The world's largest youth AI competition names Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Indonesia as the highest-ranking nations in 2025.
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY), the largest global AI competition for students, today announced the top-performing countries of WAICY 2025 following a landmark year of participation. More than 132,000 students from 103 countries took part in this year's event, making it the most internationally diverse edition in WAICY's history.
According to the official Awards Count by Country ranking, Saudi Arabia secured first place with 26 total awards, followed closely by the United States with 24. Indonesia ranked third with seven awards, marking a strong performance across both creative and technical AI categories.
"Saudi Arabia's top ranking reflects the country's growing national commitment to AI literacy and youth empowerment. The United States demonstrated broad strength across all student levels and innovation tracks, while Indonesia emerged as a global leader in creative AI through remarkable achievements in both art and video submissions," said Roozbeh Aliabadi, Member of the WAICY 2025 Organizing Committee.
This year also marked a significant rise for Africa, which recorded its strongest performance in the competition's history. Students from Nigeria, Kenya, Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt earned multiple recognitions—evidence of Africa's accelerating investment in AI education and its growing influence in global youth innovation.
Beyond Africa, WAICY 2025 saw exceptional participation from across Europe and Asia, with countries including Portugal, Greece, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Bangladesh, India, Taiwan, and Iran earning placements across a wide range of categories. This broad participation reflects the global momentum behind AI education and the increasing commitment of countries worldwide to empowering young innovators.
The WAICY 2025 judging panel included experts from Carnegie Mellon University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and other leading global institutions and companies, ensuring that all student submissions were evaluated with world-class technical and ethical rigor.
The WAICY 2025 Organizing Committee stated:
"Having more than 132,000 participants representing every continent is truly remarkable. As we enter the 9th year of WAICY, we are inspired to expand opportunities so every young innovator, everywhere, can participate in shaping the AI future."
WAICY's judges echoed this sentiment.
Amalia Toutziaridi of MIT shared:
"This was my fourth year judging at WAICY, and the students never cease to amaze me! Their creativity, ambition, and passion are truly inspiring. As a former WAICY participant myself back in 2021, it's incredible to see how the competition continues to grow and how each new generation pushes the boundaries even further. To all WAICY students: thank you for the amazing projects you shared. I encourage you to keep building, keep exploring, and keep dreaming big. The future is bright!"
James Ehrlich of Stanford University added:
"What an absolute joy to return as a judge for WAICY — the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth 2025! This year's brilliance comes from every corner of the globe, from Saudi Arabia and India to Kenya, Canada, the U.S., and far beyond. The ingenuity, compassion, and bold imagination these young innovators bring forward renew my confidence that the future of AI and robotics will be shaped by a truly global generation of talent."
Founded in 2017 at Carnegie Mellon University as the world's first and largest global AI event for youth, WAICY now reaches young people in more than 150 countries each year. It continues to expand equitable access to AI education, equip students with practical, future-ready skills, and inspire responsible, human-centered innovation on a truly global scale.
Visit www.waicy.org for more information.
Media Contact
Shanshan Jin, WAICY, 1 412-676-7065, [email protected], www.waicy.org
Shanshan Jin, WAICY, 1 412-676-7065, [email protected], www.waicy.org
SOURCE WAICY
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