Hackathon Rules Participants are encouraged to carefully review the following rules and guidelines before submitting a project. These rules are intended to ensure fairness, transparency, and a positive experience for all participants. Dates All key dates, including the start of the hackathon, submission deadline, and winner announcement, will be listed on the Devpost page. Submissions must be completed and uploaded before the stated deadline. Late submissions will not be considered. Eligibility The hackathon is open to individuals and teams. Participants may work independently or collaborate in teams of up to 4 people. You must register your team, and only one person needs to submit for the team. By participating, individuals agree to abide by these rules and any additional guidelines provided by the organizers. Project and Submission Requirements Participants are required to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) during the hackathon period. The project must include a working prototype that demonstrates the core idea and functionality. Submissions that consist solely of concepts, presentations, or incomplete implementations will not be eligible. Teams may choose to build within an official challenge track, if provided, or pursue a freestyle project of their choice. There are no restrictions on programming languages, frameworks, or tools. To be considered valid, each submission must include:

• A public GitHub repository containing the project code, with clear setup and usage instructions
• A 2–3 minute demo video showcasing the problem, solution, and a working demonstration of the project
• A README file detailing the project overview, features, installation steps, usage instructions, and team contributions

Projects must be original work created during the hackathon. Pre-existing projects are not allowed unless they are significantly modified with new functionality developed during the event.   Each team may submit only one project. Judging Criteria and Winner Selection Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:

• Innovation and creativity: originality and uniqueness of the idea
• Technical implementation: quality and complexity of the solution
• Impact and relevance: potential real-world usefulness and problem significance
• Design and usability: user experience and clarity of the product
• Presentation: clarity and effectiveness of the demo video

Winners will be selected based on overall performance across these criteria. The decisions of the judging panel are final. Additional Rules All work must be completed during the hackathon period. Submissions must not include plagiarized or unauthorized content. Participants are expected to follow all guidelines and act in good faith. The organizers reserve the right to disqualify submissions that violate these rules. Code of Conduct All participants, sponsors, mentors, and organizers are expected to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment throughout the hackathon. Harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behavior of any kind will not be tolerated.   Participants are expected to:

• Treat all individuals with respect and professionalism.
• Refrain from offensive, discriminatory, or harmful language or behavior.
• Respect personal boundaries and consent in all interactions.
• Comply with all applicable laws and platform policies.

  Any participant found violating this code of conduct may be subject to warnings, disqualification, or removal from the hackathon at the discretion of the organizers.