Geekathon

Geekathon'21

This activity seeks to foster and support the development of innovative digital solutions to tackle the challenges of remote hybrid setups on the fields of software engineering and computer science. 

Definitions

When referring to any aspect related to the event, 

“Prizes”: refers to the prizes awarded to the Winners at the end of the Geekathon'21. 

“Overview”: refers to the specifications determined by the Organization, which may include deadlines, prizes, guidelines and themes to be complied with by all contributions by Innovators. 

“Challenge”: refers to the challenge that is the subject of the Rules, as organized by the Organizers. 

“Intellectual Property Rights” means all the following ownership legal rights, worldwide, whether registrable or unregistrable, and whether registered or unregistered, with respect to any designs, trade secrets, copyright, works of authorship, neighboring rights, mask works, know-how, software and all industrial rights, such as trademarks, industrial designs or patents. 

“Projects”: refers to the Teams and to all submissions, original ideas, documents, or other materials (such as presentations, videos, etc.) uploaded to the Website by Innovators in response and as a solution to this Challenge. 

“Backers”: refers to the jury responsible for selecting the winning Projects. 

“Innovator”: refers to any person registered in accordance with the Rules who takes part in the Challenge. 

“Registration”: refers to the registration of an Innovator in accordance with the Rules. 

“Rules”: refers to these terms, which apply to the Challenge. 

“Team”: refers to the team of innovators (2 to 3 people per team), created on the platform in order to take part in the Challenge.

“Winner” or “Winners”: refers to the members of the Project that achieve the best 3 projects according to evaluation metrics. 

“Code of Conduct”: refers to the document published on the Geekathon page aiming at creating a safe, comfortable, and harassment-free space for all the parties involved in the Hackathon, and with which all persons involved in the hackathon must abide.

Innovators (Who Can Participate?)

The Hackathon is open to all people of legal age worldwide, who are interested in creating a technological project to solve the challenges proposed. Team members should all be based in Leiria between the 20th and 21st of November. A team has to be technologically multidisciplinary and can be composed of a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 3. Individual registrations are allowed, but participation is only possible if the participant is a member of a team. 

The Challenge

The Challenge has no rigid categories, it includes several categories that are merely an indication of the path each team can take. ⚠️ These are just guidelines, your project doesn't need to necessarily fit one of the following categories.

• Communication 👉 solutions that will aim to solve some communication topics that hybrid remote working imply, from async communication to documentation. 
• Team Building 👉 solutions that will aim to bring people together on work setups and unify culture remotely. 
• Task Management 👉 solutions that aim to make projects and respective tasks easily distributed and acknowledge across teams. 

Each Team's project can select more than one category to compete in with its only project submission. 

Registrations

All participants must create an account at taikai.network in order to register for the event, following the instructions available on the website. 

Registration is complete after submitting the registration form available on the event page at taikai.network. 

Registrations that do not comply with the Rules will be disregarded. 

Deliverables - What should the final result be?

The deliverables expected should follow one of the following formats:

• Prototype: A proposal for a digital tool – in Minimum Viable Product (MVP) version. The result should be the prototype of a creative, innovative, original mobile or web application, website, tool, algorithm, or any other kind of platform that provides a solution for the challenge. The result should address a need or problem under the scope of the challenges: Workplace of the Future.

• Pitch Deck: this document should address the problem, solution, benefits, competitive landscape, and a business plan. Use an illustrative and clear approach to showcase your solution. Visual representation of your solution is encouraged (i.e. drawings, images, graphics, etc.).

In the event of difficulty or failure to read the deliverable, the Innovators responsible for that Project will be notified and are responsible for re-submitting before the challenge deadline. If the deadline has expired, the Project concerned will be disqualified from the Challenge. 

Hackathon Format

A kick-off session will be held before the start of the Hackathon to clarify all the rules, timelines and provide further instructions for the 24-hour event. 

After the 24-hour marathon, voting will be held while project presentations by Innovators are conducted. 

Evaluation

There will be a jury constituted of 4 members. 

The main criteria that the jury will be looking for when analyzing your project are the following: 

• Business Potential - The ability to generate (recurrent) revenue
• Impact - great adoption rate of final users
• Innovation - No "similarish" solutions in the market
• Pitch - the quality of the team performance and submitted output

Prizes

Prizes referred to in this section are given to Innovators if the following rules are met: 

• The delivery of Projects is in line with the quality standards and comply with the evaluation criteria; 
• Innovators comply with the Code of Conduct;
• The prize can only be awarded to the Winning Team if they meet all rules and conditions and comply in full with these Rules.

Only Project Teams on the taikai.network website will be eligible to be declared the Winning Teams and receive Prizes.  

Every Innovator acknowledges and accepts that the Organization is responsible for awarding prizes to the 3 Winning Teams only.  

The Backer's decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into. 

Cancellation

The organization reserves the right to terminate, cancel or delay the competition at any time without any obligation to indemnify the teams.

Intellectual Property Rights

"Intellectual property rights" refer to any invention, copyright, or other rights over a brand or model and, more generally, any element that may be protected by international laws or conventions on intellectual property. 

Any Project involving several Innovators constitutes a collaborative enterprise. 

As such, the Organizers are free to reproduce, distribute, inform the public about the Projects.

Each Innovator guarantees that the person is the co-owner and co-holder of the Intellectual Property Rights regarding all or part of the deliverables submitted as part of the Challenge for the Project of which he/she is a member and that he/she has obtained all rights and permissions regarding all pre-existing elements and any elements for which he/she does not hold the rights if these elements are to be included in the deliverables in all voting phases. Each member of a Participating Team guarantees that his/her application is original and unprecedented, that it does not infringe upon the copyright of any third party, and that all the elements of which it is formed, as well as all pieces of information communicated in the application presentation document, are accurate, reliable and complete. It is compulsory for Innovators to indicate the source of any pre-existing elements (music, text, images, etc.) that are included in the deliverables. Each Innovator ensures good use of the deliverables provided by the Organizers, and as such guarantees: 

• that the deliverables submitted by the Team of which he/she is a member are original; 
• that they do not infringe on or imitate any copyright, patent, brand or any other intellectual property belonging to a third party;
• that they do not constitute an act of unfair competition or parasitic competition of any kind; 
• that all the elements of which it is formed, as well as all pieces of information communicated in the deliverables, are accurate, reliable and complete.

Each Innovator shall indemnify the Organizers, under the terms of the Portuguese Law, and any present and future subsidiaries, against any disruption, action, claim opposition, demand, or eviction attempt from any third party. 

During and after the Challenge, the products resulting from the team’s work may reach such a degree of innovation or originality as to qualify for intellectual property rights. The Innovators shall maintain ownership of their creations and related intellectual property rights regardless of their success in the Challenge.

The Winners retain the rights, as owners of the Intellectual Property Rights, to further develop and commercialize the winning Project as they deem fit.

Communication 

Every Innovator, in the event of being declared the winner of the Challenge, authorizes the Organizers to use respective last name, first name, Social Media addresses, contact details, age, food preferences in any promotional demonstration (except the purchase of advertising space), including on the websites belonging to TAIKAI and the Organization, and any site or affiliated support, without this use, legally giving rise to any remuneration for a maximum of 2 years after the end of the Geekathon'21.

Liability 

The Organizers cannot be held liable in the event of a breakdown or malfunction of the telecommunications network used, whatever the cause, which may harm or prevent identification or access of the Innovator to the taikai.network website, or any other website useful for participating in the Challenge. 

Participation in the Challenge implies knowledge and acceptance of the characteristics, limitations and risks of the Internet network and the technologies which are linked to it, particularly with respect to performance, response time, the security of computer software and hardware against various potential attacks, such as viruses, logic bombs or Trojan horses, and the loss or diversion of data. Therefore, the Organizers cannot be held liable for the damages caused to the Innovator as a result of these accepted characteristics, limitations and risks. 

The Organizers cannot, under any circumstances, be held liable for any damage caused by defective or delayed delivery of the Projects, in particular for any refusal to consider late submissions, or for any damage caused by an inability to connect to the relevant websites or to upload/download correctly any delivery, defects or delivery times of any email sent during the Challenge, or for any damage caused by any constraint preventing the Innovator attending or participating in all or part of the Challenge. 

The Organizers cannot be held liable in cases of total or partial modification, suspension, interruption, adjournment or cancellation of all or part of the Challenge for reasons beyond their control. In such cases, the Organization will inform the Innovators at the earliest opportunity via the taikai.network or by any means it sees fit. 

The Organizers cannot be held liable for the consequences of a disqualification of an Innovator, and/or a Team, due to a violation of the Rules, and/or in the event of the rejection of a Project due to noncompliance with the Rules. 

The Organizers shall not be held liable for any hindrance, action, claim or objection related to the use of the Projects of the Organization not foreseen in the Rules or in connection with the negotiation, execution or performance of contracts that the Organization may sign with the Innovators. 

In any case, the Organizers will not be held liable for the delivery of the Prizes, nor in cases where a Winner is unable to benefit from his/her Prize due to circumstances beyond the Organizers’ control. The Organizers cannot be held liable in the event of loss and/or damage of the Prize during postage or any similar third-party service provision, and more generally if the Winner fails to receive his/her Prize. The Organizers cannot be held liable in the event of incidents or damage of any kind that may result from the enjoyment of the Prize awarded and/or originating from its use. 

Terms and Conditions

By registering for this Challenge, the Innovator accepts the General Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy provided by TAIKAI and all the Challenge Regulations. 

Any Registration containing incorrect, unreliable or incomplete information shall not be taken into account and shall disqualify the Innovator and/or the Innovator’s Team from the Challenge. 

Upon registration, the Innovator accepts the Code of Conduct of the Challenge.

Code of Conduct

Purpose

We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion (or lack thereof). All we care is talent and participation.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behaviour.

We invite all those who participate in Geekathon to read these guidelines and help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

Promoting a welcoming and inclusive environment

A supplemental goal of this Code of Conduct is to create and foster a welcoming and inclusive environment by encouraging participants to recognize and strengthen the relationships between our actions and their effects on our community.

Expected Behaviour

The following behaviours are expected and requested of all community members:

• Participate authentically and actively. 
• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions.
• Attempt collaboration before a conflict.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and your fellow participants.
• Alert the organizers if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.

Unacceptable Behaviour

The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:

• Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person.
• Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
• Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information ("doxing").
• Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
• Inappropriate photography or recording.
• Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcomed sexual advances.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following (online or in-person).
• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
• Sustained disruption of community events, including presentations.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behaviour

Unacceptable behaviour from any community member, including sponsors and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behaviour is expected to comply immediately.

If a member of the event engages in unacceptable behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion from the event and community tools and forums.

Reporting Guidelines

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behaviour, or have any other concerns, please notify the organizers or staff members as soon as possible. 

Geekathon Organizers Contacts

You can reach the organization in many ways:

• E-mail: [email protected]
• Slack channel
• staff members in the venue