test the app?] Message us on WhatsApp before registering if you are not sure your child’s laptop will work.
Questions parents actually ask
FAQ
Do we pay Technovation to take part?
No. The Technovation Challenge is free. Our fee covers the coaching classes and our help with the entry.
Is this the same competition as Technovation Girls?
Yes. Technovation Girls is now called the Technovation Challenge. The original competition for girls continues as the Girls Track, and this season Technovation has added a Co-ed Track that is open to all genders.
Can boys take part?
Yes, from this season. Boys, and teams with both boys and girls, enter the Co-ed Track. It has the same lessons, rules, deadlines and judging as the Girls Track. Co-ed Track teams can win Regional Honors and be named finalists, but only Girls Track finalists go on to the World Summit. Technovation will decide the number of Co-ed Track finalists after submissions close in May 2027.
Does my child need coding experience?
No. The first five classes teach MIT App Inventor from the beginning, then add AI before your child starts on their competition app. [Trainer to confirm for ages 16-18] If you are not sure your child is ready, WhatsApp us before registering.
Which division will my child be in?
It depends on the age of the oldest team member on 1 August 2027. Beginner is ages 8 to 12, Junior is 13 to 15, and Senior is 16 to 18. If your child teams up with an older friend, the whole team moves up to the older division.
Can my child enter with friends?
Yes. A team can have 1 to 5 students, and each student can only be in one team. Each teammate registers separately with us, and you tell us who they are teaming up with so we put them in the same class.
Can students in Singapore take part?
Yes. Technovation runs the competition in 160 countries, and your child does not need to be entered by their school. Singapore teams are judged in the Asia & Oceania region for Regional Honors.
Will the trainer build the app for my child?
No, and Technovation does not allow it. Every team agrees to an Honor Code when it submits: the students create the project, and trainers and mentors only teach skills and help them find resources. Our trainer teaches, guides and checks, and your child does the building.
Can my child use AI tools?
Yes. AI can help your child learn and work faster, but it cannot replace their own thinking, decisions and work. The team must state which AI tools it used, what for, and how it checked the results. We teach your child how to do this properly.
When is the submission deadline?
5 May 2027 at 5pm US Pacific time, which is 8am on 6 May in Singapore. We plan the classes so your child’s entry is finished and checked well before then.
When are the results announced?
Semifinalists are announced by email on 14 June 2027. Finalists and Regional Honorees are announced at an online celebration in July 2027. The World Summit date and location have not been announced yet.
Where are the classes held?
At our Novena or River Valley centre (8 Mohd Sultan Road). Choose your preferred centre when you register, and we will confirm it with your child’s class slot.
What if we miss one of the classes?
Tell us at least 24 hours before the class and we will reschedule it for your child, so they do not miss any of the coaching.
Does this help with DSA or other applications?
Competition experience can be one part of the evidence schools consider for relevant DSA talent areas. A working app entered in an international competition, with a pitch video and a technical video, gives your child a real project to show and talk about in a portfolio. The same goes for Early Admissions Exercise and polytechnic applications. Each school sets its own criteria, and taking part does not guarantee admission.
Can siblings register together?
Yes, as long as each child is between 8 and 18. They can enter separately or as one team. Register each child separately so we have the right details for each one.
Before you register
Terms and conditions
- These coaching classes are run by Empire Code Pte. Ltd. (UEN 201818613N), trading as Empire AI. Empire AI is not part of, or appointed by, Technovation.
- The fee is per child. The early bird price of [$] applies to registrations made by [date]. Registrations after that are [$]. Registration closes on [date].
- Your registration is confirmed when you submit the form. We will WhatsApp you payment details within 1 business day.
- Fees are not refundable, and registrations cannot be withdrawn once submitted.
- Classes go ahead as scheduled, whatever the number of children in the group.
- If your child cannot attend a class, tell us at least 24 hours before it starts and we will reschedule it. Classes missed without at least 24 hours’ notice cannot be rescheduled.
- Your child brings their own laptop to every class.
- Technovation sets the competition rules, tracks, deadlines, judging and awards, and can change them. Empire AI does not control judging or results, and cannot guarantee that any entry will advance or win an award.
- Each entry is made through a Technovation account. For Beginner Division teams (ages 8 to 12), a parent or guardian creates the account. For Junior and Senior Division teams (ages 13 to 18), your child creates it. In both cases, you agree to sign the parental consent Technovation asks for. Entries without it cannot be submitted.
- Your child’s project must be the original work of your child and their team. Technovation can remove entries that include work that does not belong to the team. Every team must also declare any AI tools it used.
- Team entries: each teammate registers and pays separately.
- Photos and videos of your child are only used if you give permission in the registration form.
Step one
Register your child
Takes about two minutes. You will get a confirmation email straight away. If it does not arrive, WhatsApp us on 8145 5004.
Registration form
Places are capped by class size
Registration closes [date], or earlier if the classes fill.