Texas Christian University is launching the inaugural Chancellor’s Innovation Prize, a new campuswide challenge inviting students, faculty and staff to propose innovative solutions that improve university operations and support student success. 

The 2026 competition centers on operational artificial intelligence, emphasizing the purposeful use of AI technologies to enhance academic, administrative and student-facing functions across the university. 

“The Chancellor’s Innovation Prize is more than a competition – it is a call to action for our campus community to collaborate, create and innovate,” Chancellor Daniel W. Pullin said. “Together, we can turn bold ideas into practical solutions that shape the future of TCU.” 

The award challenges campus members to identify an existing operational opportunity at TCU and propose a practical, AI-enabled solution with the potential to be piloted on campus and scaled over time. 

“The Chancellor’s Innovation Prize aims to foster creative problem-solving and leverage emerging technologies to strengthen university operations while advancing student success at TCU,” Tom Wavering, chief university strategy and innovation officer, said. “As student needs grow and expectations for responsiveness, personalization and data-driven decision-making increase, universities face mounting operational demands.”  

Proposals should demonstrate how artificial intelligence can be applied to improve areas such as student support, advising and success systems; academic or administrative workflows; data access, reporting or decision support; resource allocation, scheduling or process optimization; and faculty or staff productivity and capacity. 

The challenge is open to all TCU students, faculty and staff. Participants may submit proposals individually or as part of a team of up to five members, with cross-functional collaboration encouraged.  

Full descriptions and submission guidelines can be found online.