1. Participation as Real Individuals
Each participant may belong to only one team and one track during the event. Participation in all scheduled sessions on both days is mandatory to confirm team registration and eligibility for evaluation. All participants must be real individuals attending live.
Everyone is expected to keep their camera on during main sessions, check-ins, and team working periods, unless there is a short-term reason to turn it off (just let your teammates know).
No ghost participants or substitute contributors.
2. Language of Communication
The hackathon will be conducted in English.
Use clear, simple language. No need to be perfect or fluent. Just be respectful and understandable.
3. Respect and Collaboration
Treat everyone with respect. Discuss ideas openly. Listen before responding.
If there is conflict or confusion, ask organizers for support. This event is meant to be collaborative, not stressful.
The organizers can be contacted as:
Maleknaz Nayebi mnayebi@yorku.ca
Ali Asgary asagry@yorku.ca
All communication and materials must also remain respectful, inclusive, and free from any discriminatory or offensive content.
4. Team Breakout Rooms on Zoom
Zoom Platform will be used for the Hackathon. Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants on Thursday November 13.
Each team will have a breakout room.
- Use it as your main workspace,
- Keep your camera and audio on as much as reasonably possible,
- Let teammates know if you step away,
- Do not enter other teams’ rooms without invitation.
A mentor will always be available in the main Zoom room during the hackathon hours. If your team needs help, just return to the main room and ask.
Mentors are available to guide participants but cannot directly contribute to a team’s deliverables or write code/design on their behalf.
5. Communication
Announcements will be made in the main Zoom room and main chat.
Check them regularly.
Respond to your teammates in a timely way. Silence slows everyone down.
6. Project Work and Use of Tools
Your project must be created during the hackathon timeframe. You may use open-source code, frameworks, APIs, and AI tools. However, you must understand and be able to explain your solution.
If AI-generated content is used, you must acknowledge any section that is used in your presentation.
7. Shared Contribution
Everyone on the team contributes. Contribution can be coding, design, research, documentation, UI mock-ups, testing, planning, team coordination, or presenting. If workload feels uneven, talk about it early as a team.
8. Time Management
Respect the checkpoints and the final deadline. Late submissions cannot be accepted to ensure a fair process.
9. Presentations and Judging Criteria
During your final presentation, explain:
- The problem you chose
- Your solution and demo or prototype
- What each team member contributed
- What next steps or improvements you would consider
Judges will look at clarity, feasibility, creativity, and collaboration.
10. Peer Evaluation (Required)
Each participant will fill out a confidential peer evaluation form at the end. This ensures fair recognition of effort and teamwork.
Every team member must submit it for the project to be considered complete.