Kean University · Since Fall 2025

Kean Cup AI Competition

Students make videos, music, art, and games with AI, and the campus picks its favorites.

I started the Kean Cup in Fall 2025 so that students could try making something with AI tools. Each round has a theme. Students turn in a finished piece together with the prompts they used to get there, and judges and classmates vote.

Keanu the cougar, Kean University's mascot
3Competitions so far
90+Student entries
$1K+Prizes, 2nd Kean Cup
AllMajors welcome
Competitions

Past competitions

Click into a competition for its rules and timeline, or go straight to the winners.

3rd
Latest
Still from Winter's Blanket, four characters in flowing robes on a misty hillside Title art for The Last Flame
Winter's Blanket · The Last Flame
3rd · Fall 2026 · CPS-2800 class competition

Myths and Legends

This round ran inside my two CPS-2800 sections. Students made a video, game, or animation based on a myth or legend, and each section voted for its favorites.

Winter's Blanket by Yuexuan Liu (Section 01) and The Last Flame by Julian McMillon (Section 02) Section winners by class vote
Winners Section 01 Section 02
2nd
Frame from KEANU-VERSE, swirling orange and yellow anime flames
KEANU-VERSE · Grand Prize
2nd · Spring 2026 · University-wide

Anime

The first round open to the whole university. Students from every college made anime-style art, videos, and music with AI. There was a $500 grand prize plus department prizes, and the winners presented at Kean Research Day in April.

KEANU-VERSE by Isaiah Laborde University-wide grand prize
Winners Competition page
1st
“Wow, AI is so cool!”
Fall 2025 theme
1st · Fall 2025 · CS Department

Wow AI is So Cool!

The first round, for students in the Department of Computer Science and Technology. Entries were images, songs, and videos made with AI, and the department voted on them. The three winning pieces are on the results page.

Music Video: Keanu's Life at Kean University by Chin-Chien Lin First place by department vote
Song: Code to the Metal by Essence Toone and 2050 - A future day with AI by Justin Gordon Tied for second place
Top 3 winners Competition page
How it works

How a round works

01

A theme is announced

So far: "Wow AI is so cool," Anime, and Myths and Legends. You can take the theme in any direction you want.

02

You make something

Use any AI tool to make a finished piece: a video, a song, a comic, a game. Save your prompts and workflow, since they are part of the submission.

03

People vote

Judges and students vote on creativity, fit with the theme, use of AI, and how entertaining the piece is. Winners go on the results page and present at Kean Research Day.

Next round

If you would like to take part, help judge, or sponsor a prize, send me an email.

zimeng.lyu@kean.edu