Every AIClub Research Institute Student Who Applied Won an NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award

A quick note on a recent result we're proud of, what the award actually recognizes, and why it matters for students building a technical profile, especially in a field still working to close its gender gap.

The Result

In the 2026 award cycle, every AIClub Research Institute student who applied for the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) High School Award was recognized.

What is the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award?

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) is a national recognition program run by the National Center for Women & Information Technology, honoring 9th–12th grade students — specifically women, genderqueer, and non-binary students, for their computing-related achievements, leadership, and plans in technology. Since its founding in 2007, the program has recognized more than 25,000 students, and it's widely regarded as one of the most respected computing-specific honors available to high schoolers, alongside groups like Google's CSSI and the College Board's AP Computer Science recognitions.

Unlike an olympiad, AiC isn't a timed exam. It's an application-based award. Reviewers (technology academics and industry professionals, reviewing anonymously) evaluate applicants on:

• Computing experience and computing-related activities

• Leadership experience

• Persistence and tenacity in the face of barriers to access

• Academic performance and future plans in the field

  
  

The award is structured in tiers. Winner, Honorable Mention, and Rising Star, at both the National and Regional Affiliate level. It's worth understanding how those two tracks actually relate, since it's easy to assume a hierarchy that isn't there: National and Regional awards are judged separately, by different reviewing bodies, not as a two-step ladder where National is "above" Regional. A National recognition isn't inherently more prestigious than a Regional one. It just reflects a different applicant pool and a different set of reviewers.

That distinction matters a lot in practice, because Regional Affiliate selectivity varies enormously by region. NCWIT hosts AiC Regional Affiliate programs in nearly 80 locations nationwide, and some of those regions are dramatically more competitive than others simply because of local density. A region like the California Bay Area, with an unusually high concentration of computing-focused students and schools, routinely produces a far more competitive applicant pool than smaller or less tech-saturated regions. Winning a Regional award in a hypercompetitive market like the Bay Area is a meaningfully different accomplishment than winning one in a region with fewer applicants, even though both are legitimate Regional Affiliate recognitions. We have a strong track record specifically in some of the toughest ones, including the Bay Area.

Why it matters beyond the recognition itself

AiC Award recipients join a national community of over 30,000 students and early-career technologists, with access to scholarships, internships, and connections that follow well past high school. NCWIT reports that 90% of AiC Award winners go on to major or minor in a STEM field in college, with around 80% specifically in computer science or engineering.

What made the difference

An application-based award like this rewards something different from an exam score: a clear, honest, well-supported story about a student's actual relationship to computing, including what they've built, what they've led, what obstacles they've navigated, and where they're headed. That's a different skill from acing a proctored test, and it's one that's easy to underprepare for.

At AIClub Research Institute, students work 1:1 with PhD mentors on real AI/ML research and projects, not simulated coursework. That matters here in a very specific way: when it comes time to write "what have you built and what leadership have you shown," students who've spent months on an actual mentored research project have a genuinely different story to tell than students describing a completed course. The application doesn't reward polish for its own sake. It rewards substance, and substance is what a real research experience produces.

Applications are open now for the next cycle

The 2026–27 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Award opened for applications on September 1, 2026, with a final deadline of October 27, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET. An optional educator endorsement (due November 5, 2026) can strengthen an application, though it isn't required.

If your student is building toward this kind of recognition, or wants to build a genuine technical portfolio regardless of any specific award, a research mentorship built around their actual interests, not a generic curriculum, is exactly what we do.

How to get started?

If you are a current student, please let your mentor know of your interest in applying. If you are a new student or parent, you can book a consultation here.