Smart Campus
Take the wheel and drive innovation through Verizon's 5G technology toward a better world.
Important Competition Resources and Guidelines
OPEN TO ALL NJIT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Verizon is sponsoring their second annual Smart Campus Competition at NJIT. The competition encourages students from all academic disciplines and backgrounds to contribute towards a brighter, more connected future. Leveraging Verizon 5G and their other technologies, students will identify a challenge to world around them and devise an innovative technical solution to solve a problem.
Up for It?
You, students, are as diverse as the problems that can be conquered with creativity and smart technology. Whether it’s improving local technical infrastructure, facilitating solutions for everyday problems, or using your ingenuity to create something completely new, you are the generation of changemakers for a better world. Show us what you’ve got.
Registration opens at the start of the Fall 2026 semester, highlighted by the Competition Kickoff Party on October 13th. From there, teams will form, register, choose a concept, and develop a value proposition, with event registration ending in mid to late October. The drop-in session on November 3rd provides teams with the opportunity to receive feedback on their project ideas from experienced Verizon technology mentors. Round 1 begins in mid-November, with the video submission concept-pitch, from there, a designated number of teams will be selected to advance to the Round 2 Poster Showcase. See the Competition Timeline below.
The Road Ahead
| Winning Teams | Award Money | Verizon Coaches |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | $3000 | |
| Prizes for First, Second, and Third place teams | Prizes for First, Second, and Third place teams | Professionals to guide teams along their way |
Smart Campus Competition Events
| Date and Time | Round | Location |
|---|---|---|
| October 13, 2026 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Kickoff | CKB Agile Strategy Lab – L70 |
| October 24, 2026 11:59 p.m. | Registration Deadline * | Online (* Registrations close after the deadline) |
| November 3, 2026 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. | Drop in Session | CKB Agile Strategy Lab – L70 |
| November 12, 2026 11:59 p.m. | 1 – Video Submission | Online |
| February 11, 2027 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. | 2 – Poster Showcase | CKB Agile Strategy Lab – L70 |
| March 2, 2027 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. | 3 – Project Presentation | CKB Agile Strategy Lab – L70 |
| March 30, 2027 | The Winner’s Circle | Verizon Headquarters - Basking Ridge EBC |
What’s In It for Me?
As an NJIT student, you’re busy. We know that. So why should you participate in this competition? First, participants get the unique opportunity to work directly with industry leaders from Verizon and other major companies for the duration of the competition (October-March). This will give you a competitive edge heading into your careers. Being “in it’ will help boost your resume with practical experience and meaningful project work with a Fortune 500 company. Third? CASH PRIZES for winning solutions. Teams advancing into the 3rd Round will receive a $500 stipend to utilize in furthering project development. Then, the top three teams chosen to join the Winner’s Circle will receive $3,000 per team and the chance to present their idea to Verizon leadership at their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ. Last but not least, teams may receive additional opportunities to further develop their ideas with Verizon. That means that if your idea reaches the final stages of the competition, there may be resources available to take your project to the next stages of development.
Verizon Tech Hub
Verizon has graciously curated the following articles and resources to help our participants understand and access these technologies for use in project development.
Suzanne Schnaars
Associate Director - Technical Project Management
Amisha Tolat
Associate Director - Cloud
Annette Baltgian
Associate General Counsel
Carlo Thompson
Distinguished Engineer - System Architecture
Chris Mullen
Associate Vice President - Cloud
Cliff Jones
Associate Director - Cloud
Henry Kelch
Associate Director
Jayashree Kilkovalavedu
Associate Director - Cloud
Justin Lilly
Consultant - Program and Project Management
Kate Dobbins
Engineer II - Technology LDP
Nimesh Patel
Senior Director - Network Performance
Palak Agrawal
Engineer I - Full Stack
Punit Patel
Associate Director - Cloud
Richard LeGrand
Associate Director - Product Management
Shari Griffin
Senior Director - Cloud
Steve Fertal
Distinguished Engineer - Cloud and Edge Compute Planning
Adriana Altamirano
Engineer II Technical Project Management
Frequently asked questions
General Information
Prizes and Benefits
Competition Overview
Competition Kickoff - October 9, 2025: Registration (link to registration form) opens and the event begins.
Drop In Session - October 30, 2025: After teams form, register, choose a concept, and develop a value proposition, teams will have the chance to receive feedback on their project from experienced Verizon technology mentors at this Drop In Session.
Round 1 - Video Submission - November, 2025: Hosted online, teams will upload their video submission for the 1st Round of judging. A designated number of teams will be selected to advance to Round 2.
Round 2 - Poster Showcase - February 12, 2026: Teams will create poster presentations which will be judged by Verizon mentors. Mentor support will be provided to teams invited to Round 2. A designated number of teams will be chosen to advance to Round 3.
Round 3 - Project Presentation - March 5, 2026: Finalists will have 10 minutes to present their fully formulated plan. Three teams will then enter the Winner’s Circle.
The Winner’s Circle - March 2026: Three teams will be selected to present their idea to Verizon Leadership at their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ.
Project Criteria
Contact Information
For any further questions or inquiries relating to the competition, please contact: Dina Anello, Executive Director of External Relations, Ying Wu College of Computing dina.m.anello@njit.edu