Academic Canvas wins Rep. Jeff Crank’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Colorado’s Fifth District.

When asked what inspired the creation of Academic Canvas, Shivam Singh said, “Academic Canvas was created on the simple idea of making the college process more understandable. For me, it started when I moved to the United States and faced a system that felt completely foreign. Forms, deadlines, acronyms like FAFSA, AP, and GPA weighting were things my classmates had grown up hearing about. I hadn’t, and each step required research, translation, trial, and error.

‘My family and I learned everything together. There were nights we sat around the table trying to make sense of applications and scholarship forms, and even when we figured them out, I couldn’t help but wonder how many students never got that far. The information was there, but it was scattered across websites, written in complex language, or locked behind paid platforms. I wanted to change that.

‘That’s what motivated me to start Vidya Canvas, a nonprofit organization that provides students with free resources and mentorship in college preparation. The online platform began with an aggregation of digital tools: AI-powered scholarship finders, essay feedback systems, GPA calculators, and a college matcher, all necessary for making the process less daunting and more personalized.

‘But then I realized that many students, especially those without laptops or reliable internet, needed something even simpler and more accessible. That’s where Academic Canvas came in, a mobile version of Vidya Canvas that puts everything into one lightweight app. With it, students can track their grades, achievements, and goals, while the AI adviser embedded in the system gives personalized suggestions for colleges and AI advisory. I designed Academic Canvas the way I wish the college process had felt for me: direct, organized, and encouraging. For me, this project is a reflection of where I started and how far I’ve come.”