Kent State University · 2027 interest open

Tear down the barriers.

Build what comes next.

A one-day innovation challenge where high school students build real solutions to the everyday costs that keep families from getting ahead. $20,000+ in prizes.

Get notified for 2027 See the 2026 event

$20K+

In prizes

Cash, scholarships, school grants

Tracks

Pick a barrier, or bring your own

Judges

Banks, planners, founders, professors

Years running

2024, 2025, 2026

A student beside a poster project on unemployment in the Innovation Gallery at Barrier Breakers 2026 — Innovation Gallery, Kent State, March 2026

The problem

Financial health isn't about knowing more. It's about facing fewer walls.

The barriers are real and specific: transportation that costs more than the job pays, rent that eats 60% of a paycheck, medical debt from a single ER visit. These are problems that take new ideas, not just tighter budgets.

53%

of Americans living paycheck to paycheck

36%

of US households carry medical debt

50%

of renter households are cost-burdened by housing

$33.63

hourly wage needed to afford a modest 2BR rental

How it works

Three steps. No fluff.

Pick a barrier

Choose a track: transportation, housing, healthcare, financial literacy, or bring your own. Research why it exists and who it hurts most.

Build a solution

App prototype, community tool, financial literacy campaign, policy proposal. Use AI tools. Prototype fast. Make it real.

Present and compete

Demo Day for oral presentations. Innovation Gallery for posters. Knowledge Track for financial literacy. Everyone who applies competes.

Innovation tracks

Pick your barrier.

Choose one challenge. Research it. Solve it.

Transportation

Car costs, insurance, and transit gaps blocking stable employment.

Housing Affordability

Rent burden, deposits, and credit barriers to stable housing.

Healthcare Access

Medical debt and high costs devastating young adults.

Literacy & Investment

Limited financial education preventing generational wealth.

Open Track

Any financial barrier. Childcare, food insecurity, student debt, or your own idea.

March 20, 2026

The day in pictures.

Barrier Breakers 2026 at Kent State University. Students showed up, showed out, and broke through.

24 photos · tap to expand

Rewards

$20,000+

In cash prizes, scholarships, and school grants.

Demo Day

Top team per track. 5-min pitch + 2-min Q&A. Cash + scholarships + school grants.

1st Place$7,500$4k cash · $2.5k scholarship · $1k school

2nd Place$4,650$2.5k cash · $1.5k scholarship · $650 school

3rd Place$2,750$1.25k cash · $1k scholarship · $500 school

4th Place$1,850$750 cash · $750 scholarship · $350 school

5th Place$1,250$500 cash · $500 scholarship · $250 school

Cash & scholarships split among team members. Scholarships require attending KSU & selecting an ACCBE major/minor. School grants go directly to the school.