The 2021 AI international junior contest is accepting entries from schoolchildren. Organized by Sber jointly with the AI Alliance companies. The contest has a mission to popularize artificial intelligence among children and young people, as well as engage and support children with outstanding AI talents worldwide.

Contenders will compete in one of the 10 areas, including the analysis of Earth sensing data, EdTech, security, recommender services, finance, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, medicine, etc. The online stage of the competition starts next January and will consist of two parts: first, participants will take up challenges on the competition website, then they will participate in a team round, which requires that they propose a general solution and do individual AI tests. Throughout the competition, teams will be accompanied by world-class experts representing industry leaders.

Herman Gref, CEO, Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank, said: “These days, children are surrounded by new technology since a very early age, which enables them to master fields like artificial intelligence quickly. In some countries, this training starts as early as in kindergarten and school while in Russia this practice rapidly gaining momentum. According to studies, those who combine the competencies of their professions with AI, such as data scientists, will be among the 21^st century’s most hunted specialists. It’s one of the reasons why as AI Alliance partners we seek to use the potential of our companies and provide more opportunities for students, their teachers, and mentors in schools and universities. I am sure that our efforts will position Russia to become an AI leader within the foreseeable future, and the competition participants will enroll in the best colleges, build careers, and achieve great success in this field.”

The contest is open to schoolchildren from any country. The best will meet in Moscow in September 2021 during the final of the international contest.

You can send in your entry here: https://aiijc.com