PINECONE HACKATHON OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Contest Overview

The Pinecone Virtual Hackathon ("Hackathon") is a skill-based contest where participants are tasked to develop innovative solutions related to the contest theme. The Hackathon is administered and sponsored by Pinecone ("Sponsor").

2. Eligibility

The Hackathon is open to participants worldwide who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. Teams may consist of individuals from different organizations, backgrounds, and regions.

3. Registration

Participants must register online and provide all the necessary information. By registering, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to these Official Rules and Regulations. Participants must register to and submit their submission idea in order to qualify for credits.

4. Hackathon Period

The Hackathon will begin and end at the times specified by the Sponsor.

5. Submission Guidelines

Submissions must be original, developed solely by the participant or the participant's team, and not violate the intellectual property rights of any third party. All submissions should be in English and must include a demo video or presentation slides.

6. Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged based on their creativity, relevance to the theme, potential impact, and the quality of the presentation.

7. Intellectual Property Rights

All submissions remain the intellectual property of the individuals or organizations that developed them. Entrants agree that the Sponsor will have a fully paid, non-exclusive license to use the entry for judging and promotional purposes.

8. Prizes

Prizes are awarded to the top three entries as follows:

  • First Place:

    • $5000 in Pinecone credits

    • $3000 in AWS credits

    • $1500 in Convex credits

    • $1000 in Cohere credits

    • $1000 in Vercel credits

    • 6 months of Zapier Professional plan
    • %50 off Clerk (Business) for 1 year

    • Featured in Pinecone Summit (presentation opportunity)

  • Second Place:

    • $3000 in Pinecone credits

    • $1500 in AWS credits
    • $1000 in Convex credits
    • $500 in Cohere credits
    • $400 in Vercel credits Mention in the Pinecone Summit
    • 6 months of Zapier Standard plan
    • %50 off Clerk (Business) for 1 year)

  • Third Place:

    • $500 in Pinecone credits
    • $500 in AWS credits
    • $500 in Convex credits
    • $200 in Cohere credits
    • $100 in Vercel credits
    • 3 Months of Zapier Starter
    • Mentioned in the Pinecone Summit

Prizes are non-transferable and winners are responsible for any associated fees or taxes.

9. Entry Conditions and Release

By entering the Hackathon, you agree to comply with these Official Rules and Regulations and release, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Sponsor from any claims, expenses, and liabilities related to the Hackathon or the use/misuse of any Prize.

10. Publicity

By participating in the Hackathon, Entrant consents to the promotion and display of their Submission and the use of their personal information for promotional purposes.

11. General Conditions

The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Hackathon, or any part of it, in the event of a technical failure, fraud, or any other factor or event that was not anticipated or is not within their control.

12. Limitations of Liability

By entering, all Entrants agree to release the Sponsor from any and all liability in connection with the Prizes or Entrant’s participation in the Hackathon.

13. Disputes

Any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Hackathon, or any Prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action lawsuit, and exclusively by final and binding arbitration.

14. Additional Terms

Please review the Pinecone’s Terms of Service at Pinecone.io for additional rules that apply to your participation in the Hackathon and more generally your use of the Hackathon Website.

15. Entrant’s Personal Information

Information collected from entrants is subject to the Pinecone's Privacy Policy

16. Scoring

  1. Uses Pinecone in a substantial way: Judges will assess the importance of Pinecone in the project. The more integral Pinecone is to your solution, the higher your score. (up to 10 points)

  2. Solves a Real-World Problem: The solution should address a tangible, real-world issue. The greater the potential impact, the higher the score. (up to 20 points)

  3. Uses Pinecone in an innovative way: How creative is your application of Pinecone? Innovative use will score higher. (up to 10 points)

  4. User Experience: The application should be easy to use and intuitive. The smoother the user experience, the higher the score. (up to 20 points)

  5. Uses one or more of the partner tools: Each partner tool used effectively in your project will score you additional points. (5 points each)

  6. Technical Execution: The application should be technically sound and functionally reliable. Robust, efficient, and effective solutions will score higher. (up to 20 points)

17. Disqualifying factors:

  1. Doesn't use Pinecone: The project must utilize Pinecone in some significant way to be considered.

  2. Doesn't solve a real-world problem: Projects that are merely toys or don't aim to address a tangible issue will be disqualified.

  3. Requires special technical knowledge to use: The application should be user-friendly and not require specialized technical knowledge for an average user to operate it.

 

For questions, send an email to roie.s.c@pinecone.io.