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 are at a hackathon, make sure you are upholding the hacker spirit by collaborating with other teams, helping beginners and having fun.

1. All team members should be present at the common events.
2. Teams can of course gain advice and support from organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and others.
3. All work on a project should be done during the development period of the hackathon.
4. Teams can use an idea they had before the event. The solution must solve the presented challenges.
5. Teams can work on ideas that have already been done. Hacks do not have to be “innovative”. If somebody wants to work on a common idea, they should be allowed to do so and should be judged on the quality of their hack. These days it’s hard to find something that’s fully original and teams might not know an idea has been done before anyway.
6. Teams can work on an idea that they have worked on before (as long as they do not re-use code or other material).
7. Adding new features to existing projects is allowed. Judges will only consider new functionality introduced or new features added during the hackathon in determining the winners.
8. Teams must stop hacking once the time is up.
9. Projects that violate the Code of Conduct are not allowed.
10. Teams can be disqualified from the competition at the organizers’ discretion. Reasons might include but are not limited to breaking the Competition Rules, breaking the Code of Conduct, or other unsporting behaviour.

• Attendees from all backgrounds, genders, and geographies are welcome. To attend the hackathon you must be at least 15 years old. In case you are under 18, your parents/legal guardian should contact the hackathon to request a waiver authorizing you to attend the hackathon. Committee members are not eligible to participate in the hackathon. They may, however, assist teams s mentors during the development phase.
• There is no country restriction, but you must be eligible to receive prizes (in case you win) and you are responsible for paying any taxes on the prize winnings.
• You can’t exchange the won prize for money.

• Participants will be assigned to international teams of 5 members by the organizer.
• Teams will be made up exclusively of 4 students (or recent graduates within one year of having graduated) and 1 expert (from company or school) who are not organizers, volunteers, judges, sponsors, or in any other privileged position at the event.
• All teams should have a team name, and each team member must have a Discord account.

• All work on a project should be done during the development period of the hackathon.
• All project must solve a presented challenge.
• Teams can work on ideas that have already been done. Solutions do not have to be “innovative”. If somebody wants to work on a common idea they are allowed to do so and will be judged on the quality of their solution. These days it’s hard to find something that’s fully original and teams might not know an idea has been done before anyway.
• Project design/assets can be created prior to the start date of the hackathon. All assets should conform to the Creative Commons License agreement standard or are freely available and you have permission or license to use them. Proof of permission must be given upon request.
• Any intellectual property developed during and within the scope of the hackathon must be open source and licensed under one of the licenses referenced in https://opensource.org/licenses.
• Adding new features to existing projects is allowed. Judges will only consider new functionality introduced or new features added during the hackathon in determining the winners.

• A team can submit only one entry for the hackathon. Participation at the hackathon is subjected on a “per-team” basis meaning you are not allowed to be on more than one team at the event.
• All solutions must be uploaded to a provided google drive folder. In this folder, teams should upload technical plans, photos, hand-drawn sketches, prototypes, marketing plans, financial plan etc.
• Solutions must be uploaded before 8. 10. 2021 at 23:59 CET. Failure to submit will result in disqualification. 

Teams are encouraged to prepare a 2 min presentation of their solution, using their preferred method of presentation (PowerPoint, Video, Miro, etc.) for the closing event on 14 October. You have to send the presentation along with all the visual content before the start of the event on 14 October.

All teams must prepare a 3 min presentation (PowerPoint, Video, Miro, etc.) in case they qualify for the next round. They will present this at the closing event on 15 October. You have to send the presentation along with all the visual content before the start of the event on 15 October.

You are encouraged to present what you have done even if your hack is broken or you weren’t able to finish. It’s okay if you didn’t finish your hack—that happens all the time! Completion is only one part of the judging criteria, so you might still do well. Also, demoing is not just about the competition. It’s a chance to share with others what you learned and what you tried to build—that’s what hacking is all about! In the case that you don’t have anything to demo, you can give a presentation about what you tried and what you learned. Hearing what other people learned is interesting and inspiring for other attendees.

Teams will be judged on these criteria. Judges will weigh the criteria equally.

• Technology: How technically impressive was the hack? Was the technical problem the team tackled difficult? Did it use a particularly clever technique or did it use many different components? Did the technology involved make you go “Wow”? Does it deliver a compelling and captivating user experience?
• In line with HIGES goals: Is the solution sustainable, environment-friendly, reusable, user-friendly, benefits society?
• Final pitch: Did the team present their solution? Is it clear how their solution works and who it helps? Do they have any visual content like PowerPoint or video presentation, is it clear and valuable? Was the presentation engaging and exciting? Have you felt the team spirit?
• Completion: Does the hack work? Did the team achieve everything they wanted? Do they have a prototype of their solution? Did they test their solution in the real world? Is their solution applicable in practice?

Each team will have the possibility to vote for the best solutions provided by other teams (you can’t vote for your solution). These results will be summed with the judge’s votes. The top 5 best solutions will go to the next round and will have to present their idea again in the final closing event on 15 October. The best 3 teams will be given awards. These criteria will guide judges but ultimately judges are free to make decisions based on their gut feeling of which projects are the most impressive and most deserving.

• Be respectful. Harassment and abuse are never tolerated. If you are in a situation that makes you uncomfortable at a Hackathon on IoT, green economy and society (HIGES), if the event itself is creating an unsafe or inappropriate environment, or if interacting with a HIGES representative or event organizer makes you uncomfortable, please report it using the procedures included in this document. 
• HIGES stands for inclusivity. We believe that every single person has the right to hack in a safe and welcoming environment. 
• Harassment includes but is not limited to offensive verbal or written comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, social class, economic status, veteran status, sexual images, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. If what you’re doing is making someone feel uncomfortable, that counts as harassment and is enough reason to stop doing it.
•  Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. 
• Sponsors, judges, mentors, volunteers, organizers, HIGES staff, and anyone else at the event are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, attendees should not use sexualised images, activities, or other material both in their hacks and during the event. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualised clothing/uniforms/costumes or otherwise create a sexualised environment. 
• If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, HIGES organizers may take any action it deems appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no eligibility for reimbursement or refund of any type.
• If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact HIGES using the reporting procedures defined below. 
• HIGES representatives will be happy to assist participants experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
•  We expect participants to follow these rules at all hackathon venues, online interactions in relation to the event, hackathon-related social events. 

If you feel uncomfortable or think there may be a potential violation of the code of conduct, please report it immediately using one of the following methods. All reporters have the right to remain anonymous.
By sending information to the general reporting line, your report will go to any or all of the HIGES representatives with access to the email listed below.

General reporting email: info@hack-iges.org

Special Incidents If you are uncomfortable reporting your situation to one or more of these people or need to contact any of them directly in case of emergency, direct contact details are listed below.

Uroš Polanc, Slovenia, email: uros.polanc@scng.si, Discord username: guwick#4271

HIGES organisers reserve the right to revise, make exceptions to, or otherwise amend these policies in whole or in part. If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact HIGES by e-mail at something@hackaton.si. This guide was last updated on: May 10, 2021