Jayhawk Discovery Challenge
Fall in love with the problem
Compete in the Jayhawk Discovery Challenge and investigate a meaningful problem, talk with potential customers, and earn funding to develop your idea.The Jayhawk Discovery Challenge gives University of Kansas undergraduate and graduate students from every discipline across all departments and schools an opportunity to explore meaningful problems, conduct customer discovery research and communicate what they learn.
Students can participate individually or in teams of up to four. The competition is supported by the Mark L. Morris, Jr. New Venture Development Award and encourages disciplined learning, critical thinking, customer engagement and entrepreneurial exploration.
Earn funding while developing your ideas:
- $250 participation grant for every qualified entry
- $1,000 finalist grants (2nd-10th place)
- $2,000 grand prize
- Top 10 entries advance to the Spring 2027 Stage II competition
Participants create two poster boards (approximately 2 ft. × 4 ft. each) that document their discovery process and findings.
Your posters should:
- Describe the problem you're exploring
- Identify a specific customer or user group
- Share evidence gathered through customer discovery
- Explain customer motivations and current behaviors
- Highlight remaining questions, assumptions and next steps
The goal isn't to have all the answers. The challenge rewards thoughtful investigation, evidence-based learning and a willingness to test assumptions.
Entrepreneurship faculty and staff evaluate posters based on:
- Customer engagement
- Critical thinking
- Intellectual honesty
- Evidence-based learning
- Clear communication
- Quality of insights and discoveries
Successful entries demonstrate what students learned through the discovery process, including unexpected findings and remaining uncertainties.
Using AI in the discovery process
Participants may use generative AI tools to support their work, including:
- Developing hypotheses
- Finding secondary research
- Drafting interview questions
- Identifying patterns in customer feedback and research
All conclusions and discoveries presented in the competition should be grounded in participant research and customer-discovery evidence.
Participants create two poster boards (approximately 2 ft. × 4 ft. each) that document their discovery process and findings.
Your posters should:
- Describe the problem you're exploring
- Identify a specific customer or user group
- Share evidence gathered through customer discovery
- Explain customer motivations and current behaviors
- Highlight remaining questions, assumptions and next steps
The goal isn't to have all the answers. The challenge rewards thoughtful investigation, evidence-based learning and a willingness to test assumptions.
Entrepreneurship faculty and staff evaluate posters based on:
- Customer engagement
- Critical thinking
- Intellectual honesty
- Evidence-based learning
- Clear communication
- Quality of insights and discoveries
Successful entries demonstrate what students learned through the discovery process, including unexpected findings and remaining uncertainties.
Using AI in the discovery process
Participants may use generative AI tools to support their work, including:
- Developing hypotheses
- Finding secondary research
- Drafting interview questions
- Identifying patterns in customer feedback and research
All conclusions and discoveries presented in the competition should be grounded in participant research and customer-discovery evidence.
2026 Jayhawk Discovery Challenge student process
- Email Megan Holder
- Schedule poster pickup — the program provides roughly 2 ft. x 4 ft. poster boards for each entry
- Indicate interest in the optional Wichita experience
The program is not holding a pre-event workshop in fall 2026.
- Reference and review poster content and judging information to develop materials
- Identify a problem and customer group
- Gather evidence through customer conversations and research
- Create two posters that document your findings
- Share draft posters in an expo during the afternoon and evening
- Receive feedback from entrepreneurs and business leaders
- Network with founders
- Participate in a company tour
Space is limited to 25 students and is available first come, first served.
Student support includes:
- Bus transportation (leaving Oct. 29 and returning Oct. 30)
- Hotel lodging
- Breakfast
- Program activities
Thursday, Nov. 5, in Anderson Family Atrium of Capitol Federal Hall
- Posters must be displayed by 9 a.m. and will remain on display throughout the day.
- Participants do not need to stay with their posters.
Award recipients will be notified after judging is completed. The top 10 entries receive an invitation to the Jayhawk Discovery Challenge Stage II competition in spring 2027 with additional prizes.
Prize structure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Award | Amount | Eligibility |
| Participation grant | $250 | Every qualified entry |
| Finalist grant | $1,000 | Entries ranked 2nd through 10th |
| Grand prize grant | $2,000 | Top-ranked entry |
Awards split equally among team members. To qualify, an entry must display both posters on November 5 and cover the required poster sections.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
No. This competition is exclusively about discovering and validating a problem. You are judged on the quality of your research, not the quality of a proposed solution.
Yes. Teams of up to four students are encouraged. All prize money will be distributed equally among team members.
No. The Jayhawk Discovery Challenge is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Kansas from any major or discipline. Diverse perspectives are highly valued.
This is an excellent use of AI!
AI is an excellent tutor to walk through the basics, but the most important tasks are simple — be curious, ask questions, and listen with empathy. Your goal is to understand why this particular person experiences this particular problem.
Any kind. We encourage you to explore problems you are passionate about, whether they are social, environmental, technical, or commercial. The key is to identify a specific group of people who are significantly affected by it.
The top ten finalists will be invited to the Spring 2027 "From Problem to Prototype" competition, where they will compete for a larger pool of funding to develop solutions to the problem they validated in the fall.
Poster content and judging
Your poster must effectively communicate your research. While the design is flexible, it must include sections covering the following four areas.
1. Problem Significance & Definition
Clearly define the problem you're exploring, identify the customer group affected by it, and explain why the problem matters.
2. Evidence of Validation
Detail the steps you took to validate the problem (e.g., interviews, surveys, observations) and share your key insights. Direct engagement with potential customers is required.
3. Understanding of the Customer
Include a detailed profile of the target customer, including motivations, challenges, current behaviors and decision-making factors.
4. Uncertainty & Next Steps
Identify your biggest remaining assumptions, and propose specific actions to test them.