According to a Xinhua News Agency report today, the finals of the First National Youth Artificial Intelligence Competition kicked off in Shanghai on August 1. More than 850 contestants from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions emerged from 46,000 participants to compete in the final round in Shanghai.
Approved by the Ministry of Education as a “national competition activity for primary and secondary school students for the 2025–2028 academic years,” the First National Youth Artificial Intelligence Competition is jointly hosted by the China Welfare Institute and the China Women's Development Foundation. With the theme “Growing with Intelligence, Benefiting All, Creating Infinite Possibilities,” the competition upholds the principles of public welfare, standardization, and inclusiveness. It aims to promote the deep integration of “artificial intelligence + education,” and build a platform for youth AI innovation and creation that combines “specialized talent selection, skills development, and quality cultivation,” as well as platforms for AI scientific literacy development and knowledge dissemination.
The finals feature five cutting-edge tracks: the Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals Knowledge Competition, the Artificial Intelligence Tool Application Competition, the Artificial Intelligence-Driven Science Competition, the Embodied Intelligence Competition, and the Large Language Model Application Competition. These tracks comprehensively assess contestants’ multilayered abilities, from cognitive understanding and hands-on tool use to interdisciplinary inquiry and the integration of cutting-edge technologies.
Making AI accessibility an important priority, the competition has specially invited more than 60 students from Shanghai’s counterpart-support regions and less-developed areas to attend the finals in Shanghai and participate in study activities such as the Youth Artificial Intelligence Carnival.
During the three-day finals, the organizing committee will also host themed events including “Teaching and Research Workshops” and “Industry–Education–Research Integration Workshops.” Experts and scholars in the field of AI, industry professionals, and primary and secondary school principals and teachers will jointly explore new approaches to AI education for young people and advance early AI education and the popularization of quality-oriented education.