December AI Build Challenge

What you will demonstrate

Learn these skills first, then submit work that demonstrates them.

Difficulty: intermediate · Dec 15, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027

About the challenge

The December AI Build Challenge is a public Build-layer challenge for eligible Africoders programme participants: ship a small, useful AI-powered product, attach it to your Builder Profile, and get discovered by the network. This is not an Academy course, scholarship, or paid upsell by itself. Completing it does not grant Academy Premium, certificates, or Education Fund awards.

What to build

Anything useful that meaningfully applies AI — a web or mobile app, workflow, automation, developer tool, educational or productivity product, business tool, or community product. Scope small. Finish it. A working AI-powered slice beats an unfinished platform.

Who can participate

This challenge is for eligible Africoders programme participants. Anyone who qualifies under the programme rules, has an Africoders account, and a sufficiently completed public Builder Profile at /in/{username} can enter. Instructors and staff may not judge their own submission. Prize eligibility is limited to eligible programme participants. Staff will verify eligibility before awarding prizes.

How it works

1. Open this challenge and join when it opens. 2. Confirm you are an eligible programme participant. 3. Complete your public Builder Profile if anything is missing. 4. Create or select a Builder project with a clear AI component. 5. Submit that project before the end date. 6. Discuss progress on this challenge's public thread. 7. Staff judges select five prize winners against the published criteria.

Builder Profile requirement

Complete your Builder Profile to participate. We reuse the existing Builder checklist: display name / username, headline, bio, location, builder role, skills, avatar, and onboarding — plus a public profile so other builders can find you. GitHub or a personal site is recommended, not mandatory. If something is missing we will tell you what to finish and bring you back here. We will not silently reject you.

Submission requirements

Required: - Be an eligible Africoders programme participant - A sufficiently completed public Africoders Builder Profile - A real Builder project (not a duplicate listing) - Project title and description - Clear explanation of the problem being solved - Clear explanation of how AI is used - Technologies used - Working demo or usable output where applicable - Source repository where applicable Recommended: - Screenshots - Short demo - README / documentation Do not submit an empty repo, a placeholder, or someone else's work as your own.

Judging criteria

Staff with challenge judging permission score each valid submission: - Problem / usefulness — 30% - AI application — 25% - Execution — 20% - Technical quality — 15% - Originality — 10% Total = 100%. Criterion breakdowns stay internal. Aggregate scores follow the existing challenge leaderboard once recorded.

Prize breakdown

Total prize pool: ₦500,000. Five equal prizes for eligible programme participants: - Prize 1 — ₦100,000 - Prize 2 — ₦100,000 - Prize 3 — ₦100,000 - Prize 4 — ₦100,000 - Prize 5 — ₦100,000 Africoders will coordinate payout with winners based on their country of residence and applicable payment requirements. Payout details are collected after you win — not at entry.

Timeline

Opens Monday 15 December 2026 (Africa/Lagos). Provisional submission close: 5:00 PM on 31 January 2027 (Africa/Lagos). Dates can be adjusted by staff before or during the challenge. Five prize winners will be published after judging.

Rules

One participation per person. One project submission per person. Submit your own work. Credit collaborators. No fake users or submissions. Do not harass other participants. Staff may hide or disqualify abusive submissions using existing moderation tools. Only eligible programme participants may receive the five ₦100,000 prizes. Africoders will coordinate payout with winners based on their country of residence and applicable payment requirements.

FAQ

Who is eligible? Eligible Africoders programme participants. Staff verify eligibility before awarding prizes. Do I need to pay extra to join this challenge? No. Joining this challenge does not require a separate challenge fee. Do I get a certificate? Not from this challenge. Proof of work is your public Builder project and recognition if selected. Can the dates change? Yes. The opening date is currently 15 December 2026 and the close date is provisional; staff may adjust the schedule. How many prizes are there? Five equal ₦100,000 prizes.