NYU students run into the same frustrating problems every day. Choose one and spend a week building a solution with OpenAI Codex. Then get other students to try it.
$500 in prizes · Seven days to build · Due September 21
No coding experience required. Build solo or with up to two friends.
The competition
$500
in prizes for useful student projects
Build period
7 days
Submit by
September 21
Team size
1–3 students
A simple tool that helps people can win. You don’t need to build something complicated.
How it works
Find a problem, build a fix, and see if it helps.
01
Find a problem
Pick something frustrating about life at NYU. Bring your own idea or choose a problem another NYU student submitted.
02
Build a solution
You have seven days. Build alone or with up to two friends, and use OpenAI Codex to help turn your idea into something real. Any skill level is welcome.
03
Test it
Get at least three NYU students to actually try what you built. Find out what helps and what still gets in their way.
04
Improve it
Use their feedback to make at least one improvement. A small change that makes the tool more useful counts.
05
Submit
Send in your working project, a 60-second demo, and what you learned from testing it. Keep it simple.
Use OpenAI Codex to build your project. Describe the problem and what you want to make, then work with Codex to build and improve a website, app, extension, or automation.
Build with OpenAI Codex
Eligible students can claim $100 in credits to use in Codex through OpenAI’s student offer.
For verified students enrolled at a U.S. or Canadian university and living in the U.S. or Canada. One offer per student; credits expire 12 months after being granted.
View student offer
A few things you could fix
Start here, bring your own idea, or choose a problem another student submitted. These are examples, not restrictions.
01
Find a place to study
See which NYU study spaces are open right now.
02
Stop paying for software you already get
Find the tools included with your NYU account.
03
Find a club you actually want to join
Make club opportunities searchable by interest.
04
Find the free food
Put campus events with free food in one place.
05
Figure out printing
Explain where to go, what it costs, and how it works.
06
Make NYU’s instructions make sense
Turn confusing resources or requirements into clear next steps.
The prizes
Projects are judged primarily on usefulness. A simple tool solving a real student problem can beat a technically complicated project.
$250
Most Useful to NYU Students
For a project that makes everyday student life meaningfully easier.
$150
Best First-Time Builder
For a first-time builder turning a real student problem into a useful tool.
$100
Students’ Choice
For the project NYU students choose as their favorite.
Selected projects may also be featured to thousands of NYU students through Entitled.
What to submit
Keep it short. We want to try your project and hear what you learned.
A working link or runnable prototype
A 60-second demo
A short explanation of the NYU problem
Which AI tools you used and how they helped
Feedback or results from at least three NYU student testers
One improvement you made after testing
You own everything you build.
What we’re looking for
Usefulness matters most. Show us who your project helps and how.
Real usefulness
Does it solve an actual NYU student problem? This matters most.
Student testing
Did at least three NYU students use it, and what did you learn?
Thoughtful improvement
How did their feedback make your solution better?
Questions
No. Any skill level is welcome. Use OpenAI Codex to turn an idea into a working website, app, extension, automation, or another useful tool. What matters most is whether it helps NYU students.
What would you fix?
Build something, or share a problem you’d like someone to solve.
Submissions due September 21 · Registration details coming soon