Rules for Your Hackathon

Being extra clear ahead of time can prevent headaches down the road

Check out our full recommended rule list at https://github.com/MLH/mlh-policies/blob/main/standard-hackathon-rules.md

Making your rules clear will help you keep your hackathon fair for all attendees, and easily be able to point to specific rules if you have to disqualify hackers for cheating.

We know that some hackathons vary though, so are including some specific rules your team should decide on.

• How many people per team?

  • Can hackers participate solo?

  • Can the teams be as large as they want, and you might just have only 4 prizes?

  • We see hackers have the most success with teams of a maximum size of 4

• Can they crosspost to other hackathons on the same weekend?

  • If there is a digital event in the same timeframe of your event can they submit to both?

  • We generally recommend no but you should very clearly state this

• Do they have to submit code?

  • Is there a specific format?

    • GitHub link, repl.it, Google drive link, etc?

• Can they use publicly available frameworks?

  • Do they need to list said frameworks in a readme?

  • What about LLM/ChatGPT/AI usage?

    • We generally recommend having a rule to credit any tools used/be clear on what they made vs what they are using by having a detailed readme. Clarify it should not be a reskin of an existing AI tool. While LLMs can be great tools, focusing on what was created/changed/built on during the weekend vs what was just used is how we recommend framing it. If they do not credit it, disqualify/report to [email protected]

• Can they make multiple projects?

  • Recommend No

• Can they submit to multiple challenges?

  • Recommend Yes

• Deadline for submissions / time they can work on their projects

  • Make it very clear they cannot work on their project before the event.

• Will judging will be in person?

  • Will it be science fair style?

    • Recommended

  • Or will everyone demo to the larger group

    • Recommended only for very small events

• Who is allowed to participate

  • Students only?

  • Age Range?

  • No mentors/volunteers/organizers

• Are there any categories that require hackers to be a specific demographic?

  • Example: Beginners track where at least half the team must have this be their first hackathon.

  • Make sure to state how many of the team members must fit the category in your rules before the event.

  Want a copy paste version of our recommendations?

• Teams can be 1-4 people

• You may not crosspost to other hackathons

• You may not submit multiple projects

• You may submit to multiple challenges

• You may not work on your project before the event. You must stop development when submissions are due

  • This means that you should not be reusing code from previous projects.

• You must submit your code in your Devpost submission as a publicly available link(GitHub link, repl.it, Google Drive link, etc). You should remove any API keys before sharing.

• You may use publicly available frameworks, but you need to list said frameworks in a readme.

• You may use LLM/ChatGPT/AI, but must state how you did so in your Devpost submission.

  • You must credit any tools used and be clear on what you made and what was generated by having a detailed readme. Your project should not be a reskin of an existing AI tool. While LLMs can be great tools, we want to see what you created/changed/built on during the weekend. If you do not credit your AI usage, you will be disqualified and reported to [email protected]

• Judging will be in person.

• This event is limited to students. No volunteers, organizers, or mentors are eligible to win any prizes, though they can work on projects for their portfolio if they wish.

The copy paste does not include age limit or demographic specific challenges. Adjust the above as needed and make sure to include those if applicable, but the rest of this should be an easy copy paste for your team! We also recommend adding specific start/end times for hacking.