Builder Guide

HackerSquad AI Remote Hackathon — Official Rules

Effective date: November 6, 2026

The Hackathon is organized by Developer Events LLC, a California limited liability company operating as HackerSquad (“Organizer”). The Organizer is responsible for paying the advertised prizes.

No purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited.

Each participant must individually accept these Rules before submitting a competitive entry. Registration approval alone does not constitute acceptance. These Rules supersede earlier Hackathon rule drafts.

Use of HackerSquad is also subject to its Terms of Service. These Rules control over conflicting general platform terms concerning this Hackathon.

1. Build something with AI

Your project must use AI as a meaningful part of its functionality. Agents, developer tools, research applications, creative tools, and other AI-powered projects are welcome.

2. Participate solo or in a team of up to four

Every team member must be registered, approved, and at least 18 years old or the age of majority where they reside, whichever is greater.

Each participant may join one competing team, and each team may submit one project. Do not use additional accounts, identities, or teams to evade these limits.

Employees, officers, and directors of the Organizer and named event sponsors; people administering or judging the Hackathon; and their immediate family and household members are ineligible to win prizes.

Participation, resource access, and prize receipt must be permitted under applicable U.S. sanctions and export-control laws and other applicable laws. Participants must provide accurate eligibility information and must not conceal their identity or location, use proxy recipients, or otherwise evade restrictions.

The Organizer may reasonably verify eligibility and pause or deny an affected activity where necessary for review or legal compliance. Possible screening matches are subject to review and correction. Registration approval does not guarantee access to every resource or eligibility for a prize.

3. Show what you built during the hackathon

The building period runs from November 6, 2026, at 9:30 PM Pacific Standard Time through November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time.

You may build on an existing project, but clearly identify what existed beforehand and what your team created during this period. Disclose any previously submitted or awarded version.

Judges will evaluate the work completed during this Hackathon. Cosmetic changes alone are insufficient.

4. Use the tools that help you build

AI coding assistants, APIs, open-source libraries, starter templates, and no-code tools are allowed.

Credit substantial third-party contributions, follow applicable licenses, and explain your team’s contribution. You must understand and be able to explain your submission.

Obtain any employer, school, client, or other permission necessary to participate, publish your work, and receive a prize.

Follow the access rules, usage limits, and terms of any tools or event-provided resources. Do not improperly share credentials, resell credits, or evade restrictions. You are responsible for independently purchased services and other expenses you choose to incur.

5. Submit a working prototype

Your project must demonstrate its core functionality. Clearly label mocked features, sample data, simulations, and unfinished components. Slides or a concept alone are insufficient.

Do not fabricate users, customers, integrations, benchmarks, performance results, or authorship.

6. Make your Git repository public

Your project’s Git repository must be public and accessible without an invitation or access request so organizers and judges can review your work. Include its URL in your submission and keep the submitted version accessible throughout judging and any notified review of your entry.

The repository must contain:

• The project’s source code.
• A README explaining what the project does and how it uses AI.
• Instructions for setting up and running the project.
• Required dependencies and environment variables, documented using placeholders.
• Relevant credits, license notices, and prior-work disclosures.

Never commit API keys, credentials, confidential information, or private data.

A public repository is required, but an open-source license is not. State the licensing terms for your original work and preserve required third-party notices.

7. Provide a complete submission

Your submission must include:

• A project name, short description, and team roster.
• The problem you address and how your project uses AI.
• A demo video of up to three minutes showing the project in action.
• Your public Git repository URL and exact submission commit SHA.
• A working app link or instructions for running the project.
• A brief disclosure of pre-existing work, major tools, third-party components, and material assistance from outside your team.

Provide written judging materials in English. Videos in another language must include English subtitles or a transcript.

Judges must be able to evaluate the core functionality without purchasing a product. If test credentials are necessary, provide them through a secure channel rather than in a public submission.

8. Meet the submission deadline

Submit through the official HackerSquad submission page by November 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time (UTC−8).

The submission platform’s recorded receipt time determines whether an entry is timely.

The submitted commit SHA, materials, and corresponding deployed behavior at the deadline define the entry. Later improvements will not count toward evaluation.

Organizers may permit disclosed corrections for exposed credentials, sensitive information, or access problems that do not improve the evaluated project. Report these issues promptly to inquiry@hackersquad.io.

Keep your repository and demo links accessible throughout judging. If an Organizer-controlled outage materially prevents submission, the Organizer will communicate a consistent remedy for affected participants. Personal connectivity or equipment problems do not automatically extend the deadline.

9. Judging and prizes

Entries will be evaluated using these criteria:

Judges will assess what your project demonstrates and what your team can substantiate. They may request clarification or a walkthrough.

Ties will be resolved by comparing the criteria in the order listed above, followed, if necessary, by a comparative review by judges without a conflict.

The prizes are:

Prizes are awarded per winning entry, not per team member. Each entry may receive only one placement prize.

Results are scheduled to be announced on November 23, 2026. Selections remain provisional until eligibility, submission compliance, and required payment documentation are verified.

Winning team members must confirm their prize allocation and actual recipients. Payment to a representative requires the affected members’ authorization and lawful payment arrangements.

Recipients are responsible for their own applicable taxes. The Organizer remains responsible for its applicable withholding and reporting obligations. Advertised amounts are before legally required deductions. Appropriate identity and tax documentation may be required through a secure process.

If a selected winner declines, cannot lawfully receive a prize, or fails verification after a reasonable correction opportunity, the Organizer may select the next eligible entry. A prize may remain unawarded if insufficient eligible entries exist.

Monetary prizes will not be replaced with credits, merchandise, or gift cards without the recipient’s agreement.

10. Respect people, privacy, and security

Treat participants, mentors, judges, and organizers respectfully. Harassment, discrimination, threats, plagiarism, fabricated results, vote manipulation, and interference with another team’s work are prohibited.

Use only data and systems you have permission to access. Do not expose private information, publish credentials, distribute malicious code, or conduct unauthorized security testing.

The Organizer uses participant information to administer the Hackathon, evaluate submissions, verify eligibility, and distribute prizes under its Privacy Policy and any event-specific notice. Information may be shared with authorized judges and service providers as reasonably necessary for their roles.

Sensitive identity, tax, and payment information will not appear in public results or general sponsor reports. Identifiable contact lists will not be provided to sponsors for independent marketing without separate appropriate permission or another disclosed lawful basis. Optional marketing and SMS subscriptions require separate choices.

Report misconduct or security concerns to inquiry@hackersquad.io. Direct privacy inquiries to privacy@hackersquad.io.

11. Keep ownership and give proper credit

You retain ownership of your original work, subject to third-party rights and your own agreements. Submit only material you have the right to use and share, and credit third-party contributions.

You grant the Organizer and its authorized judges and service providers permission to access, copy, run, and evaluate your submission for administering the Hackathon, resolving disputes, and maintaining necessary records.

For three years after final results, the Organizer may display your submitted project title, description, demo, screenshots, team display names, and award information in this Hackathon’s gallery, recaps, and promotion. Edits must not misrepresent your work or imply unrelated endorsement.

Named event sponsors may reshare those public materials with attribution for this Hackathon’s recap under the same restrictions. Existing dated recaps may remain in a passive archive afterward; new promotional reuse requires further permission.

These permissions do not authorize commercialization of your code, model training, or unrelated advertising or recruiting campaigns using your likeness. Public submissions are not confidential, and separately applicable repository licenses remain effective.

Sessions designated for recording will carry advance notice, and recordings are subject to the same publicity limits.

Mentorship and general advice are welcome. Disclose material outside assistance and any relationship with a judge that could create a conflict of interest. Judges must not score projects where they have a material conflict.

12. Follow official event updates and decisions

The HackerSquad event page provides submission updates and announcements. Updates do not silently override these Rules.

The Organizer may disqualify entries for material rule violations. Where practical and lawful, affected participants will receive an explanation and a reasonable opportunity to respond or correct inaccurate information. Immediate protective action may be taken for security or legal reasons.

Judging decisions are final, subject to correction of material errors, undisclosed conflicts, fraud, or misapplication of these Rules.

The Organizer may modify, suspend, extend, or cancel an affected part of the Hackathon if a material outage, fraud, a security incident, a legal change, or another serious circumstance prevents fair and lawful administration. Material changes will be communicated and will not be imposed retroactively merely for convenience. Renewed acceptance or a fair withdrawal opportunity will be provided where necessary.

Participants are responsible for their equipment, accounts, backups, and independently incurred costs. Complimentary resources are provided as available to the extent permitted by law. This does not override express prize commitments or mandatory rights.

These Rules are governed by the laws of the State of California and applicable federal laws of the United States. Nothing in these Rules limits mandatory rights or protections applicable under the laws of a participant’s place of residence.

Contact inquiry@hackersquad.io to seek resolution of a concern. Disputes may be brought before a court with jurisdiction under applicable law. Nothing prevents urgent relief, regulatory complaints, or action necessary to preserve a legal deadline.

If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to the extent lawful.