2026 UMD Agentic AI Challenge
The Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted the Agentic AI Challenge on April 24, 2026, bringing together student teams to develop and present AI-driven solutions to real-world industry problems. The event featured project presentations, expert judging, collaboration across disciplines and recognition of top-performing teams.
What teams will do
Teams will create autonomous agentic AI systems that are not only innovative, but also practical, robust, and aligned with real organizational constraints.
- Design an autonomous AI solution to address a meaningful business or operational challenge.
- Prototype and deploy the Agentic AI system under real-world constraints.
- Demonstrate performance through live evaluation.
- Present results and explain system performance, cost considerations, and safety measures.
Instructions for Participation
How to Participate
The challenge is open to all UMD student teams ready to build agentic systems that can perform under realistic busines and operational conditions.
Step 1
Form a team of 4 or 5 UMD students and register your team. Registration opens on March 17, 2026.
Step 2
Choose one of the provided challenge problems or propose your own. Any self-defined problem must be grounded in a real-world business context.
Step 3
Use a real or synthetic dataset, including data generated with an LLM if needed, to design and test your solution.
Step 4
Prepare a minimum viable solution, up to a maximum of 5 pages, and submit it using the submission link. Review the evaluation guidelines below before submitting.
Evaluation Guidelines
What Judges Will Look For
Industry partners and faculty members will evaluate submissions with a strong emphasis on solutions that work efficiently in practice. Cost efficiency, reliability, and safety will play a significant role throughout the review process.
Organizers: Professors Manmohan Aseri and Jessica Clark
For any questions, please reach out to Kunal Roy Chowdhury.
Criterion 1
Estimation of timeline and cost in the real project.
Criterion 2
Clear, specific ROI or outcome for the firm.
Criterion 3
Unintended consequences or ripple effects considered.
Criterion 4
Upstream and downstream dependencies mapped in a real firm.
Timeline
March 17, 2026
Teams may begin registering for the challenge.
April 15, 2026
Teams submit their initial solution package.
April 18, 2026
Selected teams will be notified and invited to continue.
April 23, 2026
Selected teams submit their completed prototype.
April 24, 2026
1-4 p.m.
Tyser Auditorium, Room 1212