Edge AI Earth Guardians: At the Crossroads of Technology, Ecology, and Interspecies Connection

In the wake of steep biodiversity decline, the Edge AI Earth Guardians competition — hosted by Hackster and the EDGE AI Foundation — invites not just technical innovation, but a reimagining of our relationship with Earth through empathy and ecological awareness via ethical technology invention. This is more than a challenge; it's a movement.

Building on Hackster’s legacy of tech for good engineering competitions

Hackster has long championed the use of open source hardware and AI to solve real-world challenges, cultivating a vibrant community of engineers, artists, and changemakers. From the Elephant Edge initiative that empowered developers to create AI-enabled elephant tracking collars, to IoT Into the Wild, which catalyzed a global wave of plug-and-play conservation tools, Hackster’s competitions are not just showcases of innovation — they’re catalysts for impact.

These challenges have demonstrated that with the right tools and purpose, creators can design resilient, ethical, and scalable solutions that serve both people and the planet. The Edge AI Earth Guardians competition builds on this legacy, inviting the next wave of tech for good pioneers to create systems that don’t just detect nature, but actively protect and connect with it.

From spark to scale: Pathways to environmental impact

The Edge AI Earth Guardians competition is designed to support innovators at every stage of their journey through three tailored tracks, each offering a distinct pathway to advance their ideas and maximize impact.

• Track 1: From Idea to Prototype welcomes early-stage thinkers who are just beginning to explore how edge AI can support ecological protection — offering guidance, hardware support, and community resources to bring new concepts to life.
• Track 2: From Prototype to Market is intended for individuals with working demos or proof-of-concept systems, helping participants to refine their designs, enhance scalability, and explore pathways to real-world deployment.
• Track 3: Fast Track for Research-Backed Solutions is reserved for individuals or teams who have spent years developing robust, research-driven technologies and are ready to showcase or scale their work in collaboration with global partners.

Together, these tracks ensure that whether you’re a student, entrepreneur, or seasoned researcher, there's a pathway to turn your passion for nature and technology into lasting impact.

Helping ideas take shape

A key supporter of early-stage innovation in the competition is NextPCB, who is helping to bridge the gap between concept and creation by sponsoring $500 in manufacturing credit for the top 30 hardware applications. This contribution is designed to accelerate prototype development, giving participants access to high-quality PCB manufacturing and assembly services to bring their ideas to life faster and with greater precision. Whether you're building a wildlife tracker, an environmental sensor node, or an edge AI device for remote deployment, this support ensures that creators can move beyond breadboards and 3D models into fully functioning, field-ready prototypes. It’s a tangible investment in the power of open innovation — and a boost for teams aiming to turn bold ideas into real-world impact.

Embracing interspecies insight

This competition isn’t just about conservation tech embedded systems that run AI — the judging committee consists of stellar thought leaders promoting interdisciplinary perspectives that stretch beyond hardware and software. By embedding empathyinto the essence of the competition, focusing on frameworks and real-world problems over tech gimmicks, participants need to think beyond code and components to craft truly transformative solutions forging ethical, interspecies-centered edge AI technology.

Ready to participate as an Earth Guardian?

The competition started on July 29th and will be open for submission through September 24th, offering participants just under two months to develop and submit their projects. During this period, eligible teams can also apply for hardware support until August 15th, giving them time to receive and integrate components into their builds. Once submissions close, a panel of judges will evaluate entries across multiple criteria including innovation, technical execution, ecological impact, and alignment with track goals. Finalists will be announced by October 1st, with top winners receiving a range of awards — including a $2,500 grand prize and a paid trip to Taiwan to present their work at EDGE AI FOUNDATION’s Taipei event in November 2025.

Here are the steps to participate:

• Sign up and register for the competition on Hackster.
• Propose your idea and apply for hardware (if needed) by August 15th.
• Build, document, and submit your project before September 24th.
• Compete for a chance to present your creation in Taiwan!