Dates

The competition will take place during the dates October 17th to October 31st 7:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST.

Eligibility

The competition is open to students currently enrolled in middle school, high school, or college who meet the age requirements specified by the organizers. Participants can join individually or in teams of up to 4 members. Each participant may only be part of one team, and each participant or team may submit one project.

Project Pathways

Participants may submit projects under either the Ideathon Pathway or Hackathon Pathway. The Ideathon Pathway focuses on developing an innovative idea, solution, or concept, while the Hackathon Pathway focuses on building a working prototype, application, device, or other tangible solution.

Project and Submission Requirements

Projects must address a meaningful problem affecting students, schools, nonprofits, communities, or another group with a clear need. Submissions must demonstrate creativity, thoughtful problem-solving, and a meaningful connection to STEM. Required submission materials may include a project description, presentation, prototype or demonstration, screenshots or GIFs, optional demo video, team details, and a link to code or prototype. All required materials must be submitted before the announced deadline.

AI & Other Tools

AI tools, open-source libraries, APIs, frameworks, datasets, and other public resources are allowed. Participants must understand their projects and be able to explain how these tools were used. Significant use of AI or third-party resources should be disclosed when requested.

Originality

All submitted work must be created by the participants. Existing projects may be used as inspiration or a starting point, but submissions must contain meaningful new work completed for the competition. Third-party resources must be properly credited when required.

Prizes

Prizes or other awards will be given to top projects based on factors such as creativity, impact, technical merit, and execution. Specific prize details will be announced on the competition page.

Judging and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on innovation and creativity, problem and need, STEM and technical merit, feasibility, potential impact, execution, and presentation. Projects will not be judged solely on technical complexity. Winners will be selected and announced after the competition concludes, with decisions at the sole discretion of the judging panel.

Safety & Conduct

Projects must be safe, respectful, and appropriate for a student competition. Cheating, plagiarism, sabotage, harassment, discrimination, or attempts to unfairly influence judging are not permitted.

Ownership & Publicity

Participants retain ownership of their original ideas and work. By participating, participants give the organizers permission to showcase submitted projects, team names, and related materials for competition, educational, and promotional purposes.

Final Decisions

Judges' decisions are final. Organizers reserve the right to make reasonable changes to the competition schedule or rules when necessary and will communicate significant changes to participants.