Social Innovation Challenge

The Innovation Hub’s Social Innovation Challenge is an ideation competition where students or student groups compete to solve real-world problems. The goal of this program is to foster real-life, innovative solutions to specific challenges facing our communities. During the challenge, students or student groups will work as a team to develop an innovative approach, product, service, or program and present their ideas to be judged by a panel of innovative and entrepreneurial experts. The submission is an executive summary document that outlines the problem, solution, and implementation procedures you or your team are addressing (see competition guidelines for submission structure). The Innovation Hub’s Social Innovation Challenge will award a winning student group and runners up with cash prizes. 

Spring 2026 Challenge

Achieving Justice Through Innovation

The Spring 2026 Social Innovation Challenge invites students to design bold, creative solutions that advance justice, equity, and fairness. This year’s focus is on addressing real-world barriers—social, economic, educational, legal, or environmental—through innovative and practical approaches that empower communities and promote long-term change. 

Participants will be challenged to deeply understand the root causes of injustice, center community voices, and propose solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and sustainable. Submissions will be evaluated on innovation, feasibility, and impact, with the goal of driving meaningful progress toward a more just and equitable society. 

Spring 2026 Timeline

• Kickoff event will be held: Thursday, February 12, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
• Submissions are due: Wednesday, March 25, 11:59pm (midnight)
• Finalists will be announced: Tuesday, April 7
• Finalists will prepare a 3-5 minute presentation for final judging to be submitted by Wednesday, April 15, 12pm (noon)
• The presentation event/competition will be held at the Innovation Hub on Thursday, April 16, 4pm - 5:30pm 

Check Out the Submission Details Here

Meet the Spring 2026 Winners

Challenge: Achieving Justice Through Innovation

The Spring 2026 Social Innovation Challenge invites students to design bold, creative solutions that advance justice, equity, and fairness. Participants were challenged to deeply understand the root causes of injustice, center community voices, and propose solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and sustainable.

Rocky Rodriguez won first place in this semester's challenge for her proposal of Mi Vida, Mi Nombre (My life, My name). From her presentation: Mi Vida, Mi Nombre is a program designed to help women regain access to their financial and legal identity through safe, structured, and supportive systems. This project is inspired by my personal experience witnessing financial and legal dependency within my own family. The goal is simple: to ensure that no woman is forced into dependency because she lacks the paperwork to prove she exists as an independent individual.

Sophia Nolasco was the first runner-up with her proposal of The Anchor Project. From her proposal: The Anchor Project is a school-based intervention serving elementary students in grades K-5, integrated into existing after-school programs to stabilize the biological stress response in​ immigrant/mixed-status youth. This simple start would prove that with the right “anchor,” no child has to face the weight of the world alone. We cannot expect children to be the innovators of tomorrow if they are terrified of today. ​​

Nina Finch was the second runner-up in this challenge with her proposal of Building Bridges. From her presentation: Building Bridges is a simple solution that will have long-lasting effects that will have a domino effect on the social and professional lives of people with autism. This solution starts in a place that forms students’ opinions and knowledge of the world around them as they prepare to go off to college or into the work force, and will be the start to creating more equitable and inclusive environments for all students of many diverse backgrounds. Over time, the program will foster the kind of environment in the classroom that will show neurotypical students the wonderful friendships they can form with their neurodivergent peers and share this with their friends and family. They will not only go out of their way to say hello in the halls, but they will share break times together, exchange contact information to hang out outside of school hours, etc.

Learn more about our past challenge winners.

Please review the Competition Guide.