Horizons Challenge

Define the problem

A nationwide student competition that challenges students to explore emerging problem spaces, collaborate across disciplines, and shape the questions that will drive the next generation of innovation.

Explore Focus Areas
1 semester
to define the problem
Industry-validated focus areas
that set the stage for XPERIENCE
$2,040
cash prize
Your path

From defining the need to driving Innovation.

you are here
Step 1
Define the problem

Horizons Challenge

Teams choose a focus area and define a specific, validated need statement. Finalists pitch at the NEXPLORE summit to leaders across industry, government, and academia. The winning need statement can become the next Xperience.

Step 2
Solve the problem

Xperience

Multidisciplinary teams spend 12 to 18 months turning a validated need into an industry-backed, revenue-generating MVP.

Step 3
Get investment-ready

Xcelerate

The winning team receives up to six months of executive, legal, technical, and pitch support to strengthen investment readiness.

Why Participate

Decide what gets built.

Every team that finishes the Horizons Challenge walks away with an actionable, validated need statement. The winning need statement becomes the next Xperience Challenge.

Finalists

Meet with Xperts

Pitch live at the 2027 NEXPLORE Summit to industry leaders, founders, and NASA judges, and get feedback that sharpens your thinking.

A group of six young adults standing in a semicircle indoors, attentively listening to a man in a blue shirt who is speaking to them, with a hallway and banners in the background.
winning team

$2,040

Cash prize

Shape what comes next

Your need statement sets the target for the next Xperience, where student teams nationwide spend 12 to 18 months building against it.

Finalists and winners

Get recognized

Official finalist and winner badges for LinkedIn, plus recognition on xfoundry.org and at the NEXPLORE Summit.

Two hexagonal badges with the Foundry logo at the top; the left badge is blue with the word FINALIST and 'Horizons Challenge' below, the right badge is orange with the word WINNER and 'Horizons Challenge' below.
Horizons Challenge II

Focus Areas

xFoundry and NASA identified these four problem spaces as urgent, undersolved technology gaps. Each addresses an important need for space habitation that also exists on Earth today. Your task is to identify and validate the specific problem that should be solved first.
Society
Health
Infrastructure
Predictive User Interfaces
Smart interfaces that know what you need before you do.

Screens and controls that adapt in the moment, showing only what matters right now. The need begins in NASA operations and appears in ERs, cockpits, dispatch, and control rooms.

Health
Society
Infrastructure
Human Performance Monitoring
Health and safety monitoring tools that tell us when we are at risk.

Wearables and systems that read the body and mind in real time and warn before something goes wrong. The need starts with crew health and shows up anywhere people work at the edge.

Climate
Infrastructure
Society
Health
Autonomous Asset Inspection
AI as a tool to warn before failure in infrastructure, systems, and parts.

Robots and drones inspect equipment and structures on their own, finding cracks and failures before they turn catastrophic. The need begins in space and extends to bridges, pipelines, dams, and grids.

Climate
Education
Food and water
Health
Infrastructure
Adaptive Learning
Learn, adapt, and configure in high stress environments.

Systems that guide people through unfamiliar tasks in real time when expertise is scarce. The need begins with NASA crews and also appears on factory floors, in operating rooms, and in the trades.

Dates and deadlines

Two opportunities to participate

Registration Open

2026 cohort A

Registration
Sep 01 - Nov 27, 2026
Submission deadline
Dec 19, 2026
Semi-Finalists announced
Jan 2027
Coming Soon

2027 cohort B

Registration
Dec 01, 2026 - Mar 01, 2027
Submission deadline
Mar 19, 2027
Semi-Finalists announced
Mar 2027
Can't make the fall deadline? Build your team now and register when the spring window opens.

Both cohorts

Finalists announced
Mar 23, 2027
Live Finals
06–07 Apr 2027, NEXPLORE Summit

Before you register

A group of diverse young adults in business attire at an event, with one man raising his fist and holding a smartphone, another taking a photo or video with a phone, and others smiling and looking engaged.

How to register

Join ConneXions, xFoundry’s community of students and mentors, to get started:
  • Register for programs, form teams, and access exclusive resources
  • Participate in events, meet teammates, and connect with mentors
register here

Eligibility & team information

The Horizons Challenge is open to current college students. Teams with students from multiple disciplines are highly recommended.
  • 2-5 team members
  • Undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited partner university or community college (North America only)

Submission Criteria

What you submit:
  • A problem analysis
  • A pitch deck
  • A five-minute video pitch with transcript
  • A two-to-three-minute team video

Evaluation criteria

Submissions are evaluated using the following criteria:
  • Need statement quality: names the problem without prescribing a solution
  • Supporting research: stakeholders, population, and constraints backed by evidence
  • Synthesis: every part of the need statement traces to your research
  • Team capability: ability to encourage participation across disciplines

Previous Winners

Eight people, including five young team members and three adults, stand on stage holding an oversized check for $2,040 made out to Team Innersolace for winning the Horizons Challenge, with a congratulatory background.

Horizons Challenge I winner

Team Innersolace

Team Innersolace won the inaugural Horizons Challenge. The team identified rising isolation among humans on Earth and on the Moon, and the early warning signs that precede physical decline: disrupted sleep, low mood, and slowed thinking. Their problem statement set the direction for the Mental Health Xperience, which 281 students on 62 teams are working on now.

See the Mental Health Xperience →

Define the problem and decide what gets built

Register now
See what happens next: Xperience →

Frequently asked questions

Who can participate in the Horizons Challenge?
What is considered a discipline?
How is the winning topic selected?
Can a team participate in the Horizons Challenge if they already have a solution in mind?
Does the $2,040 prize go to each individual team member or is it a single sum to be split among the entire team?
Is there a participation fee or any out-of-pocket costs for student teams to join Horizons Challenge?

Keep exploring.