At RIVA, innovation isn’t something we talk about—it’s something we practice. That’s why we launched our first Prompt-a-thon—an internal, non-technical challenge designed to uncover practical, high-impact ways our teams can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their everyday work. Open to RIVA’s entire staff, participating in the Prompt-a-thon required no coding experience. The goal was simple but ambitious: help our people work smarter, faster, and more creatively, while building AI fluency across the organization.
Turning AI Curiosity Into Real Business Impact
Participants were asked to design real-world AI use cases that deliver measurable value across key areas:
- Increased quality
- Increased output
- Time savings
- Cost savings
- Innovation
The Prompt-a-thon wasn’t about perfection. It was an experiment-friendly space where people could iterate on prompts, test workflows, and rethink how work gets done. Teams didn’t just explore ideas—they were encouraged to quantify impact, answering questions like: How much effort did this take before AI and how much does it take now?
Tools That Meet People Where They Work
To ensure accessibility and flexibility, participants could choose from ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or they could bring their own AI model. If someone didn’t already have access to a paid AI tool, RIVA provided it—because innovation shouldn’t be gated by licenses.
Learning Before Competing
To set everyone up for success, we hosted two prompting master classes ahead of the event, focused on practical prompt design, role-based AI use cases, and building workflows instead of one-off outputs. These sessions ensured the Prompt-a-thon wasn’t just a competition, but a shared learning experience. Winning solutions were recognized for both creativity and measurable impact. Our winners include:
- First Place: Sandy Mitchell, Program Manager
- Second Place: Dietrick Gottfried Schmidt, Technical Solutions Architect
- Third Place: Jacob Mann, Data Analyst
Putting the “I” in RIVA
At RIVA, innovation is not limited to strategy decks or future-state conversations. Embedded in our name (R- Results, I- Innovation, V- Values, A- Accountability), it’s one of our core values and it shows up in how we work every day.
The Prompt-a-thon is a tangible expression of that value in action. We gave our teams the space, tools, and encouragement to experiment with AI, rethink existing workflows, and challenge assumptions about what’s possible. The focus wasn’t just on new ideas, but on practical impact and solutions that improve quality, save time, reduce cost, or unlock new ways of working.
By creating an environment where experimentation is expected and learning is shared, RIVA is building more than AI skills. We’re reinforcing a culture where innovation is owned by everyone.
