White House Honours Six Student Teams in Inaugural Presidential AI Challenge
The inaugural Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge engaged over 20,000 participants, with six National Champion teams awarded for projects addressing healthcare, public safety, and urban infrastructure.
First Lady Melania Trump hosted the inaugural Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge Awards Ceremony at the White House on June 9, 2026, recognising six student National Champion teams for their application of artificial intelligence to real-world problems. The event marked the culmination of a competition that engaged more than 20,000 students from all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 49 Department of Defense Education Activity schools across 10 countries.
Mrs Trump emphasised the strategic importance of emerging technologies, urging participants to safeguard America’s leading position in the global technology sector. She highlighted the program’s impact on the economy and various business sectors, noting that artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape industries, social safety nets, and education delivery. The First Lady described the initiative as a means to democratise intellect and unlock economic growth through personalised learning and efficient public programs.
The six winning teams were recognised for their innovative approaches to challenges in healthcare, nutrition, and public safety. In the Elementary Track 2 category, the Friendzone Chatbot Bullying Prevention App was awarded to a team comprising Aaron Gallagher, Ayden Taverna, Emma Connor, and Ryker Cochran. The Middle School Track 2 winner, Riva Madda, Aarna Jaiswal, Eshani Khatri, Sanuli Rathnayake, and Samitha Pinnamareddy, developed an AI model to detect urban blight using street-view images.
High School divisions saw victories in both Track 1 and Track 2. The Track 1 champion, Julia Landon College Preparatory School from Jacksonville, Florida, presented a project utilising computer vision for hotel room identification in criminal investigations, led by Viha Iyer, Arya Pratap, and Shrimayi Shetty. In Track 2, Upper Darby Senior High School from Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, was recognised for IRIS, a low-cost spatiotemporal AI framework designed to assist visually impaired navigation in complex urban environments. Additionally, Alexander Du from North Allegheny High School in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, was acknowledged as a high school Track 2 winner.
During the ceremony, Mrs Trump acknowledged the support of Secretary Wright and Secretary Rollins, citing their contributions to the program’s ongoing success. She also introduced Director Kratsios, praising his commitment to keeping American students ahead in the field of artificial intelligence. The First Lady concluded her remarks by encouraging the young innovators to use their experiences to build boldly and serve their communities, framing the challenge as a new beginning for America’s technological future.