First place
AI Research Setup
$600 team total
High-performance compute for AI research
One for each team member
nhyapu AI Lab
nhyapu
innovating the future with AI...
October 10–11, 2026
nhyapu AI Lab brings high school students from across New Jersey together for 24 hours of AI research, building, learning, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with artificial intelligence.
Preorders close September 30.
01 / About
What is
nhyapu?
nhyapu AI Lab is a student-run research initiative dedicated to exploring artificial intelligence and machine learning. We bring together passionate students from across New Jersey to collaborate, innovate, and push the boundaries of AI in a 24-hour intensive research event. nhyapu is designed for anyone and for everyone, experienced or beginner.
*Open-source AI Lab
nhyapu is built around open source. Researchers are encouraged to publish their work, use open-source tools, and share what they learn. Visit the lab portal.
150+researchers
24hours of innovation
$0to attend
1weekend to build
Read the nhyapu AI Lab guide
Fun fact: We're the largest AI research initiative hosted by a high school in New Jersey.
You don't need a perfect idea or years of experience. Just bring a laptop, some curiosity, and a willingness to explore the world of AI.
02 / Schedule
The research
agenda...
Here's everything happening from check-in to closing. If a few things share a time, pick whatever sounds most interesting to you!
| Time | Activities | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Day oneSaturday
|
||||
| Check-in begins 9:00–10:00 AM | ||||
| Opening ceremony 10:00–11:00 AM | ||||
| Hacking 11:00 AM–2:00 PM | Team building 11:00–11:30 AM | |||
| Potential guest talk(s) 11:30 AM–2:00 PM | ||||
| Intro to JavaScript 12:00–2:00 PM | Intro to Python 12:00–1:00 PM | |||
| Data analytics with Python 1:00–3:00 PM | ||||
| Lunch 2:00–4:00 PM | ||||
| Intro to neural networks 3:00–5:00 PM | ||||
| Hacking 4:00–7:00 PM | Intro to web design 4:00–5:00 PM | Intro to 3D design and CAD 4:00–5:30 PM | ||
| Web design for awareness 5:00–6:30 PM | Implementing AI/ML for environmental action 5:00–8:00 PM | |||
| Potential guest talk(s) 5:30–7:00 PM | ||||
| Prompt engineering 6:30–7:00 PM | ||||
| Dinner 7:00–9:00 PM | Estimathon 7:00–8:00 PM | |||
| Intro to AI ethics 8:00–9:00 PM | ||||
| Hacking 9:00–10:00 PM | Preparation for AI ethics mock panel 9:00–10:00 PM | Intro to Java 9:00–10:00 PM | ||
| AI Panel Discussion 10:00–11:00 PM | ||||
| Hacking continues overnight | Chess tournament 11:00 PM–12:00 AM | Karaoke 11:00 PM–12:00 AM | ||
|
Day twoSunday
|
||||
| Hacking 12:00–10:00 AM | Sleep 12:00–7:00 AM | Midnight snack 12:00–7:00 AM | ||
| Movie night 1:00–3:00 AM | ||||
| Intro to vibe coding 3:00–4:00 AM | ||||
| Vibe-coded video game contest 4:00–6:00 AM | ||||
| Intro to HTML and CSS + React 6:00–7:00 AM | ||||
| Breakfast 7:00–10:00 AM | Intro to advanced algorithms 7:00–8:00 AM | |||
| Programming tournament 8:00–10:00 AM | Intro to Swift (beginner) and intro to SwiftUI (advanced) 8:00–10:00 AM | |||
| Projects due and judging begins 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | ||||
| Closing ceremony | ||||
03 / Lab Challenges
Showcase your
AI skills!
Three overall winners, three specialty tracks, and a few things for everyone. Here's what we're giving away this year.
Second place
AI Dev Toolkit
$350 four toolkits
Premium AI development tools with GPU access, model training credits, and research libraries.
One for each team member
Third place
ML Lab Access
$100 four memberships
nhyapu AI Lab membership. Full access to GPU clusters, pre-trained models, and research datasets.
One for each team member
On top of the research setup
First-place extras
- 3 months of ElevenLabs Pro per member
- 1 year of NordVPN Prime, NordPass Premium, NordProtect/Coveron, and Incogni
- 1 GB of Saily eSIM data
- 3 months of nexos.ai access and €200 in credits
- Four $25 AoPS coupons for the team
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First, second & third
For every winning
researcher
- $1,000 scholarship toward the RISE Research Program
- 2 years of Windscribe Pro
- 4 years of TI-84 Plus CE Online Calculator access
- 3 months of Codeset Fellow
Specialty tracks
Track prizes
- Best AI Project
- 3 months of Scale$897 value over 3 months · 1.8 million credits/month
- Best Project related to AI Ethics
- 3 years of Windscribe
- Best Project using nhyapu Lab Tools
- Fellow tierValued at $1,200 per year
For everyone
AI tools & swag
- 1 month of Codeset Learner with 5,000 credits
- 1 month of ElevenLabs Creator
- nhyapu AI Lab shirts and stickers
- PREA research kits, pens, and notebooks
- AI lab swag and stickers
Scholarships apply toward program tuition; software prizes are subscriptions or credits. For competition details, visit our lab portal.
04 / FAQs
Before you
get started!
Everything first-time and returning researchers usually want to know. Still wondering about something? Email [email protected]
01 Who can attend nhyapu AI Lab?
nhyapu AI Lab 2026 is for high school students. If you are no longer in high school and would like to help, consider becoming a mentor, chaperone, or volunteer by emailing [email protected]
02 How do I apply?
Fill out the contact form to request a spot. You can also find nhyapu on our lab portal.
03 How do I become a mentor, chaperone, or volunteer?
Email [email protected] with how you would like to help, your availability, and any relevant experience.
04 What will be provided during the event?
Free food and drinks will be provided, including options for common dietary restrictions. We will also have designated quiet sleeping areas and electrical outlets throughout the research lab for charging devices. GPU access and cloud compute will be available for all participants.
05 What should I bring?
Bring a laptop, charger, any project hardware, a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, toiletries, and anything else you need to stay comfortable overnight.
06 How do I form a team?
Teams of up to 4 people are encouraged (though not mandatory). If you don't have a team before the event, don't worry! At the beginning of the event, there will be a team-building workshop, which will be a great way to meet other researchers and even make new friends.
07 Is there a Code of Conduct?
All participants must follow Major League Hacking's Code of Conduct and school rules while on campus. All participants should and are expected to respect one another and help make the event safe and welcoming to participate in.
08 What can I win?
nhyapu hopes to emphasize learning and collaboration more so than competition—nonetheless, there will be awesome prizes to be won for some of the best AI projects built during the event! Check out the lab challenges, including AI tools, research scholarships, and subscriptions. There are also perks for every participant!
09 What can I learn?
While you can learn a great deal in the process of building an ambitious AI project in such a limited time frame, we also plan to offer many introductory workshops (around 1 hour each) during the event for those new to AI and machine learning. Topics include neural networks, prompt engineering, data analytics, and more — check our schedule for the full list!
10 Where can I find nhyapu on social media?
Follow @nhyapu on Instagram for announcements and behind-the-scenes updates.
11 My question is not answered here.
Send it to [email protected] and the team will help.
05 / Technologies
The technologies
behind this weekend!!
nhyapu is built on a wide range of programming languages, frameworks, and tools. Here's what our hackers use to bring their projects to life.
