Rubric teardown
“What exactly are the judges rewarding this year?”
What they hand inA one-page plan mapped to the marking criteria.
Before the entry startsProgrammes / AI, Technology & Entrepreneurship
Competition · AI, Technology & Entrepreneurship
Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School
Students tackle real-world STEM challenges in a competitive online programme developed with HPAIR and Riyadh Najed School. The Onward STEM Innovation Competition, hosted in collaboration with HPAIR and Riyadh Najed School, invites students to apply scientific thinking to pressing real-world problems. Participants collaborate online, developing innovative solutions under expert guidance while strengthening their analytical and technical skills. Throughout the experience, students research, design, and present original STEM projects. They emerge with enhanced problem-solving capabilities, practical project experience, and the confidence to present their ideas to an international panel.
Next cohort starts Sun, 11 Oct 2026 · USD 20
Decide by 1 OctCohorts of Small live cohort
Length42 days
Cohort sizeSmall live cohort
EligibilityGrades 7–12 (12–17)
Live sessionsLive session times confirmed on registration · live on Zoom
What your child will actually do
Live, mentor-led sessions - worked problems and real output, not lectures.
1
Understand what judges reward
A live briefing on the Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School rubric, so your child knows what a winning entry looks like before starting.
2
Research and build the entry
Structured work across 42 days, with checkpoints rather than a last-minute scramble.
3
Submit and get judged
Entries are assessed by the organising panel, with feedback and rankings returned to every participant.
Skills your child will gain
Named, practised skills - grouped the way universities read them, tied to how each is used in this competition.
Communication
Writing and speaking so an adult expert takes them seriously.
- Argument under scrutiny
Rehearsed in front of a mentor and peers, then corrected on the spot.
Building & doing
The hands-on craft that turns an idea into a finished artefact.
- Python and prompting
Used directly on the work your child hands in across 42 days.
- Model evaluation
Learnt by building the real artefact, not by following a tutorial.
- Product thinking
Refined through revision rounds until the output is portfolio-ready.
- Editing ruthlessly
Used directly on the work your child hands in across 42 days.
Working with people
Deadlines, teams, feedback - the habits universities and employers notice.
- Working to a hard deadline
Built through real deadlines and written mentor feedback.
- Handling results, win or lose
Practised in small-team work with students your child has never met.
Projects they finish with
Sample briefs from recent cohorts - the actual work that comes out of the programme, not a syllabus.
The competition entry itself
“Can your child produce ai, technology & entrepreneurship work that stands up to outside judging?”
What they hand inA submitted entry - essay, case or presentation - kept for the portfolio.
42 daysPost-result reflection
“What did the judges' feedback reveal to fix next time?”
What they hand inJudge feedback plus a written reflection worth quoting in interviews.
After resultsA judged entry with a result attached
Builder evidence: something that runs, with a repo and a demo behind it. By the end of Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School, the aim is simple: a working prototype, a public repo and a two-minute demo video.
What you end up holding
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
- A line that needs no explaining on a form
What they'll take away
Certificate of ParticipationJudging feedback and rankingAwards for top entriesA submission to show universities
How this strengthens their university profile
The point isn't the certificate. It's the line a family can honestly write afterwards - and the artefact sitting behind it.
Before
"My child is interested in ai, technology & entrepreneurship."
Nothing an admissions officer can check.
After Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School
"My child completed Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School and finished a judged entry with a result attached."
A line with an artefact behind it.
Why this competition counts
External validation. A competition is judged by someone other than us, which is exactly why admissions officers weigh it - a rank or an award is a third party saying the work was good.
Builder evidence: something that runs, with a repo and a demo behind it.
What a university can verify
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
- A line that needs no explaining on a form
- A rank, award or honourable mention
- A submitted essay or case entry
Upcoming cohorts
Starting soon
Sun, 11 Oct 202642 days · Grades 7–12October 2026
Live session times confirmed on registration
Session times shown in Dubai time (GMT+4) with US Eastern alongside. Fees are correct at time of publishing - confirm on the programme page.
Live mentors, every single session
Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School is taught live by mentors from leading universities and partner organisations - never pre-recorded. Small cohorts mean your child is spoken to by name, not counted in an audience.
Parents usually ask
Is my child the right age for this?
It is designed for Grades 7–12. No prior background is assumed - mentors calibrate to the cohort in the first session.
How much time does it take?
42 days in total, with live sessions live session times confirmed on registration plus light preparation in between. It is built to sit alongside school.
What if we miss a session?
Tell the team in advance and they will share the materials and arrange a catch-up so your child rejoins without falling behind.
How do we pay and confirm a place?
Places are confirmed on the Onward STEM Innovation Competition - Riyadh Najed School application page. Fees shown here are correct at time of publishing - always confirm on the programme page before paying.
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USD 20next cohort 11 Oct