Gather your teams and get your analytics and data science tools, skills, and mindsets ready! TAG Data Challenge 2026 starts November 17, 2025, and runs through March 31, 2026.
Description of Challenge / Problem to Solve
Join us in supporting GCDHH’s mission using data, analytics, data science, and AI.
Across Georgia, individuals with hearing loss continue to face barriers which can limit full participation in education, employment, healthcare, transportation, and civic engagement.
While numerous programs and advocacy efforts exist to address these challenges, their accessibility and effectiveness vary and there is a need for data driven measurement and analytics to determine which efforts have delivered the strongest, most measurable improvements in quality of life, independence, and inclusion.
This year’s TAG Data Challenge invites participants to identify, collect, and analyze publicly available data to evaluate the reach and impact of disability-related training, programs, and advocacy initiatives. Competitor teams will focus on the deaf and hard of hearing communities while comparing outcomes across multiple disability groups, including those with physical, cognitive, or communication differences, and others. Through creative data exploration, modeling, and innovation, teams will aim to answer key questions:
- Which types of programs (e.g., employment, accessibility training, legislative advocacy, or education initiatives) have demonstrated the greatest positive outcomes?
- What gaps or unmet needs exist within Georgia’s deaf community?
- Which programs take highest priority based on data, analysis, models, insights, and/or technology solutions?
The Georgia Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GCDHH)will use these findings to brief its Board of Directors with potential to strengthen community partnerships and ultimately support state and local legislators. Results may include both insightful data analyses and the development of dynamic, real-time tracking technology tools designed to continuously monitor program quality, efficacy, quantity, reach, and other key performance indicators over time.
By leveraging open data, analytics, and technology innovation, participants will help demonstrate how inclusive, data-informed programs not only empower individuals with disabilities but also build stronger, more self-sustaining communities across Georgia.
Competition Details
Teams:
Teams may include individuals from academia, corporate, consulting, or other practitioners, and combinations by group are also permitted.
Phase 1: Using the description of the challenge / problem to solve from this competition, teams must submit a single, open-source, custom designed video per team up to 10 minutes in length outlining their Proposed Approach for working on this challenge. All team members and the team name should be listed on the opening slide of the proposed approach. Submissions are made by sending a single email message per team with the link to the video in the body of the message. Submissions should go to: Jamarius@tagonline.org, with the subject heading, “TAG Data Challenge 2026 – Round 1 submission,” by the deadline shown.
Phase 2: Leveraging the problem statement, the provided data, and augmented data of each team’s choosing (must be open source), plus content from a conference call with the nonprofit organization addressing the finalist teams, teams are responsible for analyzing the data to answer the challenge / problem and ultimately help GCDHH with their goals. Final submissions should go to: Jamarius@tagonline.org, with the subject heading, “TAG Data Challenge 2026 – FINAL submission,” by the deadline shown. All teams are required to present during the final presentation in person with at least one team member physically present.
Prizes
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Akhil Mahajan – data science & AI leader, community supporter, and advocate for others – we are able to offer the following prizes:
- Prize Money –
- First place: $3,000 for the team
- Runner up: $1,000 for the team
- Speaking Spot at INFORMS Atlanta Chapter –
- Winning teams (first and second place) earn speaking spots at 2026 INFORMS Atlanta Regional Conference (or other mutually agreed-upon event)
- Travel, registration, and other expenses will have to be covered by the winning teams or their sponsors
- Social Media Posts –
- Mention by Technology Association of Georgia’s Data Science & AI Society on social media
Data
Required data to leverage for the finalist round of the competition will originate from the following sources:
1) Research and scholarly information related to the needs of the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind community and services available for them. This will directly impact the quality of our communities for the better.
2) Finalist Teams should gather open source and/or publicly available data for their analyses to help improve their model and more fully answer the community / business question and provide meaningful results to the data sponsor. This data should originate from .org, .gov, or .edu sites; other sources require approval from program administrators.
Additional details will be provided via email to finalist teams.
Assessment Rubric and Judges
Teams for both Round 1 – Proposed Approach, and Round 2 – Finalists will receive assessment from judges with expertise in analytics, data, data science, and the subject matter expertise including addiction and recovery. The assessment rubric includes (but is not limited to) the following dimensions:
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Framework and Ethical Standards
Competitors are required to adhere to the Code of Ethics as outlined by INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional designation:
https://www.certifiedanalytics.org/code-of-ethics
Also, teams are expected to follow the INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional framework / domains toward solving the community / business problem:
https://www.certifiedanalytics.org/cap
While application of the model in a practical environment is not possible during this competition, teams should discuss how this would work and methods for operationalizing their model to help the organization and support decision-making.
Key Dates
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- November 17, 2025: Registration available
- January 12, 2026: Competition kick off interest call for all registered; advice from data science & AI experts
- February 9, 2026: Submissions for Round 1 – Proposed Approach due by midnight
- February 16, 2026: Finalist teams announced via email
- February 20, 2026, Time TBD: Data walk through with nonprofit sponsor, review of community / business questions to solve, data access provided; advice from data science & AI experts
- March 30, 2026: Submissions for Finalist Round – Final Results due by midnight via email
Teams
All competitor teams must remain the same from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Team size must be between 2 and 4 members, and all members must work from USA and leverage domestic resources open to their use. Competitors can come from academia, practitioners, consultants, or others. If you need help finding team members, you may send an email message to jamarius@tagonline.org with the subject line: “NEED TEAM – TAG Data Challenge 2026” by January 9 at 12 PM. Your email when then get shared with others looking for team members and you can choose teams from there based on schedules, personal objectives, and skills.
Communication Channel
The official communication channel throughout the competition will include email addresses provided during the submission process for teams and individuals, and the following TAG Data Science & Analytics Society page for other announcements, details, and general communication.
Register for the competition by sending one email per team, with all team members included, to the following address:
Jamarius@tagonline.org
Sponsors
