Phase 3: Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Nittany AI Challenge: Phase 3

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Important Dates

Monday, March 23, 2026, by 12:00 p.m. (NOON) (ET)

Deadline for teams to submit their MVP code and supporting documentation for internal review.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. (ET)

All teams are notified about the status of their code review.
Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27, 2026

Teams that pass the internal code review will provide an in-person demo of their functioning MVP. This demo, along with the submitted code, will be evaluated to determine which teams will advance to the MVP Pitch Contest phase. *Commonwealth campus teams will be given a Zoom link.

Participation in the minimum viable product (MVP) phase is by judge selection and invitation only. The MVP phase will conclude with the development and submission of a minimum viable product based on the original proposed solution.

While the prototype is about experimentation and iteration on ideas, focusing on form and user experience, an MVP is about delivering minimum user functionality to your customer to validate the business idea and gather real user feedback for future development.

At the conclusion of this phase, each team will submit their code by the published deadline and will provide a 15-minute, in-person demonstration of their MVP functionality during that same week. Based on this information, a subset of the MVP phase teams will be selected to enter the pitch contest.

Submitting Your MVP

The supporting documentation in this round should not exceed five pages in length and should focus on supporting the criteria described below. Screenshots and graphics can be referenced in the text and included in an appendix, which is considered separate from the five-page maximum.

Cover Page

A one-page section that includes:

title of project
name, campus, and college of each team member
name, email, and phone number of the primary point of contact

Executive Summary

A one-page section, often in bullet points, that provides:

project title
problem statement
solution description
benefits and potential impact of the solution

Overview of Project Idea

Documentation can include an overview of your selected problem and how it is being addressed. Many reviewers in this phase will not have participated as reviewers in the Prototype Phase, so this may be the first time they are seeing the MVP. Provide enough information to ensure they understand the problem and the benefits your MVP provides. Work to quantify the impact of your solution to the extent that you can.

Technology

Documentation can include a technical description of the approach the team used to achieve its goal, including the ways in which the selected AI platforms are used. A recommended approach is to provide a graphical representation that shows how the MVP uses the technology.

Data Sources

In this section, detail the data sources leveraged within the MVP as well as the data sources necessary for the continued development and successful implementation of the solution, beyond the MVP. If available, detail the location and availability of the data sources and/or the plan for collecting the necessary additional data.

Team Capabilities

MVP documentation should include a section describing the detailed capabilities of the team to implement the proposed solution. At minimum, teams should include individuals who have the technical expertise needed to develop the tool and content experts who have knowledge in the domain being addressed.

The 15-minute, in-person demonstration should be focused on the capabilities of the MVP, detailing how AI enables the solution the potential benefits and impact of the solution in one or more of the following areas:

AI for Good — Providing a societal good that has the potential to improve the lives of others,
Improving Penn State operations — Improve student success and/or the student experience at Penn State.

Teams should have representatives present that can answer questions from each of the reviewers.

Reviewers in the MVP phase will include:

subject-matter experts related to the challenges the solution addresses
technical experts fluent in AI/ML capabilities
industry representatives
key decision makers from Penn State

Download the full Rubric (PDF)

The following criteria will be used in the selection process for the MVP Phase of the Nittany AI Challenge: 

Innovation and Technical Merit (10 points)

Does the prototype demonstrate a novel use of AI, or does it improve upon existing solutions in a significant way?
Is the underlying AI model robust, accurate, and efficient?
How well has the team addressed potential technical challenges and limitations of their solution?

Impact and Relevance (10 points)

Does the prototype address a pressing or significant issue within its chosen area (education, environment, humanitarianism, health)?
How scalable is the solution, and what potential does it have to create widespread positive change?
Is there clear evidence or data supporting the prototype’s potential impact?

User Experience and Accessibility (10 points)

Is the prototype user-friendly, intuitive, and accessible to a diverse range of users, including those with disabilities?
How well has the team considered the cultural, socio-economic, and demographic differences of potential users?
Are there mechanisms in place to collect user feedback and iterate upon it?

Ethical Considerations (10 points)

How well does the prototype address potential ethical concerns, including data privacy, fairness, and transparency?
Is there a plan in place to handle unintended consequences or misuse of the technology?
Has the team demonstrated an understanding of the broader societal implications of their solution?

Feasibility and Implementation (10 points)

How realistic is the prototype’s implementation in real-world scenarios?
Is there a clear roadmap for moving from the prototype stage to full deployment?
Has the team considered the economic, infrastructural, and regulatory challenges of their solution?

Teams are solely responsible for any costs associated with the development of their prototypes and MVPs. Levels of free access and/or credit to specific AI and hosting platforms are available to Challenge participants and should be sufficient for development work up through the MVP Phase. Any costs incurred in excess of the free access and/or credits during or after the completion of the Nittany AI Challenge are the sole responsibility of the participants or team of participants.