Rules and Code of Conduct

Remember that hackathons are like marathons. Some people go to compete but most people take part to better themselves and have fun. Whatever the reason is you're at a hackathon, make sure you're upholding the hacker spirit by collaborating with other teams, helping beginners, and having fun.

1. General Information

All participants must act respectfully.
Professional conduct is mandatory; violations result in disqualification or removal.
Open to all backgrounds and skill levels; exclusionary behaviour results in immediate disqualification.
Violations can be reported anonymously; organizers will investigate all reports.
By participating, you agree to follow the hackathon’s rules and guidelines. Failure to comply may lead to disqualification.
Contact the organizers with any questions or concerns.

2. Participation Rules

a) Team Formation

Maximum of 3 members per team.
All team members must confirm their participation before the start date.
Ensure all teammates understand rules and expectations.

b) Attendance

All team members must attend both competition days; absence may result in disqualification from prizes.
Leaving the venue for some time to hack elsewhere is fine as long as it is within campus and under supervision - You must gain permission first from Shahm Najeeb.

c) Work Rules

Teams can gain advice and support from organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and others.
Teams can work on ideas that have already been done. Hacks do not have to be “innovative”.
Teams must stop hacking once the time is up. However, teams are allowed to debug and make small fixes to their programs after time is up.
All code must be written during the hackathon; pre-existing libraries can be used unless prohibited.
Reusing up to 60% of prior work is permitted with clear documentation.
Required deliverables: Source code with documentation, README file, and presentation slides (if applicable).

d) Conduct

Respectful behavior towards all participants.
No exclusionary behavior.
Teams can be disqualified from the competition at the organizers’ discretion.

3. Tools and Technology

Any language, framework, or tool is allowed unless prohibited; organizers may restrict certain tools for security reasons.
Must declare hardware before the event, Declare first day when signing in with the volunteers. Do download the hardware rules and read them if necessary.
Internet allowed for research, not external assistance; no communication with people outside the competition.
AI may assist but cannot dominate the project; teams must state AI usage in the README.
Block-Based coding or Hybrid-Based coding is not allowed; only pure scripting languages are allowed. ( Exception to this rule for Junior Programmers )

4. Intellectual Property

All the Prizes and the Prize categories are decided at the sole discretion of Wes:Hack and can be modified at any time under requisite circumstances.
After hacking finishes, teams will show their projects to each other and to the judges.
You are encouraged to present what you have done even if your hack is broken, or if you weren’t able to finish.
Photography is encouraged, Participants must give a reasonable chance to opt out from being photographed.

5. Judging Criterion

a) Innovation

Novelty and originality of the idea; differentiation from existing solutions.
Creativity in problem-solving and approach.
Uniqueness of the concept compared to other submissions.

b) Functionality

Does the project meet its objectives? Are there bugs or limitations?
Reliability and stability of the application.
Completeness of the features and functionalities.

c) Design

User interface design and usability; accessibility for users of all skill levels.
Aesthetic appeal and visual design.
Consistency in design elements and user experience.

d) Impact

Addressing real-world problems; potential reach and influence.
Social, economic, or environmental benefits.
Potential for scalability and future development.

e) Technical Merit

Quality of the project’s architecture; technical innovation or achievements.
Efficient use of resources and optimization.
Complexity and sophistication of the technical implementation.

f) Documentation

Thoroughness of the documentation; ease of understanding for external users.
Clarity and completeness of the README file.
Availability of usage instructions and examples.

g) Additional Criteria

Judges may apply extra criteria at their discretion.
Consideration of teamwork and collaboration.
Presentation and demonstration quality.

6. Code of Conduct

Respectful behavior towards all participants.
No exclusionary behavior.
Violations can be reported anonymously.
Teams must be present on both competition days.
All team members must follow the rules.
Runner-ups may receive recognition in the closing ceremony.
Winners may be asked to participate in promotional activities, including but not limited to video's and afterword.
Only students who are enrolled in school may join, even without being under the name of their school, you must be 18 or under – College students are not allowed.

7. Sanctions

a) General Information

Violations of hackathon rules and guidelines will result in sanctions. The nature of the sanction will depend on the severity and frequency of the violation.

b) Types of Sanctions

Warning:
- Issued for minor infractions.
- Participants will be notified and expected to correct their behavior.
Disqualification:
- For serious violations or repeated minor infractions.
- The team will be removed from the competition and ineligible for prizes.
Removal from Venue:
- For extreme cases of misconduct.
- Participants will be required to leave the event premises immediately.

c) Reporting Violations

Violations can be reported anonymously.
The organizing team will investigate all reports and take appropriate action based on the findings.

d) Appeal Process

Participants may appeal sanctions at the time of report, Appeal to the Founder ONLY.
The organizing team will review the appeal and make a final decision within 1 hour.

Good luck and happy programming!

Download Local Hackathon Rules as a PDF Download Hackathon Hardware Rules as a PDF