Colorado’s Platform for Challenge-Driven Innovation

Solving Real Problems, Adding Real Value

The Colorado Impact Challenge connects organizations with interdisciplinary student teams from colleges and universities across the state to solve meaningful, real-world problems.

Fall 2026 Challenge · Oct 20 – Nov 09

Co-hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado School of Mines

Register as a Student Partner With Us

Co-hosted in partnership by

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A Statewide Challenge, Co-hosted in Colorado

The Colorado Impact Challenge brings together students, universities, industry partners, mentors, and community organizations from across Colorado. The Fall 2026 Challenge is co-hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado School of Mines, with the Kickoff and Celebration Dinner held in person at Mines. Students from any Colorado college or university may participate. Organizations may support the broader Challenge ecosystem, bring a real problem for student teams to solve, provide mentorship, or build deeper relationships with Colorado’s emerging talent. Explore the Colorado Impact Challenge

What Is the Colorado Impact Challenge?

The Colorado Impact Challenge is a hands-on, three-week sprint where student teams take on real problems brought by real organizations—and compete for real cash bounties. Industry partners define the challenges, publish the success criteria, and select the winning teams. Teams form at the in-person Kickoff and learn which partner bounties have been awarded at the Celebration Dinner, both hosted at Colorado School of Mines. Students choose from published partner challenges and work in interdisciplinary teams. Participants receive access to mentors, tools, structured support, and opportunities to compete for partner-funded bounties. You do not need a technical background or an existing team. The program helps students form interdisciplinary teams, understand meaningful partner-defined problems, test ideas, develop practical solutions, and communicate those solutions clearly.

Participants will have access to:

        • Team formation and idea-development support
        • Published organizational problem statements
        • Mentorship from industry experts and entrepreneurs
        • Two live online working sessions
        • Asynchronous support throughout the sprint
        • Pitch and presentation guidance
        • Opportunities to compete for partner-funded bounties
        • Connections across Colorado’s university and innovation ecosystem
Learn More for Students

How It Works

1. Register

Register as an individual. You do not need a team when you sign up. Students may indicate which published partner challenges interest them and whether they are looking for teammates.

2. Attend the Kickoff

The in-person Kickoff takes place Tuesday, Oct 20, at Colorado School of Mines. Industry partners present their challenges, students meet one another, teams form, and participants choose which partner challenge they want to pursue.

3. Build Your Solution

From Oct 21 through Nov 08, teams work online to research, test, prototype, and refine their solutions. Teams receive support from mentors, partners, program resources, and two live working sessions.

4. Attend the Celebration Dinner

On Monday, Nov 09, teams return to Colorado School of Mines for the Celebration Dinner, where partner bounties will be awarded. Bounty partners select the winning teams using their published criteria before the event. Teams will learn the results at the dinner. Register as a Student

Take a Partner’s Challenge

A real organization publishes a real problem and puts a cash bounty behind it. Partner problem statements are shared before the Kickoff, and students choose whether to take one on after hearing directly from the partners. Teams pursuing a partner challenge are evaluated using the partner’s own published success criteria.

Who Can Participate?

The Colorado Impact Challenge is open to any currently enrolled student at any Colorado college or university. You do not need a pre-formed team or a business background—teams form at the Kickoff. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to participate. Strong teams often combine perspectives from business, engineering, science, computing, design, policy, communication, the humanities, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. Teams may include students from more than one Colorado institution. Explore University Participation

Important Dates

Oct 20 — Kickoff · In Person

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026 Colorado School of Mines Evening; exact time to be confirmed Industry partners present their challenges, students meet and form teams, participants choose a partner challenge, and every team leaves with its project established.

Oct 21 – Nov 08 — The Sprint · Online

Teams develop their solutions online with access to mentor and partner support, program resources, and two live working sessions. Preliminary decks are submitted for review as teams prepare their final presentations.

Nov 09 — Celebration Dinner · In Person

Monday, Nov 09, 2026 Colorado School of Mines Partner bounties are announced.

Registration Is Open

Registration for the Fall 2026 Challenge is open now. No registration deadline has been announced. View Registration Options

Partner Bounties

Partner bounties are additional awards available only to teams that take on the relevant organization’s published challenge. Each bounty partner defines its problem, establishes its success criteria, remains engaged with teams during the sprint, and selects its winning team before the Celebration Dinner. A bounty is paid only if a team meets the partner’s published standard. The bounty framework includes:
        • Exploration
        • Prototype / Pilot
        • Strategic Innovation

Partner With the Colorado Impact Challenge

The Colorado Impact Challenge helps organizations create corporate impact by connecting real organizational needs with the creativity, energy, and interdisciplinary expertise of Colorado students. Industry, nonprofit, government, startup, foundation, and community organizations may participate by supporting the broader Challenge ecosystem or by bringing a specific problem and bounty to student teams.

Partners gain access to:

        • Emerging student talent across Colorado
        • Fresh perspectives on meaningful organizational problems
        • Practical research, concepts, models, and prototypes
        • Direct engagement with interdisciplinary student teams
        • Recruiting, mentoring, and relationship-building opportunities
        • Connections across Colorado’s university and innovation ecosystem
        • Potential pathways toward pilots and continued projects
Learn More for Partners

Two Ways to Partner

Supporting Partner

A Supporting Partner invests in the broader Challenge ecosystem and helps create the experience for students across Colorado. Supporting Partners may receive recognition as official CIC partners, logo placement on appropriate website and marketing materials, recognition at the Kickoff and Celebration Dinner, networking access, and opportunities to recruit and mentor students. Supporting Partners do not submit a bounty challenge.

Bounty Partner

A Bounty Partner brings a real organizational problem to the Challenge and funds the bounty attached to solving it. The partner works with CIC to develop a clear problem statement, defines the criteria a successful solution must meet, presents the challenge at the Kickoff, engages with student teams during the sprint, and selects its winning team before the Celebration Dinner. Partner bounties are announced at the dinner. If no team meets the partner’s published standard, no bounty is awarded.
Partner With Us Submit a Bounty Challenge
For questions about partnering through Colorado School of Mines, contact Stan.Hickory@mines.edu.

Intellectual Property

Intellectual-property expectations are agreed during partner alignment before a challenge opens—never negotiated at the final event. The framework scales with the nature of the project and the partnership so that students and partners understand the expectations before work begins.

Exploration

Students retain ownership of all intellectual property. The partner receives a non-exclusive opportunity to review the work and discuss potential future collaboration.

Prototype / Pilot

Students retain ownership. The partner receives a first right to negotiate licensing, a pilot, or a sponsored continuation of the work.

Strategic Innovation

Intellectual-property terms are negotiated before the challenge opens. The agreement may include shared ownership, licensing, sponsored research, or another structure appropriate to the work. Custom agreements may be developed where confidential information, proprietary technology, regulated data, or other special circumstances are in scope. Review Partner Information

Support the Next Generation as a Mentor

Mentors are matched to teams by industry vertical and area of expertise. They engage primarily asynchronously during the three-week sprint, answering questions, pressure-testing ideas, and helping students strengthen their solutions. Mentors receive a short online orientation before the sprint. The role is designed to provide meaningful student support without requiring a large or inflexible time commitment. Register as a Mentor

From Student Ideas to Real-World Momentum

Since 2021, Colorado Impact Challenge teams have developed award-winning ventures, civic tools, nonprofit solutions, technical prototypes, data platforms, and partner-funded projects. The Challenge has grown from an initial CU Boulder event into a statewide, multi-university platform. Past teams have continued into venture competitions, pilots, research collaborations, and implementation discussions with partner organizations. See Past Results

Choose How You Want to Participate

Registration for the Fall 2026 Colorado Impact Challenge is open now. Select the role that best fits how you want to participate.
Register as a Student Register as a Partner Register as a Mentor Connect Your University
Student registration takes about a minute, and students do not need a pre-formed team before signing up.

Important Notes

        • Final presentations may be open to invited guests and may be photographed or recorded.
        • Teams should not disclose confidential or proprietary information in public presentations.
        • Partner-specific confidentiality and intellectual-property requirements must be established before a challenge opens.
        • Participants are responsible for securing permission to use copyrighted or third-party materials.
        • Event organizers may update schedules, rules, or participation requirements when necessary.
        • Judging decisions are final.

Questions?

For questions about the Colorado Impact Challenge at Colorado School of Mines, contact Stan.Hickory@mines.edu. For program details, student participation, partnerships, mentorship, university involvement, and registration, visit the Colorado Impact Challenge website. Visit ColoradoImpactChallenge.org Back to top
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