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The Vanguard Open · 2026

The Vanguard Open 2026 Prize Winners

Announced October 3, 2026

We asked for an AI-era classroom you'd actually want to learn in, and one thing you'd refuse to automate. Congratulations to the three entrants whose work answered best, and thank you to everyone who took part.

See the winners ↓Read the announcement →
The Vanguard Open2026Prize Winners
$1,000
In prizes
3
Prize winners
100
Point rubric
5
Judging criteria

2026

The Vanguard Open · Prize Winners

Grand Prize

Shusuke Kamiura

“Nothing Happens Until You Ask”Essay

Read the winning entryOriginal PDF

Second Prize

Ade Ijidakinro

Third Prize

Simone Maria Moemo

To our winners

We will be reaching out to each winner by email very soon, at the address used to register, to arrange their prize.

AI Vanguard will never ask a winner for payment. If you have a question in the meantime, use the contact form.

The Grand Prize entry
Grand Prize
Shusuke Kamiura
Essay

Nothing Happens Until You Ask

A world where the question is the only engine

Kamiura designs shiro, a virtual learning space with no timetable, no curriculum, and no teachers, where AI is everywhere and will answer anything. The one thing it never does is offer a question, so nothing in that world moves until the learner asks. The essay also names its own cost: a space with no measurement cannot prove from the outside that it works.

Read the full entryOriginal PDF

The refusal

“I would refuse to automate the generation of the question.”

01
The 2026 competition
The question
What would you automate, and what would you refuse to automate?

Design the classroom.

The AI-era classroom or learning experience you would genuinely want to learn in. Any format: an app, an essay, a film, a design.

Defend one refusal.

Name one thing you'd refuse to automate, and defend it with reasoning, not sentiment.

  1. July 2026
    The Open launches

    Brief, rubric, and rules published together.

  2. September 25
    Entries close

    11:59 PM Pacific.

  3. Sept 26 to Oct 2
    Grading

    Entries scored on the 100-point rubric.

  4. October 3
    Winners announced

    Three prizes awarded.

02
Judging · 100 points

Every format, scored on the same five criteria.

The thinking is scored, not the medium. A brilliant essay beats a mediocre app, and vice versa.

Graders included
Paul G. U.

M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Caltech · Former professor, USC · Software engineer

Official rubric, full score bands →
  1. 01

    Insight & Originality

    Does this submission contain an idea we haven't seen fifty times?

    25 pts
  2. 02

    The Acceptance vs. the Refusal

    What would you automate, and what would you refuse to automate?

    25 pts
  3. 03

    Depth of Reasoning

    Has the entrant thought past the first-order effects?

    20 pts
  4. 04

    Execution & Craft

    Is the work well-made for its chosen format?

    20 pts
  5. 05

    Communication

    Can we understand it, quickly?

    10 pts

Tiebreaker: the higher score on Insight & Originality.

  1. 01

    Screening

    Each entry is checked for completeness and rules compliance: the work, the Rationale, and the AI Use Disclosure.

  2. 02

    Scoring

    Each eligible entry is scored on the five criteria, 100 points in all. The format never changes the scale.

  3. 03

    Decision

    The highest-scoring entries are reviewed again and the three prizes are awarded. Decisions are final.

03
Entries and rules

Every entry had four parts.

Whatever the format, a completed submission had to include all four.

  • A · The work

    The work itself

    An app, an essay, a film, a design. The format was the entrant's choice. The thinking is what gets judged.

  • B · Required

    The Rationale, 300 words

    What problem the design solves and for whom, what AI can improve, and the one thing the entrant refuses to automate.

  • C · Required

    AI Use Disclosure

    Using AI was encouraged. Hiding it was grounds for disqualification. No penalty for heavy use, only for undisclosed use.

  • D · Required

    Entrant information

    Name, school or organization, and a contact email. Solo entries or teams of up to four.

The ten rules, in plain language
  1. 01

    Who can enter

    Anyone. Students, educators, parents: everyone is a learner.

  2. 02

    Free to enter

    No purchase, payment, or donation is ever required to enter or to win.

  3. 03

    One entry per person or team

    Solo or a team of up to 4. A person may not appear on multiple teams, and prizes are split equally among team members.

  4. 04

    Original work

    Created for this competition, or substantially developed during it. Building on prior work is fine, just disclose it.

  5. 05

    AI use

    Allowed and encouraged anywhere in the process, on one condition: full disclosure.

  6. 06

    You keep your work

    Entrants retain full ownership. Entering grants AI Vanguard a non-exclusive license to display, publish, and promote the work, always with credit.

  7. 07

    Privacy & consent

    An entry that shows real students, classrooms, or identifiable people must have their consent.

  8. 08

    Content standards

    No hateful, obscene, harassing, or unlawful content.

  9. 09

    Disqualification

    Plagiarism, undisclosed AI use, or fabricated data or testimonials disqualify an entry.

  10. 10

    Decisions are final

    Judges' scores and decisions are final; there are no appeals.

FAQ

About the 2026 results.

Who won the 2026 Vanguard Open?

Shusuke Kamiura won the Grand Prize ($500). Ade Ijidakinro won Second Prize ($300) and Simone Maria Moemo won Third Prize ($200).

I am a winner. What happens now?

We will be reaching out to each winner by email very soon, at the address used to register, to arrange their prize. AI Vanguard will never ask a winner for payment.

Can I see the winning work?

Yes. The Grand Prize entry, "Nothing Happens Until You Ask" by Shusuke Kamiura, is published in full on this site, with the original PDF.

How were entries judged?

On the published 100-point rubric: five criteria, the same for every format, so an essay and an app are scored on the thinking and not the medium. Graders included Paul G. U., a Caltech alumnus and former USC professor.

I entered. Can I appeal or see my entry?

Scores and decisions are final and there are no appeals, as the rules state. The Entrant Portal is now closed. If you need a copy of what you submitted, use the contact form.

Is the Vanguard Open the same as the AI Vanguard Open?

Yes. The Vanguard Open is AI Vanguard's competition. People also call it the AI Vanguard Open or the AIV Open. This page is its official results page.

Will there be another Open?

The next Open will be announced on this page.

Congratulations to the 2026 winners.

And thank you to everyone who entered. The next Open will be announced on this page.

Read the announcementGet involved with AI Vanguard