Builder Guide

HackerSquad AI Remote Hackathon — Submission & Judging Guide

This guide explains how to prepare a complete submission and how judges will evaluate it. The Hackathon’s Official Rules govern eligibility, prizes, participant rights, and disputes. If this guide conflicts with those Rules, the Official Rules control.

Key dates and links

All Pacific times use PST, UTC−8. The submission deadline is November 16, 2026, at 07:59 UTC.

• Submit your project on HackerSquad
• Event page and announcements
• HackerSquad Discord
• Questions or submission problems: inquiry@hackersquad.io

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For participants

1. Prepare your submission and accept the rules

Every team member must be registered, approved, and have personally accepted the Official Rules before the team submits a competitive entry.

Acceptance means affirmatively agreeing to the identified Official Rules through the Organizer’s designated acceptance prompt or form. Registration approval, Discord membership, or agreement to a privacy policy alone does not satisfy this requirement. A team representative cannot accept on another member’s behalf.

If you cannot find the acceptance prompt, contact the Organizer.

Your entry must include:

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

2. Make your repository useful to judges

Your repository must contain the source code, setup instructions, dependencies, environment-variable documentation, and relevant credits and license notices.

A useful README answers these questions:

• What does the project do? Describe the problem and intended users.
• How does it use AI? Identify the models, APIs, and AI-powered workflow.
• How do I run it? Give installation and startup instructions.
• What does it require? List dependencies, external services, and environment variables using placeholders.
• What should I try? Describe a short path through the core functionality.
• What did you build during the Hackathon? Distinguish new work from the starting project.
• What are its limitations? Identify mocks, incomplete features, and known issues.
• Who contributed what? Credit team members, outside assistance, and third-party components.

A starting commit or snapshot is helpful evidence for an existing project.

Judges must be able to evaluate the core functionality without purchasing a product. Arrange any necessary authorized test access through a secure channel.

Never publish passwords, API keys, private datasets, or personal verification documents.

A public repository does not require an open-source license. State your licensing terms and preserve required third-party notices.

3. Record and submit your demo inside HackerSquad

You must record and submit your demo video inside HackerSquad using the HackerSquad recording platform.

An external video link, such as YouTube, Loom, Vimeo, or Google Drive, does not replace the required HackerSquad recording.

1. Open your project on the HackerSquad submission page.
2. Use the HackerSquad recording platform to record your demo.
3. Keep the recording to three minutes or less.
4. Complete the in-platform submission process.
5. Confirm that the recording is included in your project submission and plays correctly before the deadline.

Use the recording to show the submitted project working. The following structure is optional:

Prioritize a clear demonstration over elaborate presentation.

Label sample data, mocked integrations, simulations, and unfinished features. Explain any difference between what the recording shows and what judges can reproduce.

4. Explain prior work and outside assistance

If you started with an existing project, make the distinction easy to review:

• Before the Hackathon: What already existed?
• During the Hackathon: What did your team implement or materially improve?
• Third-party work: Which libraries, templates, models, assets, or services did you use?
• Outside assistance: Who provided material help, and what did they contribute?

AI coding assistants and generated code are allowed. Explain significant assistance and be prepared to discuss the implementation.

Judges evaluate the work completed during the Hackathon.

5. Check everything before submitting

• Every team member is registered, approved, and has personally accepted the Official Rules.
• The team has no more than four members.
• Each member belongs to only one competing team.
• The submission identifies the problem, intended users, and meaningful AI functionality.
• The demo was recorded using the HackerSquad recording platform.
• The recording is included in the project submission inside HackerSquad.
• The recording is no longer than three minutes and plays correctly.
• The recording shows the submitted project version.
• The repository is public and contains the submitted source code.
• The README includes setup instructions and dependency information.
• The exact submission commit SHA is recorded.
• The deployment or run instructions correspond to that commit.
• Required test access is available through an authorized, secure route.
• Prior work and material contributions are disclosed.
• Secrets and unauthorized personal or confidential data have been removed.
• The entry is submitted through HackerSquad before the deadline.

Open your public repository and any public app links in a signed-out browser to check access. Verify any separate judge-access arrangements.

Confirm that your demo recording is included and playable inside HackerSquad. Save any submission confirmation available from the platform.

6. Preserve the submitted version

The submitted commit SHA, HackerSquad recording, supporting materials, and corresponding deployed behavior define your entry at the deadline.

You may continue developing the project, but later improvements will not be scored. Keep the submitted version accessible throughout judging and any notified review of your entry.

Report exposed credentials, sensitive information, recording problems, or access issues promptly. Organizers may authorize corrections that do not improve the evaluated project.

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For judges

7. Check conflicts and review the submitted version

Before reviewing an assigned project:

1. Disclose any material employment, investment, family, mentorship, or other relationship with the team.
2. Recuse yourself if the relationship creates a material conflict.
3. Confirm that you are reviewing the submitted commit and corresponding materials.
4. Read the prior-work and contribution disclosures.

Organizers handle participant eligibility and prize verification. Judges should flag possible compliance issues privately rather than independently requesting sensitive identity or tax documents.

8. Evaluate the evidence

For each entry:

1. Read the project description and README.
2. Watch the demo recording included in the project’s HackerSquad submission.
3. Inspect the implementation relevant to the demonstrated functionality.
4. Evaluate the core workflow using the supplied instructions or authorized test access.
5. Compare the claims with what the submitted version demonstrates.
6. Record material limitations, access problems, and questions.

The required demo must be recorded and submitted through the HackerSquad recording platform. An external video link alone does not satisfy this requirement.

If the recording is missing or inaccessible, flag the issue to the Organizer.

Run unfamiliar code in an appropriately controlled environment. Do not use personal production credentials to test submissions.

If something is unclear, request clarification through the Organizer. A walkthrough may explain the submitted version; it must not introduce post-deadline improvements into scoring.

Apply comparable standards across entries. Distinguish a project limitation from a problem caused by the judging environment, and record any uncertainty.

9. Apply the published rubric

Score each criterion from 0 to 10, using the submitted evidence.

Use these scoring anchors consistently:

These anchors guide scoring; they do not create an additional eligibility threshold.

Evaluate the work completed during the Hackathon. Do not award points simply for using a particular vendor, spending more money, having more followers, or presenting an established project’s earlier accomplishments.

10. Calculate the weighted score

The total score is out of 100:

Total = (Technical × 3) + (Usefulness × 2.5) + (Originality × 2.5) + (Demo/UX × 2)

Example:

Where multiple judges evaluate an entry, average their weighted totals. Retain unrounded values when calculating rankings and resolving ties.

Resolve ties by comparing criterion scores in this order:

1. Technical execution.
2. Usefulness.
3. Originality and thoughtful use of AI.
4. Demo clarity and user experience.

For multiple judges, use the average score for each criterion. If a tie remains, non-conflicted judges conduct a comparative review using the same criteria and document their reasoning.

11. Record a defensible evaluation

For each entry, record:

• Project name and submitted commit SHA.
• Reviewer name and any disclosed relationship.
• Materials and functionality reviewed.
• Score for each criterion.
• Brief evidence supporting each score.
• Important limitations or unresolved questions.
• Any issue requiring Organizer review.
• Useful feedback for the team.

Feedback should be specific and constructive. Explain what worked, identify the most important limitation, and suggest a practical improvement.

Keep private evaluation records and participant information within authorized event channels.

12. Separate ranking from final award verification

Judging scores establish the recommended ranking. The Organizer confirms eligibility, submission compliance, and required payment documentation before finalizing awards.

Results may be announced as provisional while verification or review remains pending.

Report material errors, undisclosed conflicts, suspected fraud, or possible rule misapplication to inquiry@hackersquad.io. Do not change criteria or introduce new requirements after reviewing entries.