About the Gray Swan Arena
Gray Swan is an AI safety and security company founded here at CMU by Professors Zico Kolter and Matt Fredrikson.
On Sunday 3/15 (the weekend after Spring Break), CASI is collaborating with Gray Swan to host the Staged Attack Challenge locally at CMU. No prior red-teaming experience is needed. Just bring curiosity and a willingness to poke at AI systems.
What You'll Be Doing
Modern AI systems are wrapped in layered defenses — input filters, output filters, full pipelines. Your job is to find where those layers break down. For each target, you'll attack progressively harder configurations, from the raw model up to the full defense pipeline. Every valid break contributes real research data back to frontier labs.
Scoring & Prizes
Rankings are based on the number of successful breaks — each layer you crack across each target counts as a separate valid submission. The more you break, the higher you place.
- $5,000 in local prizes distributed at the end of the day at our local event (12:00PM – 6:00PM) — compete individually or on a team (up to 4 per team)
- $40,000 in global prizes via the two-week competition leaderboard — individual competitors only
Local Prize Breakdown (top 25 teams win money!):
- 1st Place: $1,000
- 2nd Place: $600
- 3rd Place: $400
- 4th–10th Place: $200 each
- 11th–25th Place: $100 each
Event Details
12:00PM – 6:00PM
Overflow: GHC 4307, GHC 4211, GHC 4215
Schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm at the event. How do I get started?
Head to the registration table at the front of Rashid Auditorium. Gray Swan staff will help you create an account on the Gray Swan Arena and get you set up on the leaderboard.
Designate one person as your team captain. The captain's email will be used as the login, which creates your team's UserID. The captain should then register the team with Gray Swan staff at the registration table.
No — only the captain needs to visit the registration table. The rest of the team can start hacking right away. You don't need to wait until your team is linked to the leaderboard before you begin.
Yes. Individual competitors also need to register with Gray Swan staff at the registration table to be included in the leaderboard.
General
No experience is required. Beginners are welcome. Just bring curiosity and a willingness to poke at AI systems.
Sunday, March 15, 12:00PM – 6:00PM at Rashid Auditorium (GHC 4401).
Yes! Lunch, boba, and dinner will be provided.
Yes, teams of up to 4 are allowed for local prizes ($5,000 pool). Global prizes ($40,000 pool) are for individual competitors only.
- 12:00PM — Opening ceremony with Professor Matt Fredrikson (CEO of Gray Swan), Red Teaming 101, and lunch
- 1:00PM — Registration and hacking begins
- 3:00PM — Boba break
- 6:00PM — Closing ceremony, dinner, and prizes
- A laptop
- Your creativity and red-teaming mindset