Flip the Switch Hackathon

By submitting an entry, you (“Entrant”) agree to these Official Rules, which form a binding agreement between you and Switch AI (“Sponsor”). If you do not agree, do not enter.

1. 1.Eligibility — Geographic

   The Hackathon is open only to individuals who, at the time of entry and continuously through the date any prize is awarded, are (a) at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is greater) and (b) are not excluded under Sections 2-4 of these Terms and Conditions

   The Hackathon is not currently restricted by geography except as set forth in Section 2 below, but Sponsor reserves the right to exclude any jurisdiction where the Hackathon or the award of prizes would be prohibited, restricted, or would require registration, bonding, or additional regulatory compliance, and to modify the list of eligible jurisdictions at any time.

2. 2.Eligibility — Sanctions and Trade Compliance

   Entrants must not be, and must not be owned or controlled by, acting on behalf of, or otherwise affiliated with, any person or entity that is:

   • (a) identified on any restricted-party list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), including the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List; the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security Denied Persons, Entity, or Unverified Lists; the U.S. Department of State Debarred List; the EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List; the UK Sanctions List; or the United Nations Security Council Consolidated List;
   • (b) located in, ordinarily resident in, or organized under the laws of any country or territory subject to comprehensive U.S., EU, or UN sanctions or embargoes (currently including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine), as such list may change; or
   • (c) otherwise prohibited from receiving goods, services, software, technology, or funds under applicable export control or economic sanctions laws.

   Entrants represent and warrant on a continuing basis that they satisfy the foregoing. Sponsor may screen any Entrant against applicable restricted-party lists at any time and will withhold, revoke, or cancel any prize where award would violate applicable sanctions or export control laws. No prize will be awarded in such circumstances, and Sponsor has no obligation to substitute an alternative prize or provide compensation of any kind.

3. 3.Eligibility — Genuine Individual Participants; No Bots or Automation

   Entry is limited to natural persons entering on their own behalf. Each Entrant must:

   • (a) register using a single, accurate, verifiable identity, including a valid email address and legal name that match the identity used for prize verification;
   • (b) not register or submit via bots, scripts, macros, automated agents, bulk or programmatic entry methods, or any system that automates participation or registration;
   • (c) not create, control, or use multiple accounts, aliases, disposable or temporary email addresses, or identities belonging to another person, whether real or fictitious; and
   • (d) not engage in collusion, vote manipulation, entry stuffing, or coordinated activity intended to distort judging, voting, or any leaderboard.

   The use of AI tools in developing a submission is permitted to the extent stated in the Hackathon’s challenge rules; this Section restricts automated or fraudulent participation and identity, not the technologies used within an otherwise legitimate submission.

   Sponsor may require identity verification before awarding any prize, including government-issued photo identification, a live verification session, or confirmation of a verified account on a designated platform. An Entrant who fails or refuses verification within the time specified by Sponsor forfeits all prizes.

4. 4.Additional Exclusions

   Employees, officers, directors, and contractors of Sponsor and its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, and promotional agencies, judges, and the immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, and their respective spouses) and household members of each of the foregoing are not eligible to win prizes. Entrants who are subject to a contractual, employment, or institutional restriction prohibiting participation or prize acceptance are responsible for securing permission and are ineligible absent such permission. Government employees and public officials may be ineligible or subject to prize limits under applicable ethics rules and are responsible for compliance.

5. 5.Submissions; Ownership and License

   Entrant retains all right, title, and interest in and to their submission. By entering, Entrant grants Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid-up, sublicensable, irrevocable license to host, store, reproduce, display, perform, distribute, and make derivative works of the submission for the purposes of operating, judging, evaluating, documenting, and promoting the Hackathon and Sponsor’s programs.

   Entrant represents and warrants that the submission is their original work or that they hold all rights necessary to grant this license; that it does not infringe or misappropriate any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or publicity right; that it complies with the licenses of any open-source or third-party components incorporated; and that it contains no malicious code, unlawful content, or confidential information of a third party.

6. 6.Disqualification

   Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify any Entrant and void any entry, and may revoke or require the return of any prize already awarded, where Sponsor reasonably believes the Entrant has: breached these Official Rules; provided false, incomplete, or misleading information; failed eligibility, sanctions, or identity verification; used bots, multiple accounts, or automated entry; tampered with the entry process, judging, or any Sponsor system; or acted in a manner that is unlawful, abusive, fraudulent, or disruptive to the Hackathon or other participants. Sponsor’s determinations on eligibility, compliance, and judging are final and binding.

7. 7.Prizes

   Prizes are as described in the Hackathon challenge materials. Prizes are non-transferable and non-assignable, and no cash or other substitution is permitted except by Sponsor, which may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winners are solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, provincial, local, and national taxes, duties, and reporting, and may be required to complete tax documentation (e.g., IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN) before a prize is released. Prizes unclaimed within thirty (30) days of notification, or forfeited for any reason, may be awarded to an alternate winner or not awarded at all, at Sponsor’s discretion.

8. 8.General

   Sponsor may modify, suspend, or terminate the Hackathon in whole or in part if it is not capable of being conducted as planned. These Official Rules are governed by the laws of USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Online. Nothing in these Official Rules limits any non-waivable statutory rights an Entrant may have under the laws of their country of residence, including consumer rights under EU law. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect. Personal data collected in connection with the Hackathon is processed in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy at https://wemakedevs.org/hackathons/switch.