Challenge Rules

These rules apply when Graphify runs a Challenge and when Graphify offers or judges a track, challenge, competition, or prize at an event run by another organizer.

In these rules, a "Challenge" means a Graphify hackathon, coding challenge, build challenge, competition, prize track, or another activity where projects are submitted or judged.

For partner events, the organizer's rules govern the event as a whole. These rules govern the Graphify Challenge and eligibility for any Graphify prize. Any additional requirements listed on the specific Challenge page also apply.

Participation in an Event may also be subject to the Graphify Event Terms and Conditions.

1. Eligibility

Eligibility for each Challenge is stated on the applicable Challenge or Event page.

For a Challenge that forms part of an Event operated by another organizer, participants must also meet the eligibility requirements set by that organizer.

Employees of Graphify Labs may participate unless the applicable Challenge says otherwise, but they are not eligible to receive a Graphify prize.

By entering a Challenge, participants agree to follow these rules, the Graphify Community Code of Conduct, the requirements listed on the applicable Challenge page, and, where relevant, the rules of the Event organizer.

A participant must be legally eligible to participate and receive the applicable prize in their jurisdiction.

2. Registration and teams

Participants must register by the deadline and through the process stated on the applicable Challenge or Event page.

Participants may compete individually or as part of a team. Any team-size limit will be stated on the applicable Challenge or Event page.

Graphify does not require an account on this site unless the applicable Challenge says otherwise.

3. Project requirements

The applicable Challenge page sets the specific requirements for a project.

Unless that page states otherwise, the following requirements apply to a Graphify Challenge or Graphify prize:

Work completed during the Challenge

The work submitted for a Graphify prize must be completed during the Challenge period.

Teams may begin with a boilerplate, starter repository, open-source project, library, framework, API, or their own earlier project, unless the applicable Challenge page prohibits it.

The team must clearly identify what existed before the Challenge and what it built during the Challenge.

A feature or piece of work that was already complete before the Challenge period is not eligible to be judged as new Challenge work.

Meaningful use of Graphify

To qualify for a Graphify prize, the submitted work must use Graphify in a meaningful way.

Meaningful use means that judges can see Graphify performing a real role in the project and that its use contributes to a decision, feature, workflow, result, or demonstration.

Installing Graphify, listing it in a technology stack, mentioning it in a README, or placing its logo in a presentation is not enough.

Open-source and third-party materials

If the project uses open-source or third-party code, libraries, models, datasets, APIs, or assets, the team must comply with all applicable licenses and terms.

Privacy and confidential information

A project may process personal information only where the team has permission and a lawful basis to do so.

Participants must not expose credentials, private repositories, confidential information, or sensitive data in the project, demo, source code, or submission.

Security

Participants must not publish secrets, tokens, API keys, passwords, or other credentials.

Participants must not access or test a system without permission.

Honest work

The submission must accurately represent the team's own work and the functionality completed during the Challenge.

Graphify may reject a submission that copies another project or demo, misrepresents its functionality, conceals substantial pre-existing work, or uses fake, edited, or misleading evidence.

4. Submission guidelines

The applicable Challenge or Event page sets the submission deadline and required materials.

Unless stated otherwise, a submission for a Graphify Challenge or prize must include:

• A clear project description
• A working demo, source code, or both
• Instructions for running or evaluating the project
• A short explanation of how Graphify is used
• A description of the work completed during the Challenge period

Submissions must be received by the announced deadline.

Late or materially incomplete submissions may not be considered.

Graphify may ask a team to demonstrate its project or provide additional information needed to verify eligibility, authorship, Graphify usage, or functionality.

5. Judging criteria

For a Challenge that forms part of another Event, the organizer determines the criteria for the Event's main competition.

When Graphify judges a Challenge, track, or Graphify prize, we generally consider:

• Innovation and creativity. How original is the idea, and does Graphify contribute to the approach in a way that is specific to the problem?
• Functionality and completeness. Does the project do what the team claims? Working functionality and demonstrated Graphify usage count more than slides, mockups, branding, or planned features.
• Use of Graphify.Is Graphify meaningfully integrated, and does it contribute to the project's functionality, workflow, or value?
• User experience and design. Is the project understandable and usable? Where Graphify output or visualizations are shown, do they help the user understand or use the project?
• Impact and usefulness. Does the project solve a meaningful problem for a clear audience?

The applicable Challenge page may add, remove, or change judging criteria.

Graphify determines eligibility and winners for Graphify Challenges and Graphify prizes. Graphify's decisions relating to its Challenge or prize are final.

Graphify may decide not to award a prize if no eligible submission reasonably meets the requirements or judging standard.

6. Prizes

A Graphify prize is available only when one is specifically announced on the applicable Challenge or Event page.

Only projects that comply with these rules, the applicable Challenge requirements, and, where relevant, the Event organizer's rules are eligible for a Graphify prize.

A potential winner may be required to confirm their identity, eligibility, role in creating the submission, and any information reasonably necessary to deliver the prize.

Winners are responsible for any taxes, fees, reporting obligations, or restrictions associated with receiving a prize.

If a potential winner is ineligible, cannot legally receive the prize, does not respond within the stated period, or violates these rules, Graphify may select another eligible submission or decide not to award the prize.

The applicable Challenge page should state:

• the prize
• how many prizes are available
• whether the prize is awarded per person or per team
• any country or delivery restrictions
• whether one project may win more than one prize

7. Intellectual property

Participants retain ownership of their projects.

Participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the rights necessary to submit their work and any third-party materials included in it.

By submitting a project to a Graphify Challenge or for consideration for a Graphify prize, participants grant Graphify Labs a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the project name, team name, description, screenshots, submitted demo footage, and other publicly submitted materials solely to:

• operate and judge the Challenge
• verify the submission
• announce results
• describe or promote the Challenge and participating projects

This license does not transfer ownership of the project or its underlying source code to Graphify.

8. Conduct and disqualification

Graphify may reject or disqualify a submission that:

• violates these rules, the Community Code of Conduct, or applicable Event rules
• contains plagiarized, fraudulent, misleading, or unlawfully obtained material
• misrepresents the project's functionality or the work completed during the Challenge
• violates another person's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights
• attempts to interfere with the Challenge, judging process, Graphify systems, or other participants
• does not meaningfully use Graphify where meaningful use is required

Disqualification from a Graphify Challenge or prize does not automatically determine participation in the rest of an Event operated by another organizer. The Event organizer controls participation in the broader Event.

9. Changes and cancellation

For a Challenge operated by Graphify, Graphify may change, postpone, suspend, or cancel the Challenge when reasonably necessary.

When a Graphify Challenge forms part of an Event operated by another organizer, that organizer controls changes to or cancellation of the overall Event.

Graphify may separately change, postpone, suspend, or cancel the Graphify Challenge, track, participation, or prize when reasonably necessary, subject to applicable law and any event-specific terms.

If the overall Event is cancelled, the related Graphify Challenge may also be cancelled unless Graphify announces an alternative arrangement.

Graphify will communicate material changes where reasonably possible.

10. Questions

Questions about a Graphify Challenge, track, or prize can be sent to fahad@graphify.com.

11. Governing law

To the extent permitted by applicable law, these rules and any Graphify-administered Challenge or prize are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

For an Event operated by another organizer, that organizer's terms may separately govern participation in the broader Event.