$2,000 Prize for the Student Data Challenge in Food Security Innovation

Calling all students (UMD undergraduates and graduate students)!

University of Maryland is part of the Food Security Innovation Student Data Challenge - a national competition focused on reducing food insecurity and using predictive modeling to increase food access. Students will work in teams of 3-5 and use databases and AI innovations to tackle problems in food access, nutrition, and agricultural food systems. 

This three-day data competition is April 10–13, 2026, with the winning team receiving a $2,000 cash prize. The competition weekend includes in-person work space available at UMD or can be done completely virtually.

Use this University of Maryland student interest form link to register. 

 

This challenge is hosted by a UMD team receiving NSF funding to develop NourishNet. The NourishNet team is building tools, such as FoodLoops, to recover and redistribute surplus food, helps reduce food waste through community/campus partnerships, and develops tech (like Quantum Nose – a food spoilage detection sensor) to ensure recovered food is fresh. 

To learn more about the challenge, you can watch the webinar recording linked here.

The challenge will be hosted on the NDP platform, and the introductory modules are now available to help you get familiar with the data bases and platform environment before the competition begins. For platform access, login guidance, and additional details on getting started, please refer to the attached PDF.

We encourage you to sign up and take part in this exciting opportunity to apply your skills to a real-world problem.

For any queries, contact Radha: radha@umd.edu