Amazon has announced the launch of its 2026 Nova AI University Challenge, a competition designed to advance research in trusted and secure AI software agents. The initiative will select ten university teams to participate, building on the framework established by the first Nova AI competition in 2025. The challenge emphasizes balancing AI capability with safety and reliability in software engineering. The competition will feature a unique structure with 'developer teams' building AI models that have integrated safety features, while 'red teams' will actively try to identify and expose vulnerabilities in these models. This adversarial approach aims to test the reliability and security of the AI systems in real-world scenarios. Amazon is committing significant resources to the program, offering each selected team a sponsorship package valued at $250,000, including stipends, AWS credits, and mentorship from Amazon researchers. A total of $700,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the top-performing developer and red teams.