2026 Data + Society Challenge

Apply data science to solve societal problems.

High school students in the Commonwealth of Virginia are invited to compete in the Data + Society Challenge.

A man stands in front of a classroom, engaging a group of attentive students seated at tables. A woman sits nearby taking notes. The atmosphere is educational and focused. — Dean Phil Bourne meets with students who participated in the 2023-24 Data and Society Challenge.

The Data and Society Challenge is a competition open to all 10th, 11th and 12th grade school students in the Commonwealth of Virginia interested in learning about data science. Individuals and teams of up to five are encouraged to participate.

The competition is designed to raise awareness and interest in pursuing data science as a possible course of study and a career path.

The University of Virginia's School of Data Science is hosting the competition in partnership with PredictioNN, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, and the Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics.

Our challenge theme is "Applying Data Science to Solve Societal Problems," which involves analyzing environmental data and state goals for conservation. The challenge will expose participants to data science methods across the four domains of data science as envisioned by the UVA School of Data Science: analytics, systems, design, and value.

Eligibility

10th, 11th, and 12th graders residing in the Commonwealth of Virginia are eligible. Individuals and teams of up to five are encouraged to participate.

Competition Details

Entries to the Data + Society Challenge are now open. Instructions will be sent to all participants in February.

Challenge submissions are due by April 26, 2026.

Prizes

Winners will receive gift cards totaling $500 split evenly between the participants. They will also be invited to lunch with data scientists from the University of Virginia at the School of Data Science.