Rules & Guidelines

1. Registration, Identification and Kits:

• Participants must complete official registration using their real name and valid student or institutional identification.
• Participants must carry and present their valid institutional ID card to enter the competition venue. Participants without a valid institutional ID card will not be allowed to participate.
• Participants must be physically present at the event to receive their kits. No alternative collection or courier option will be available. Participants who are not present will not receive their kits.

2. Devices and Internet Access:

• Devices will be provided for Prompt Battle, Vibe Coding and Datathon. Among these competitions, participants may bring their own devices only for Vibe Coding.
• Internet access will be available for participants using personal devices; however, network speed and stability cannot be guaranteed. Therefore participants bringing their own devices are requested to bring a backup internet connection, such as a modem or mobile hotspot.

3. Reporting Time and Late Entry:

• Solo competitions (Vibe Coding, Prompt Battle and Datathon): Participants must report to their assigned venue on time. Late entry will be allowed for up to 10 minutes after the competition starts. No entry will be permitted after 10 minutes, and no additional time will be granted for late entry.
• AI Hackathon: Participants may join up to 1 hour after the competition starts. However, no additional time or deadline extension will be provided for late entry.

4. Fair Participation and Original Work:

• No participant or team may receive external human assistance during an active competition. Any participant or team found receiving such assistance will be immediately disqualified, and their participation in that competition will be cancelled.
• Sharing prompts, code, solutions, files, datasets, answers, credentials or contest information with another participant or team is strictly prohibited.
• Account sharing, impersonation or participating on behalf of another person is strictly prohibited.
• Submissions must be the participant's or team's own competition work. Copying another participant's solution or submission is strictly prohibited.

5. AI Tools and Account Use:

• There is no limitation on the use of AI tools. Participants may use either free or Pro (paid) versions during the competition.
• Participants are responsible for access to their chosen AI tools. The organizers are not responsible for downtime, rate limits, login issues, subscription restrictions or exhausted credits.
• Participants must use their own AI accounts. Sharing or using another participant's AI account is strictly prohibited.
• Participants are responsible for everything they submit, including content or code produced using AI.
• AI tools must not be used to obtain leaked or private contest materials, access restricted information, impersonate others or bypass contest rules.
• If requested by the judges, participants must disclose the AI tools or models used and show relevant prompt or development history.

6. Submissions and Deadlines:

• Participants are responsible for checking that their final submission is complete, accessible and submitted in the required format before the deadline.
• Late submissions will not be accepted unless the organizers announce an extension because of an official technical problem.

7. Conduct, Verification and Technical Issues:

• Participants must follow the instructions of the organizers, invigilators and judges throughout the competition.
• Participants must not intentionally manipulate, exploit, jailbreak, reverse-engineer or interfere with the competition platform, evaluation system, hidden tests, system prompts or judging infrastructure.
• Participants must not interfere with the contest network, submission system, devices or other participants.
• Participants may be asked to show their screen, device, prompt history, code, notebook, repository or other relevant work for integrity verification.
• Any technical problem must be reported to the organizers immediately during the competition.
• Harassment, abusive behaviour, deliberate disruption, cheating, plagiarism or other unfair conduct may result in disqualification.

8. Submission and Judging:

• Only submissions made through the official submission method within the announced deadline will be evaluated.
• The competition-specific problem statement will define the required submission format and judging criteria.
• Judges may use automated evaluation, hidden tests, rubric-based evaluation, live demonstration or technical questioning, depending on the competition.
• Any leaderboard or preliminary result is unofficial until the organizers complete final verification.
• In the event of a tie, the competition-specific tie-breaking rule announced by the judges will apply.

9. Violations and Disqualification:

A participant or team may receive a warning, score penalty, submission rejection or disqualification, depending on the seriousness of the violation. Violations include:

1. Cheating or unauthorized collaboration.
2. Plagiarism or copying another participant’s work.
3. Account sharing or impersonation.
4. Using prohibited resources or assistance.
5. Falsifying submission or verification evidence.
6. Interfering with contest systems or other participants.
7. Refusing to follow reasonable contest-integrity instructions.
8. Serious misconduct or rule violations.

10. Clarifications, Technical Problems & Complaints:

• Questions about a problem or rule must be sent through the official clarification channel or to the designated contest official.
• If a clarification affects all participants, the organizers will communicate it to everyone concerned.
• Technical issues must be reported immediately. Participants should not wait until the contest is over to report a problem that occurred during the contest.
• Any complaint about a rule violation or contest process must be submitted through the official channel with relevant evidence.
• Judges’ decisions on technical evaluation and final results are final after the official review process.

11. Final Conditions:

• Participants must follow this rulebook together with the official instructions for their specific competition.
• If a competition-specific instruction differs from a general rule, the officially announced competition-specific instruction will apply.
• The organizers may issue necessary clarifications during the event to maintain fairness and smooth operation.
• Participation in AI DEV FEST 2026 means that the participant accepts the applicable competition rules and official instructions.

1 About the Hackathon

• Teams must develop an Al-based solution for the announced theme or problem during the official hackathon development periods.
• The competition includes a three-day initial development phase, a first evaluation of submitted projects, on-site implementation of new requirements, and a second evaluation.
• Winners will be selected based on the marks from both evaluations.

2 Team Participation and Devices

• Each team may have a maximum of 3 (three) members. Single-member participation is permitted.
• All participating members must be officially registered. Member substitutions involving anyone who was not officially registered in advance are strictly prohibited.
• All participants must bring their own devices for the Al Hackathon.

3 Competition Schedule

T+0 is the exact time the organizers publish the problem requirements. The initial development period ends at T+72 hours.

Stage	Timing and activity
Requirements published	T+0 The problem and requirements are released.
Initial development	T+0 to T+72 hours: Generate ideas, develop the solution, test the project and prepare the submission.
Initial submission	By T+72 hours: Submit the video demonstration, project report and required project materials. Push the project code to GitHub within this period.
First evaluation	After initial submission and before the on-site final: Submitted projects are pre-evaluated.
On-site updates	At the start of the final-day contest: Teams receive new requirements or updates based on pre-evaluation and integrate them within the allotted time.
Second evaluation	The final 1.5 hours (90 minutes) are reserved for the second evaluation.
Winner selection	Final rankings depend on marks from both evaluations.

The organizers will announce the exact release time, submission deadline, on-site start time and update-implementation duration separately.

4 Development Rules and Al Resources

• Teams must generate their ideas and develop their challenge-specific solutions within the initial 72-hour development period. On the final day, teams must implement the new updates assigned after pre-evaluation within the specified on-site time.
• Al models, APIs, pretrained models, frameworks, open-source libraries and public datasets may be used unless the challenge brief restricts them.
• Pre-existing general-purpose components may be used. However, a substantially completed solution specifically prepared for the announced challenge is not allowed.
• Teams must disclose significant external datasets, APIs, services and pre-existing components if requested by the organizers or judges.
• Each team must understand its submitted solution and be able to explain its design, implementation and Al components during judging.

5 GitHub and Development History

• Each team must maintain its project in a public GitHub repository. Project files and code must be properly committed and pushed within the applicable contest period so that judges can verify the work.
• Teams must maintain a clear and continuous Git commit history throughout both the initial development phase and the on-site update phase.
• Bug fixes, feature implementations, improvements and other significant changes must be committed step by step as work progresses. A single final upload does not satisfy the requirement for a continuous development history.
• The repository must contain the project source code, required prototype or project files and a complete README.md as specified in Section 6.
• Initial project code must be pushed by the initial submission deadline. Final-day updates must be pushed within the allotted on-site implementation period.

6 Mandatory README.md

• Each public GitHub repository must include a complete README.md. Judges must be able to understand, set up, run and test the project by following it.
• The README must include all of the following information:

Item	Required information
Project overview	The problem addressed, proposed solution and purpose of the project.
Features	Implemented features and how the Al components are used.
Technology stack	Languages, frameworks, Al models, APIs, libraries and services used.
Requirements	Software, dependencies, hardware or other prerequisites needed to run the project.
Installation and setup	Complete, step-by-step instructions for installing dependencies and configuring the project.
Environment variables	Required variable names, their purpose and configuration instructions. Use placeholders rather than publishing secret values.
Run and build commands	Exact commands to run the project and build instructions, if applicable.
Live deployment URL	The live deployment link for judges to access the project.
Testing instructions	How to run tests or verify the implemented features.
Other configuration	Any additional files, settings, access requirements or configuration necessary to run the project.

7 Submission Requirements

• By the end of the three-day development period, each team must submit a video demonstration and a project report file, together with its public GitHub repository link and required project materials.
• The video must demonstrate how the implemented idea works, explain the features and Al components implemented, and describe its real-life impact or practical value.
• The project report must explain the problem, proposed idea, implemented solution, key features, Al approach and intended real-life impact.
• The final submission must include the required prototype or project files and any presentation or demonstration specified by the organizers. The organizers will provide the submission channel and any file-format requirements.

8 Two-Stage Evaluation

• First evaluation - project pre-evaluation. Judges will review the initially submitted project, video demonstration, report and supporting project materials. This evaluation contributes to the final result.
• New requirements on the final day. At the start of the on-site contest, teams will receive new updates or requirements arising from the pre-evaluation of their project.
• On-site implementation. Teams must integrate these updates into their existing project within the time specified by the organizers. Changes must be documented through the ongoing Git commit history and pushed within the allotted time.
• Second evaluation - final demonstration. The last 1.5 hours (90 minutes) of the on-site contest will be reserved for the second evaluation. Teams must demonstrate the updated project, explain the newly implemented requirements and answer judges' questions.
• Final ranking. Winners will be selected based on the marks from both the first and second evaluations. The detailed marking criteria, score allocation and weighting of the two evaluations will be announced by the organizers.

9 Originality and Competition Integrity

• Work copied from another team or falsely presented as the team's own will result in disqualification.
• Permitted external resources and general-purpose components must not be misrepresented as original team work. Teams must provide disclosures when requested, as described in Section 4.4.
• Teams must not submit a substantially completed, challenge-specific solution prepared before the official development period.
• Every team must be able to demonstrate its project and answer questions about its design, implementation and Al components. All participating members must comply with the registration and substitution rules in Section 2.

Timing reminder

Exactly 72 hours from requirements publication for the initial project. Pre-evaluation follows submission. Assigned updates are implemented on site, and the final 90 minutes are reserved for the second evaluation. Both evaluations count toward the final result.

1. About the Contest

Al DevFest Vibe Coding is a solo coding contest. You build a working web app in 90 minutes. You can use any Al tool to help you write the code ("vibe coding"). The app must run only in the browser (frontend only) and must be useful for an organization.You will see the problem only when the contest starts. External APIs are allowed under Section 5; participant-controlled persistent backend, database and online storage services are not.

Format	Solo (one person)
Build and deploy time	90 minutes
Setup time	30 minutes, before the contest starts
App type	Web app, frontend only
App languages	Bangla and English
Al tools	Any, free or paid
Live website	Required: public HTTPS deployment by T+90
Code sharing	GitHub (required)
Code license	MIT
Contest date	6 October 2026
Results date	7 October 2026
Venue	Daffodil International University
Organizer	Computer and Programming Club (CPC), Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Daffodil International University
Supported by	Center for Software Development & Emerging Tech (CSE-TECH)

2. Who Can Join

2.1 Any university student can join. 2.2 You compete alone. No teams. 2.3 You must register using the official form. When you register, you agree to these rules and agree that your code will be shared under the MIT License (see Section 11). 2.4 Before the contest day, make sure you are prepared with:

• your own GitHub account, with your password and your phone ready for login codes;
• login details for the Al tools you want to use;
• your ID card or registration confirmation;
• a backup internet connection, such as a mobile hotspot or portable data connection, if you choose to bring and use a personal laptop or device; bringing a personal laptop or device is optional and not compulsory.

3. Schedule

T+0 means the moment the contest starts. T+90 means 90 minutes after that. The contest takes place on 6 October 2026; results are announced on 7 October 2026.

Step	Time	What happens
Check-in	Before setup	We check your ID and give you a lab PC.
Setup	30 min (not part of contest time)	Log in to GitHub and your Al tools. Create a new public repository and confirm that you can push code. You will not see the problem yet.
Contest starts	T+0	We share the problem, requirements and sample data.
Questions	T+0 to T+15	You may ask the organizers questions about the problem.
Build and deploy	T+0 to T+90	Build, test, commit, push and deploy your application.
Deadline	T+90	Stop coding, committing, pushing and making deployment changes. Submit the official form by this time for an on-time submission.
Late submission window	After T+90, up to T+95	You may submit the official form only. A 10-mark penalty applies. No code, Git repository or deployment changes are allowed during this period.
Judging	After submission	Judges evaluate the submitted repository, final eligible commit and required live deployment against the contest requirements.
Results	7 October 2026	Final results are published and winners are announced.

The organizers will announce the exact contest and results times separately.

4. The Problem

4.1 You get the problem at T+0, on paper and/or on screen, with sample data and details of what your app should produce. 4.2 What we can tell you now: the app is frontend only (Section 5), useful for an organization, and works in both Bangla and English. External APIs are allowed, but participant-controlled persistent backend, database and online storage services are not. 4.3 You can ask the organizers questions only in the first 15 minutes. If the answer matters for everyone, we will tell everyone. 4.4 The problem has main tasks (must do) and bonus tasks (optional). Finish the main tasks first.

5. Technical Rules

5.1 Frontend only. Your whole app must run in the web browser.

• Not allowed: participant-controlled backend servers or server code, including server-less functions; persistent backend, database or online storage services controlled by the participant, including Firebase, Supabase or Appwrite used for that purpose.
• Allowed: browser storage (localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB), normal browser features, static website hosting, and external APIs under Section 5.4.

5.2 Any framework. Use any framework you like, or none: plain HTML/CSS/JavaScript, React, Vue, Angular, Svelte and so on. You can use open-source libraries from npm or a CDN. You can use official starter tools such as create-vite during the contest. 5.3 Start from zero. All code must be written during the contest, by you or by Al. You cannot use code you wrote before, your own templates, old projects, or anyone else's code. Start in a newly created repository. No organizer-provided template repository is supplied. Open-source libraries and official starter tools allowed by Section 5.2 remain permitted. 5.4 External APIs. You can use external or public APIs if they use HTTPS and work directly from the browser (CORS). They must not serve as a participant-controlled persistent backend, database or online storage layer for your app. If an API stops working, the main parts of your app should still work. 5.5 Al inside your app (optional). You can add Al features to your app, but the main features must work without Al. The user must type their own API key into the app. Never put an API key in your code, your repository or your live site. 5.6 Two languages. Your app must work in both Bangla and English, for example with a language switch. All main labels, buttons, messages and instructions must be in both languages. 5.7 Required live website. Deploy your app to a public HTTPS website by T+90. Judges must be able to open it in the latest Google Chrome without installing anything or signing in. The deployment must match your final eligible commit (Section 8.6). Include build and run commands in your README if applicable. See Section 10. 5.8 No secrets. Never put passwords, tokens, API keys or login details in your repository, not even in old commits.

6. Using Al

6.1 You can use any Al tool, free or paid, and as many as you like. 6.2 Your Al accounts and usage limits are your responsibility. We do not provide Al subscriptions. You will not get extra time if your Al tool hits its limit or stops working. 6.3 Al coding agents can create files and run Git commands (commit, push) for you. 6.4 You are responsible for all the code you submit, even if Al wrote it. You must be able to explain how your app works when the judges ask.

7. Lab Rules

7.1 You may use the lab PC provided by the organizers or, optionally, your own laptop. Participants who choose to use their own laptop must bring their own backup internet connection. The organizers are not responsible for problems with a participant's personal device. 7.2 You may use your phone for authentication and, when needed, as a backup internet hotspot. Do not use your phone for coding, Al tools, messaging, calls or other contest work. 7.3 You will have internet. Use it for Al tools, documentation, libraries, permitted external APIs and static hosting. 7.4 This is a solo contest. Do not talk to or message other participants or anyone outside: no chat apps, email, social media or remote access tools. Ask questions only to the organizers. 7.5 You can install tools and packages you need for your work. Do not turn off security software, open other people's files, or disturb other PCs or the network. 7.6 When you finish, log out of all accounts (GitHub, Al tools, email) and close the browser. We will reset the lab PCs after the event. We are not responsible for accounts you leave logged in. 7.7 If an organizer-provided lab PC or internet connection has a problem, tell an organizer immediately. Extra time may be considered only for a verified problem with equipment or internet provided by the organizers. Problems with personal laptops or backup internet connections do not qualify for extra time.

8. GitHub Rules

8.1 During the 30-minute setup, create a new public repository named devfest-<registration-number>. No template repository is provided. You may add a README and MIT LICENSE during setup, but no project code. 8.2 Do not commit any project code before T+0. 8.3 Commit at least once every 30 minutes during the contest, with at least 3 commits in total. Judges will look at your commit history. 8.4 Every commit message must have a short note about what changed and the prompt you used to make that change. If you made the change yourself without Al, write "Manual edit". Prompts can be in Bangla or English. Example:

Add language switch Prompt: "Add a toggle in the header that switches all labels between Bangla and English and remembers the choice."

8.5 Do not change your Git history: no force push, no rebasing pushed commits, no deleting the repository. 8.6 Your final eligible commit must be created and pushed by T+90. Judges will evaluate only that commit ID and its matching live deployment. Stop coding, committing, pushing and changing the deployment at T+90. The extra five minutes, after T+90 and up to T+95 are for submitting the form only and incur a 10-mark penalty. Commits created or pushed after T+90 are not eligible.

9. How to Submit

9.1 Submit using the official form by T+90 (late window: Section 9.4): Will be Provided. The form asks for:

• your full name and registration number;
• your repository link;
• your final commit ID (full, or the first 7 characters);
• your public HTTPS live website link (required), deployed using a service such as GitHub Pages, Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages. The link must be accessible to the judges without login or special permission.

9.2 Your repository must have:

• all your source code;
• README.md, containing the details in Section 9.3;
• any output files the problem asks for;
• a LICENSE file containing the MIT License.

9.3 Your README must include: your name and registration number; required public HTTPS live link; how to run the app; main features done; bonus features; known problems; Al tools used; your most useful prompt. 9.4 The on-time submission deadline is T+90. A submission received after T+90 and up to T+95 loses 10 marks. This is a submission-only window: your code, final eligible commit and live deployment must already be complete by T+90. After T+95, submissions are not accepted. 9.5 After submitting, do not change the submitted code, repository or deployment. In all cases, code, Git and deployment changes must stop by T+90, including for late submissions. Judges will check the submitted eligible commit and its matching deployment.

10. Putting Your App Online (Required)

10.1 You must deploy your app to a public HTTPS website by T+90. You may use a static hosting service such as GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel or Cloudflare Pages, subject to Section 5.1. Deployment is compulsory and earns no bonus marks. 10.2 Your required live link must:

• open on the judge's own device without login or installation;
• run the main features of your app;
• match your final eligible commit, created and pushed by T+90, with no deployment changes after T+90
• use HTTPS.

10.3 Your live site must not contain API keys or other secrets. Keep it available through the completion of judging and the publication of results.

11. Code Ownership and License

11.1 All submitted code is shared under the MIT License. You still own your code, but anyone, including the organizers, can use, copy, change and share it, following the license. 11.2 If you use other people's libraries, fonts, images or files, make sure you follow their licenses. 11.3 For testing, use only the sample data we give you. Do not use or upload real personal data or private company data.

12. Disqualification

You can be disqualified if you:

• use code written before the contest, or code from old projects;
• copy code from, or share code with, other participants;
• talk to or message anyone other than the organizers during the contest;
• use unauthorized external storage devices;
• use participant-controlled backend code or persistent backend, database or online storage services prohibited by Section 5.1;
• change your Git history, or present code, commits, pushes or deployment changes made after T+90 as part of your contest submission;
• pretend to be someone else or give false information;
• behave in a rude, disruptive or dishonest way;
• interfere with lab PCs, the network, or other participants' work.

13. General Rules

13.1 The organizers may change these rules before or during the event if needed. We will tell all participants about any change. 13.2 If something is not covered in these rules, the organizing committee will decide, and that decision is final. 13.3 Contact: [email protected], 01768804069.

Timing reminder: 30-minute setup; T+0 to T+90 for building, committing, pushing and deployment; after T+90 and up to T+95 for submitting the form only, with a 10-mark penalty. Contest: 6 October 2026. Results: 7 October 2026.

1. Datasets and Permitted Resources

• Participants must work exclusively with the official datasets and resources permitted in the problem statement.

• External datasets may be used only if the competition brief explicitly authorizes their use.

• AI assistants, libraries, pre-trained models and public notebooks may be used only as permitted by the competition brief. AI use is also subject to Section 2.

2. AI Assistance and Prohibited Tools

• Participants may use manual conversational AI chatbots strictly for guidance, debugging or explanations.

• Autonomous coding agents and IDEs that independently write, execute or modify code are strictly prohibited.

• Any detected use of banned agentic tools through code style analysis, behavioral inconsistency or self-disclosure will result in an immediate contest ban.

3. Required Submission Files

• Participants must submit all required prediction files, notebooks or code, reports and any other requested files in the exact specified format.

• Each participant must submit both a predicted output CSV file matching the official template and the corresponding Jupyter notebook with all cell outputs preserved.

• The notebook must clearly show data loading, preprocessing, model training, inference and the exact code used to generate the final CSV.

• Submissions missing either the required CSV file or the complete notebook will be automatically rejected by the system without review.

4. Automatic Validation and Leaderboard

• The system automatically validates CSV schemas, computes evaluation metrics against hidden test ground truth and posts scores to the provisional leaderboard.

• Malformed CSV submissions, including those with incorrect columns, wrong row counts or misaligned ID mappings, will be automatically flagged and rejected.

• Displayed leaderboard rankings are provisional until final evaluation and integrity checks are completed.

5. Explanation and Reproducibility

• Participants must be fully prepared to explain, defend and reproduce their submitted approach and code if requested by the judges during integrity checks.

1. About the Contest

AI DevFest Prompt Battle is an individual competition held on the organizers' own platform. Participants use generative AI tools to complete assigned tasks and submit one final prompt with the output or files required by each question. This rulebook contains the Prompt Battle rules and the applicable general participant rules from AI DevFest 2026.

• Format: Solo (one person)
• Platform: Organizers' own competition platform
• Device: One organizer-provided PC
• Al tools: Generative AI tools, free or Pro
• Submission: One final prompt with the task-specific output or files; separate chat links where applicable
• Duration: 90 minutes | All times are Bangladesh Standard Time

2. Who Can Join

• Students from any university may participate. Complete official registration at https://aidevfest.top/ using your real name and valid university identification. Use your registered identity throughout the contest.

• Compete alone. Account sharing, impersonation or participating on behalf of another person is strictly prohibited.

• Carry and present a valid institutional ID card to enter the venue. Participants without a valid institutional ID card will not be allowed to participate.

• Every participant will receive an event kit. Be physically present at the event to collect it. No alternative collection or courier option is available. Participants who are absent will not receive their kits.

• The registration fee is BDT 300. The registration deadline was 28 September 2026. The participant limit is 300.

3. Schedule

• The contest will take place on 6 October 2026 from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM, with a duration of 90 minutes. The submission deadline is 12:00 PM. The closing ceremony, results announcement and certificate distribution will take place on 7 October 2026 at 2:00 PM. All times are Bangladesh Standard Time.

• The venue is Knowledge Tower, Daffodil International University. The assigned room will be emailed to registered students. Report on time.

• Remain active until the contest ends or until the invigilator permits you to leave.

• Submit before the announced deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted unless the organizers announce an extension because of an official technical problem.

• Login time will be provided before the contest. Late entrants admitted within the permitted 10-minute window may complete login and OTP verification under invigilator supervision. Phones may be used only for supervised OTP verification and must then be put away. No additional contest time will be granted.

4. The Problems

• The number and types of questions may vary. The question pattern will remain confidential until the contest begins. Follow the required theme, problem and submission format for every task. Both the submitted prompt and output must meet these requirements.

• Each official problem statement will specify its required output and file formats. Submission requirements may differ between questions.

• Send questions about a problem or rule through the official clarification channel or to the designated contest official. If a clarification affects all participants, the organizers will communicate it to everyone concerned.

• Do not share prompts, outputs or solutions, or discuss the problem with others during the contest.

• Participants must write their own prompts. Essential task facts and explicitly permitted reference materials may be included. Pasting entire questions, uploading question screenshots/files, or asking AI to create submission prompts is prohibited.

5. Technical Rules

• The competition will be held on the organizers' own platform.

• Use only the device provided by the organizers. Personal laptops, PCs, tablets, mobile phones and all other personal devices are not allowed during the contest.

• Physical notes, hard copies, written materials and pen drives are not allowed.

• Reverse prompting, meta-prompting, prompt injection and any other techniques intended to reveal, extract, reconstruct or bypass hidden instructions, system prompts, evaluation criteria or contest restrictions are strictly prohibited.

• Do not intentionally manipulate, exploit, jailbreak, reverse-engineer or interfere with the competition platform, evaluation system, hidden tests, system prompts or judging infrastructure.

• Ordinary web searches, external reference websites, coding, design and video editors, and downloaded external assets are not allowed during the contest.

6. Using AI

• Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Leonardo and similar platforms are allowed. There is no limit on the number of permitted AI tools participants may use. Free and Pro versions are allowed, subject to all contest rules.

• Use your own AI accounts. Sharing or using another participant's Al account is strictly prohibited. If university email access is required, another person's account may not be used.

• You are responsible for access to your chosen Al tools. The organizers are not responsible for downtime, rate limits, login issues, subscription restrictions or exhausted credits.

• You are responsible for everything you submit, including content or code produced with AI. AI tools must not be used to obtain leaked or private contest materials, access restricted information, impersonate others or bypass contest rules.

• If the judges request it, disclose the AI tools/models you used and show relevant prompt or development history, where applicable.

7. Lab Rules

• Follow the instructions of organizers, invigilators and judges throughout the competition.

• External human assistance is not allowed. A participant found receiving external assistance will be immediately disqualified, and the contest will be considered cancelled for that participant.

• Sharing prompts, code, solutions, files, datasets, answers, credentials or contest information with another participant or team is strictly prohibited.

• Do not interfere with the contest network, submission system, devices or other participants.

• You may be asked to show your screen, device, prompt history, code, notebook, repository or other relevant work for integrity verification, where applicable.

• Report any technical problem to the organizers immediately during the contest. Do not wait until the contest is over.

8. How to Submit

• Submit one final prompt per question together with the output or files required by that question through the official competition platform. The required files and formats may differ between questions.

• Ensure the submitted prompt and output follow the required theme, problem and submission format.

• Provide a separate chat link for each problem/task, where applicable.

• Check that your final submission is complete, accessible and in the required format before the deadline.

• Submissions must be your own competition work. Copying another participant's solution or submission is strictly prohibited.

• Only submissions made through the official submission method within the announced deadline will be evaluated.

9. Judging

• The contest carries a total of 100 marks. Participants will be shown their total score; the full marks breakdown will not be published.

• Judges may use automated evaluation, hidden tests, rubric-based evaluation, live demonstration or technical questioning, as applicable to the competition.

• Any leaderboard or preliminary result is unofficial until the organizers complete final verification.

• In case of a tie, the competition-specific tie-breaking rule announced by the judges will apply.

• Judges' decisions on technical evaluation and final results are final after the official review process.

• Prizes will be awarded to the winners.

10. Disqualification

Depending on the seriousness of a violation, a participant may receive a warning, score penalty, submission rejection or disqualification, except where a rule explicitly requires immediate disqualification. Violations include:

• Cheating or unauthorized collaboration.
• Plagiarism or copying another participant's work.
• Account sharing or impersonation.
• Using prohibited resources, personal devices or external assistance.
• Using prohibited prompting techniques or bypassing contest restrictions.
• Falsifying submission or verification evidence.
• Interfering with contest systems or other participants.
• Refusing to follow reasonable contest-integrity instructions.
• Harassment, abusive behaviour, deliberate disruption or other serious misconduct.

11. General Rules

• Follow this rulebook together with the official instructions for Prompt Battle.

• If a competition-specific instruction differs from a general rule, the officially announced competition-specific instruction applies.

• The organizers may issue necessary clarifications during the event to maintain fairness and smooth operation.

• Submit any complaint about a rule violation or contest process through the official channel with relevant evidence.

• Participation in AI Dev Fest 2026 means that you accept the applicable competition rules and official instructions.

Reminder: Use only the organizer-provided PC, work independently, and submit one final prompt with the output or files required by each question by 12:00 PM on 6 October 2026. Provide separate chat links where applicable.