WNY Turing Challenge
Thank you to every student, mentor, family, reviewer, and partner who made the 2026 challenge a success.
The 2026 showcase brought together student projects, selected poster presentations, category awards, and a research and education expo featuring UB innovations, Buffalo-area educational programs, and student projects from around the world.
Hosted by the UB Computer Science & Engineering Department and the UB Center for Translational AI and Digital Health
Stay tuned for the next edition — subscribe below to be the first to know when submissions reopen.
2026 Event Recap
Category Awards
6 winning teams
Poster Awards
3 top posters
Honorable Mentions
5 projects
Showcase Date
May 23, 2026
Where to next
Browse the 2026winners, watch project highlights, and stay subscribed for next year's call for submissions.
Hosted by
Deliverables & Rewards
The WNY Turing Challenge is more than a competition — it's an opportunity to grow, be recognized, and make an impact.
Category Awards
Top teams in each category receive trophies and certificates for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place at the final showcase event.
Certificates of Achievement
Every participating team receives an official certificate recognizing their work and participation in the WNY Turing Challenge.
Academic Publication
Selected projects from the challenge may be invited for publication in academic proceedings, giving students a chance to share their work with a broader academic audience.
Public Showcase
Accepted teams will have their projects featured at the final showcase, potentially through demo videos, giving them exposure to reviewers, educators, and community partners.
Expert Reviewer Feedback
Every submission receives written comments from at least 2 reviewers — valuable, personalized feedback to help students grow.
Poster Showcase Recognition
Teams with outstanding posters are selected for the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition, with additional awards presented at the event.
Latest
News & Announcements
2026 WNY Turing Challenge Concludes with Showcase Day at University at Buffalo
Buffalo, N.Y., May 23, 2026 — The 2026 WNY Turing Challenge wrapped up its competition season with a Showcase Day on May 23 at the University at Buffalo, bringing together student teams, parents, mentors, faculty researchers, and industry guests for a full day of presentations, demonstrations, and recognition. The event was hosted jointly by UB's Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Center for Translational AI and Digital Health, and is formerly known as CS4HS. Competition Overview This year's challenge drew 33 teams of middle and high school students competing across six categories: Software, Apps & Games; AI & Intelligent Systems; Computing Research; Cybersecurity; Creative Computing; and IoT & Robotics. Submissions came from schools across Western New York — including Casey and Transit Middle Schools, Allendale Columbia, Canisius, Williamsville North and East, and West Seneca Christian — as well as international remote entries from Al Ghail School for Boys in the United Arab Emirates and the M-PESA Foundation Academy in Kenya. Projects were evaluated against rubric covering innovation, technical depth, impact, and presentation. Scores averaged 69.2 with a median of 72.7; the top project earned a 91.3. Software, Apps & Games and AI & Intelligent Systems were the largest and highest-performing categories, both averaging in the mid-70s. Showcase Day Showcase Day opened with a keynote by Dr. Wenyao Xu, Professor and Director of the Center for Translational AI and Digital Health, who outlined the challenge's mission and its evolution from the CS4HS program. The Student Poster Competition and Academic Expo ran through the morning, with middle and high school teams presenting their projects before a panel of judges, peers, and visiting professionals for live evaluation and recognition. The expo floor also featured research demonstrations from UB faculty and graduate students, putting students in direct conversation with working researchers and offering a firsthand look at how scientific inquiry moves from the lab into the world, an approach that sits at the core of the Center's mission in translational AI and digital health. Representatives from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences were available to speak with students about SEAS programs, academic pathways, and pre-college opportunities available at UB. Several of the Center's research labs also took part, opening their workspaces so students could see the real projects currently underway and hear directly from the researchers about what they're building, how it works, and why it matters. A highlight of the day was the guided UB Campus Tour, which took students through the university's 3D Printing Lab, research laboratories, and innovation spaces. Graduate students and faculty led the tour, walking attendees through active research projects and fielding questions about academic and career pathways in computing and engineering. For many participants, it was their first visit to a university research environment. The afternoon Award Ceremony brought the competition season to a close, naming six Turing Challenge category winners, five honorable mentions, and the top three finishers of the Poster Competition. Every participating team received an official certificate of achievement — a reflection of the challenge's broader purpose: to recognize effort and curiosity alongside competitive outcomes, and to give students at every level a stake in the work of computing. Looking Ahead Looking ahead, organizers say the international reach of this year's challenge, points to a competition still finding the full extent of its audience. "This is more than a competition," said Dr. Wenyao Xu, Director of the Center for Translational AI and Digital Health. "It is a talent pipeline, a community, and an invitation — to explore, to connect, and to see yourself as part of the story of computing innovation being written here in Buffalo." The 2027 WNY Turing Challenge is expected to open for submissions in spring.
Read more →Selected Projects Would Be Invited for Academic Proceedings
The WNY Turing Challenge is excited to share a new opportunity for participants. Selected projects from this year’s challenge would be invited for publication in academic proceedings, giving students a chance to share their work with a broader academic and educational audience. This opportunity builds on the challenge’s goal of encouraging students to explore meaningful ideas in computing, develop original projects, and communicate their work clearly. Whether a project focuses on research, creative computing, software, cybersecurity, robotics, or AI, strong submissions can show not only technical skill, but also curiosity, initiative, and thoughtful problem-solving. For many students, the challenge is a chance to build something exciting and present it at the final showcase. For selected teams, it may also become an opportunity to take that work one step further through publication. This can include sharing the project’s motivation, approach, results, and key takeaways in a more formal way. More details about the selection and publication process will be shared after the review period. We encourage students to submit projects that are clear, well-documented, and reflective of what they learned along the way. Strong ideas, careful execution, and strong communication all matter.
Read more →WNY Turing Challenge 2026 Opens for Student Project Submissions
The University at Buffalo has announced the WNY Turing Challenge 2026, a regional computing competition for middle and high school students across Western New York. Formerly known as CS4HS, the event invites students to showcase original projects in areas such as software, robotics, AI, cybersecurity, digital arts, and computing research. The challenge is hosted by the UB Computer Science & Engineering Department and the UB Center for Translational AI and Digital Health. Students may participate individually or in teams of up to three, with one mentor allowed per team. Required submissions include a project form and a video demo of up to three minutes, while a poster submission is optional for teams interested in the poster showcase and competition. The submission deadline is 11:59 PM on May 10, 2026. Poster decisions will be released on May 17, 2026, and the final showcase event will take place on May 23, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM at Davis Hall, University at Buffalo. The event will feature student demos, selected poster presentations, category awards, and showcases from UB research and Buffalo-area educational programs. Organizers say the WNY Turing Challenge is designed to celebrate student creativity, innovation, and technical achievement while connecting students, families, educators, and community partners through a shared regional event. For questions, participants may contact k12-computing@buffalo.edu.
Read more →About the Challenge
An annual WNY-hosted computing program for students, with global submissions welcome.
The WNY Turing Challenge, formerly CS4HS, is an annual WNY-hosted computing program for middle and high school students. Held each spring, the challenge brings together the next generation of innovators to showcase their work and engage with the broader computing community.
Hosted by the UB Computer Science & Engineering Department and the UB Center for Translational AI and Digital Health, the challenge invites students in Western New York and around the world to submit original projects in modern computing areas, share their work with reviewers and the public, and engage with the broader innovation and education ecosystem in Buffalo. Students may participate individually or in teams of up to 3 students, with up to 1 mentor per team. Mentors may be school teachers, parents, or other adults supporting the team. The 2026 showcase, held on May 23, featured student project demos, selected poster presentations, category awards, a showcase of UB research products, and showcases from Buffalo-area educational programs.
Transition-Year Note
As the WNY Turing Challenge evolves from CS4HS, we continue to welcome research-based and exploratory student work, especially for middle school participants. Students whose work is primarily question-driven, evidence-based, or poster-centered are encouraged to consider the Computing Research category.
Choose Your Category
Choose one main category that best fits your project.
All categories use the same rubric. Teams may also optionally submit a poster for the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition.
Software, Apps & Games
Build websites, apps, games, dashboards, or software tools that solve problems or create engaging user experiences.
IoT, Robotics & Physical Computing
Design projects that connect computing with the physical world through devices, sensors, robotics, wearables, or smart systems.
AI & Intelligent Systems
Develop projects that use machine learning, intelligent automation, or data-driven systems to solve meaningful problems.
Cybersecurity
Explore secure systems, privacy, encryption, digital safety, cyber defense, or cybersecurity education.
Computing Research
Explore an important question in computing through experiments, analysis, benchmarking, user studies, or algorithmic investigation. Projects in this category may include prototypes, but the main contribution can be the insight, evidence, or findings. Students may also submit exploratory or research-based work in this category even if they do not yet have a full software or hardware prototype.
Creative Computing & Digital Arts
Use computing to create interactive media, generative art, digital storytelling, music, animation, visualization, or other creative experiences.
Not sure which category fits? Choose the one that best matches the main technical idea of your project.
Submission and Review Process
A reference for how 2026 projects were submitted and reviewed.
Submission Materials
Required
- • Project form
- • Project video demo (up to 3 minutes)
Optional
- • Poster PDF for the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition
Review Process
- • Every submission received at least 2 reviews.
- • Teams received email notification and reviewer comments after the review process.
- • Poster showcase decisions were released on May 17, 2026.
- • Category awards were announced on May 23, 2026 at the final event.
Rubric
All projects are evaluated using the same 100-point rubric across all categories.
Idea & Innovation
Originality, creativity, and clarity of the project concept.
Technical Depth & Execution
Technical challenge, implementation quality, and evidence of meaningful work.
Impact & Relevance
Usefulness, significance, and broader value of the project.
Presentation Quality
Clarity, organization, and effectiveness of the submission video/demo.
The optional poster is judged separately in the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition.
For middle school teams, submissions will also be considered in an age-appropriate context, with strong value placed on curiosity, clarity of thinking, and thoughtful exploration.
Key Dates
The three-step path from submission to final showcase.
May 10, 2026 — Submission Deadline
Teams submitted their project form and video demo. Poster submission was optional for teams competing in the Poster Showcase.
May 17, 2026 — Poster Decisions Released
Selected teams were notified by email. Accepted poster teams brought their printed posters to the event.
May 23, 2026 — Final Showcase, Awards & Innovation Expo
Student project demos, selected poster presentations, category judging, awards, UB research showcases, and showcases from Buffalo-area educational programs.
Highlights from Event Day
The final event was more than an awards ceremony.
It was an annual regional celebration of student computing, creativity, and innovation.
The event brought together students, families, educators, reviewers, and community partners in one shared space.
Student project demos
Selected poster presentations
Category awards
Showcases of UB research products
Showcases from Buffalo-area educational programs
Industry showcases
Partnership and Sponsorship
Organizations that care about student innovation and computing education in WNY and around the world.
The WNY Turing Challenge welcomes support from schools, community organizations, nonprofits, educational programs, and industry partners who care about student innovation and computing education in WNY and globally.
We also welcome participation from Buffalo-area educational programs and global education communities that would like to showcase pathways, opportunities, and resources for students and families.
Get involved
Express Your Interest
Fill out the form below and we'll follow up within a few business days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key details for students, mentors, families, and educators.
Who can participate?+
The challenge is open to middle and high school students in Western New York and globally through online submission.
Can I participate as a team?+
Yes. Students may participate individually or as a team.
How many students and mentors can be on a team?+
A team may include up to 3 students and up to 1 mentor. Mentors may be school teachers, parents, or other adults supporting the team.
What categories are available?+
The challenge includes six categories: Computing Research; Creative Computing & Digital Arts; Software, Apps & Games; Cybersecurity; IoT, Robotics & Physical Computing; and AI & Intelligent Systems.
What do I need to submit?+
Teams must submit a project form and a project video demo. A poster PDF is optional for teams that want to be considered for the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition.
Do I need to submit a poster?+
No. The poster is optional and is only required for teams that want to participate in the Poster Showcase and Poster Competition.
Can a research poster count as a project?+
Yes. If the work presents a clear question, method, evidence, and findings or insights, it may be submitted under Computing Research, even if it does not include a full software or hardware prototype. The poster can be used as an additional communication format, but the entry itself should still be framed as a project submission.
How are projects reviewed?+
Each submission will receive at least 2 reviews. Teams will receive email notification and reviewer comments after the review process.
When will poster decisions be released?+
Poster showcase decisions will be released by email on May 17, 2026.
When are category awards announced?+
Overall category awards will be announced on May 23, 2026 at the final event.
2026 Showcase Concluded
Congratulations to every student, mentor, and team who made this year's WNY Turing Challenge unforgettable. See the 2026 winners and stay tuned for next year's call for submissions.
For questions, please contact: k12-computing@buffalo.edu or wenyao.xu@gmail.com