International AI Competition 2026 with Cash Prizes of Up to $250,000
Applicant criteria
- NationalityNo specific nationality required
- AgeNo specific age required
- GenderBoth
Opportunity criteria
- Opportunity FieldMusic, Art and Graphic Design, Technology and Programming, Others
- Deadline2026-11-18
Opportunity description
Chinese company MegaRobo Technologies has launched the first edition of the Poreva Open 2026 – Global AI Protein Design Challenge, an international scientific competition combining artificial intelligence and biotechnology. The competition gives research teams, universities, and specialized companies from around the world the opportunity to develop innovative protein designs using AI technologies.
The competition aims to transform protein designs generated by computational models into testable scientific results through standardized laboratory experiments conducted at Megalaxy Lab, where the organizers plan to test more than 10,000 protein designs.
The competition features five scientific challenges conducted in two stages, focusing on designing proteins capable of interacting with specific biological targets. These challenges are intended to contribute to advancing research in drug discovery and biotechnology.
Benefits
Total cash prizes of approximately $250,000 USD (CNY 1.7 million).
First Prize: CNY 1,000,000.
Second Prize: CNY 500,000.
Third Prize: CNY 200,000.
Additional laboratory testing credits worth approximately $150,000 USD in total, provided by Megalaxy Lab.
The top 10 teams may have the opportunity to receive potential investment offers, subject to evaluation and due diligence.
Selected protein designs will be tested in a specialized laboratory environment.
Participants will have access to the resulting experimental data and findings, with some results potentially published in accordance with the applicable intellectual property terms.
Participation is free, with no registration fees.
Eligibility criteria
The competition is open to teams from around the world.
Research teams, university laboratories, biotechnology companies, and AI teams are eligible to participate.
Each team must consist of at least 3 members.
Individual or anonymous entries are not accepted.
Teams must register using a professional email address that can be used to verify their institutional affiliation.
Participants must submit original protein designs that meet the requirements of the selected challenge.
Any legally available AI model or algorithm may be used.
Teams must disclose the models and methods used to develop their designs.
Each team is responsible for the costs of the computing resources and software required to develop its designs.
Submitted designs must meet the competition’s requirements for originality, structural diversity, and specified protein sequences.