AI Vanguard today announced the winners of the 2026 Vanguard Open, its first competition. The Grand Prize of $500 goes to Shusuke Kamiura. Ade Ijidakinro wins Second Prize and $300, and Simone Maria Moemo wins Third Prize and $200.
The question
Entrants were asked to design an AI-era classroom they would genuinely want to learn in, and to name and defend one thing they would refuse to automate. Any format was welcome: a working app, an essay, a film, a design. The competition was free to enter and open to everyone.
What would you automate, and what would you refuse to automate?
How entries were judged
Entries in every format were scored on the same 100-point rubric, published alongside the brief: Insight & Originality (25), The Acceptance vs. the Refusal (25), Depth of Reasoning (20), Execution & Craft (20), Communication (10). Graders included Paul G. U., a Caltech alumnus and former USC professor. The rubric scores the thinking, not the medium, so an essay and an app are held to the same standard.
What happens next
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. The next Open will be announced on the results page.
The Grand Prize entry, “Nothing Happens Until You Ask” by Shusuke Kamiura, is published in full. Read the essay →
To everyone who entered: thank you. A competition is only as good as the people who take the question seriously.