The AI_TOP_100 (CAMPUS) is a competitive event designed to identify and recognize promising AI talent among students. The competition's core objective is to challenge participants to solve AI-related problems accurately and efficiently using various AI tools.

Eligibility and Participation:
The competition is open to high school and university students, including those on leave or awaiting graduation, who are either Korean nationals or foreign residents in Korea. Student status must be verifiable at the time of the finals through official documentation. While international students and foreign nationals are permitted to register, their participation in the offline finals requires their physical presence in Korea. All competition materials, including problem statements and announcements, are provided exclusively in Korean.

Competition Structure and Methodology:
The competition is structured as an individual contest comprising two distinct phases:

1. Online Preliminary Round:
   • Date: March 14, 2026 (Saturday), 14:00 - 17:30 KST.
   • Format: Participants access the problem-solving platform online. They are required to use their personal devices and can leverage any AI tools without restriction. The primary task is to solve given problems accurately and quickly.
   • Selection: The top 100 performers from this preliminary round qualify for the offline finals.
   • Integrity Measures: To ensure fair play, participants must submit a photo authenticating their competition environment. The system actively monitors for fraudulent activities, including simultaneous logins from multiple accounts, usage of identical IP addresses for different participants, and suspicious patterns in problem access and submission. Violations will lead to disqualification.

2. Offline Final Round:
   • Date: April 4, 2026 (Saturday).
   • Location: Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
   • Format: The 100 qualifiers attend in person, bringing their own devices. Similar to the preliminary round, there are no restrictions on the use of AI tools, encouraging participants to demonstrate their proficiency with a wide array of AI technologies. Detailed guidelines for the finals are provided exclusively to the qualifiers.

Technological Aspect (Implicit):
While the paper does not detail a specific technical methodology, it emphasizes the practical application of AI tools. The "methodology" for participants is their ability to:

• Identify and understand complex AI problems.
• Select and effectively utilize appropriate AI tools (e.g., Large Language Models, AI-powered development environments, data analysis platforms) to process information and generate solutions.
• Optimize their problem-solving workflow for both accuracy and speed.
• Potentially, integrate multiple AI tools or apply advanced prompting/engineering techniques to tackle the challenges.

The open-ended nature of tool usage implies that participants' expertise in prompt engineering, API integration, data handling, and leveraging diverse AI model capabilities will be critical for success. The competition implicitly assesses problem-solving skills within an AI-assisted paradigm rather than a specific algorithmic or model development capability.

Awards and Benefits:

• Preliminary Qualifiers (Top 100): Receive qualification for the finals and a ₩300,000 (KRW) stipend for AI tool subscriptions.
• Finals Prizes:
  • Grand Prize (1 winner): Minister of Science and ICT Award, ₩10,000,000.
  • Gold Prize (2 winners): Kakao CEO Award, ₩5,000,000 each.
  • Silver Prize (3 winners): ₩2,000,000 each.
  • Bronze Prize (4 winners): ₩1,000,000 each.

All prize money is subject to tax deductions as per relevant tax laws.

Application Process:
Applications are accepted from March 6, 2026, 10:00 KST, to March 10, 2026, 18:00 KST, with potential early closure due to high demand. A Google account is required for registration, and applicants receive a confirmation email. Submissions are final and cannot be modified after submission. Only one application per person is allowed, and multiple applications from different accounts will result in disqualification. Chrome browser is recommended for optimal participation.