I. Eligibility and Team Formation

  • Team Size: Teams must consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of three members. This encourages collaboration while ensuring that all members can contribute meaningfully.

  • Registration: All participants must register individually before the event. Team formation can occur before or at the beginning of the hackathon.

  • No Affiliation: To maintain fairness, hackathon organizers, volunteers, judges, and sponsors are not eligible to participate as team members.[1] They may, however, act as mentors to any team.[1]

  • On-Site Presence: All team members are required to be physically present for the duration of the hackathon.

II. Code of Conduct

  • Respectful Environment: All participants are expected to treat each other with respect. Harassment, discrimination, or any form of inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.[2] This includes, but is not limited to, offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion.[3]

  • Reporting: Any violations of the code of conduct should be reported immediately to the event organizers. Organizers reserve the right to disqualify individuals or entire teams for such behavior.[3]

  • Inclusivity: The event is a safe and welcoming space for everyone, and a professional and respectful atmosphere is expected at all times.[2][4]

III. Project Development and Submissions

  • Original Work: All code and assets for the project must be created during the hackathon.[4] Participants should not use pre-existing code, with the exception of open-source libraries and frameworks.[4]

  • Idea Originality: While teams can come prepared with ideas, the implementation must be new. Working on projects or ideas that have been developed before is permissible, but the focus will be on the execution and quality of the work done during the event.[1]

  • No Pre-Coding: Starting a project before the official hackathon start time is strictly prohibited.

  • Intellectual Property: Teams retain full ownership of the intellectual property they create during the hackathon.

  • Submission Deadline: All projects must be submitted by the specified deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted.

IV. Judging and Prizes

  • Judging Criteria: Projects will be evaluated based on a clear set of criteria which may include:

    • Technical Complexity: The sophistication of the coding and implementation.

    • Innovation and Creativity: The originality and uniqueness of the idea.

    • Design and User Experience: The intuitiveness and aesthetic quality of the project.

    • Completion and Functionality: The extent to which the project is a working prototype.

    • Presentation: The clarity and effectiveness of the team's demonstration.[4]

  • Demonstration: Each team will have a designated amount of time to present their project to a panel of judges. A live demo is strongly encouraged over a slide presentation.[1]

  • Final Decision: The decisions of the judging panel are final.[4]

V. General Rules and Logistics

  • Resources: Participants should bring their own laptops and any necessary hardware. Organizers will provide power, internet access, and workspace.

  • Mentorship: Mentors will be available throughout the event to provide guidance and support. Teams are encouraged to seek their advice.

  • Fair Play: Any form of cheating, plagiarism, or unsporting conduct will result in immediate disqualification.[4]

  • Announcements: Participants are responsible for staying informed of any announcements made by the organizers during the event.