• Participants must be undergraduate or postgraduate students.

• Open to global students with a focus on India and the U.S.

• Teams of 1-4 individuals.

GEN AI Chakra for Smart Cities Hackathon presented by Student Chakra (the “Hackathon”)
OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
SUBMISSION OF ANY ENTRY CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES AS A CONTRACT BETWEEN ENTRANT (AND EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF ENTRANT), THE HACKATHON SPONSOR, AND DEVPOST.

• Sponsor: Student Chakra Foundation, Visakhapatnam 530017, Andhra Pradesh, India (“Student Chakra”).

• Administrator: Devpost, Inc., 222 Broadway, Floor 19, New York, NY 10038 (“Devpost”).

The Hackathon is open to:

1. Individuals who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence.

2. Teams of Eligible Individuals.

(The above are collectively, “Entrants.”)

An Eligible Individual may use only one Devpost account for this Hackathon. Creating or using multiple accounts to register or submit will result in disqualification.

An Eligible Individual may join multiple Teams or Organizations and may also submit individually. Each Team/Organization must appoint one Representative to act on its behalf and submit entries. By submitting, that Representative warrants they are duly authorized.

The Hackathon is not open to:

• Residents/Entities in jurisdictions sanctioned by the U.S. or Indian governments (e.g., Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Crimea, Russia, Quebec, etc.).

• Promotion Entities (Sponsor, Administrator, and their contractors directly involved in the Hackathon).

• Employees/agents/representatives of Promotion Entities and their immediate family/household members.

• Judges or employees of Judge‑employing organizations.

• Any entity whose participation would create a conflict of interest, as determined by the Sponsor/Administrator.

Immediate family means spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their step‑counterparts; household means persons living at the same address ≥ 3 months/year.

1. Register on the Devpost Hackathon page (https://hackathon.studentchakra.com or the corresponding Devpost listing) by clicking “Join Hackathon.”

2. Create or log in to a free Devpost account.

3. Leverage Free Gen AI tools: After registering, Additional free tools are listed on the Resources page.

• Note: Any usage fees beyond the free tier are the responsibility of the Entrant.

• Build your Project (see Project Requirements below).

• Complete the Devpost submission form during the Submission Period, including all required assets.

Project Requirements

• What to Create: Build a new Gen AI–powered application that advances one or more Smart City dimensions (e.g., mobility, energy, environment, governance, citizen services, resilience). Projects must be primarily developed with a Student Chakra Build Zone (SCBZ) badge that will be provided in whatsapp community. Reach moderators after submission.

• Badge Requirement: The deployed project must visibly display the “Built with Student Chakra” badge.

• Primary Development: Core functionality must run smoothly with normal user's mobile & web browsers ; external tools (e.g., Figma, ChatGPT, Hugging Face Spaces) are permitted for support roles only and must be documented.

• Functionality: The project must install and run consistently as demonstrated.

• New Work Only: Work must start after the Submission Period opens. Existing/published projects are not eligible. Github Repos must be created after hackathon opens.

Challenge Tracks (eligible for additional prizes)

1. Urban Mobility Challenge – Optimize city transit, traffic flow or last‑mile logistics.

2. Energy & Sustainability Challenge – Enhance renewable energy management, efficiency or carbon tracking.

3. AI Governance & Inclusivity Challenge – Foster transparent, citizen‑centric AI governance in smart cities.

4. Digital Twin & IoT Challenge – Use real‑time data streams to build city‑scale digital twins.

5. Open Data Innovation Challenge – Leverage open municipal datasets for new public services.

(Tracks may be updated; see Devpost page for final list.)

Bonus Prizes being cooked

• Stand‑out Event Host – For exemplary IRL meetup leaders.

• Inspirational Story – For projects with a compelling origin story.

• One‑Shot Build – Best project created from a single AI prompt.

• Build‑in‑Public Journey – Best documented open build thread.

A valid Submission must:

1. Include a public URL to the functional project.

2. State clearly that it was built in SCBZ mode and include the badge.

3. Include a ≤ 3‑minute demo video hosted on YouTube showing key functionality (and any Track/Bonus integrations).

4. Provide a text description covering features, impact, Track/Bonus fit, and tool usage.

5. Select the Geographical Region that best represents the team (for Regional Prizes).

6. Supply testing credentials if the project is behind auth.

7. Be the Entrant’s own original work and comply with third‑party license terms.

Multiple unique Submissions are allowed, but each must differ substantially.

• Drafts: Save drafts on Devpost anytime before the deadline.

• Post‑deadline edits: Sponsor/Administrator may permit limited changes (e.g., to remove infringing material) while requiring substantive content to remain unchanged.

Stage One – Compliance check (theme fit, SCBZ badge given to projects that built in context).
Stage Two – Scored on four equally weighted criteria:

1. Potential Impact – Scale and significance of the problem & solution.

2. Quality of Idea – Originality and innovation relative to existing offerings.

3. Technological Implementation – Code quality and effective use of SCBZ & Gen AI.

4. Design – UX/UI excellence and holistic product thinking.

Ties are broken by highest score in criteria 1, then 2, etc.

Submissions remain the intellectual property of Entrants. By entering, you grant Student Chakra and Devpost a non‑exclusive, fully paid license to use your Submission for judging, promotion and showcasing the Hackathon for three years after its conclusion. You warrant that your work is original and does not infringe third‑party rights.

Important Notes on Multiple Prize Eligibility

• Each eligible Submission may receive one (1) Global Prize or one (1) Regional Prize, plus up to one (1) Challenge Prize and one (1) Bonus Prize – maximum two unique prizes per Project.

• If a Submission qualifies for more than one prize tier, the prize (or combination) with the greater total monetary value takes precedence.

• AWS Promotional Credits (if offered) are governed by the AWS Promotional Credits terms and conditions and are not redeemable for cash.

Substitutions & Changes

Prizes are non‑transferable. Student Chakra, at its sole discretion, may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. No prize will be awarded if there are no eligible Submissions or Entrants for that prize tier.

Verification Requirement

THE AWARD OF A PRIZE IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION OF THE WINNER’S IDENTITY, ELIGIBILITY AND ROLE IN THE SUBMISSION.
No Submission shall be deemed a winning Submission until all post‑competition affidavits and forms have been completed and verified by Student Chakra and/or Devpost.

Prize Delivery

Prizes will be paid to the Entrant (individual), the Team Representative, or the Organization. The Representative is responsible for distributing any monetary award among team members. Monetary prizes are sent (wire transfer, UPI, or cheque) within 60 days of receipt and approval of all required documentation. Required forms must be returned within 10 business days of issuance.

Fees & Taxes

Winners are responsible for any transfer fees, exchange fees, and all applicable taxes in their jurisdiction. U.S. winners may need to provide Form W‑9; non‑U.S. winners may need Form W‑8BEN. Student Chakra, Devpost, and prize providers reserve the right to withhold taxes as required by law.

By entering, you (and, if applicable, every member of your Team/Organization) agree that:

1. Your relationship with Student Chakra and Devpost is not confidential, fiduciary, or special.

2. You will comply with these Official Rules and all decisions of Student Chakra, Devpost and the Judges, which are final and binding.

3. You release and hold harmless Student Chakra, Devpost, prize suppliers, and their affiliates, officers, directors, employees and agents (the “Released Parties”) from any liability arising from your participation, the creation or submission of your Project, and/or the acceptance or use of any prize.

4. Released Parties are not liable for (a) incorrect information; (b) technical failures; (c) unauthorized human intervention; (d) errors in administration; or (e) injury or damage related to participation or prize use.

5. If your Submission is lost, corrupted or not received, your sole remedy is to request to resubmit (at Student Chakra’s discretion).

By participating, you consent to Student Chakra and Devpost using your name, likeness, hometown, comments, and project details for promotional purposes worldwide and in perpetuity without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

Student Chakra and Devpost may cancel, suspend or modify the Hackathon if technical failures, fraud or unforeseen events compromise its integrity or if low attendees. They may disqualify anyone suspected of tampering or acting unsportsmanlike. These Official Rules may be amended at any time; changes become effective upon posting to the Hackathon site.

Except in cases of gross negligence, willful misconduct, or where prohibited by law, Entrants agree that Released Parties are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages.

Except where prohibited, disputes shall be resolved individually by binding arbitration under American Arbitration Association rules, with venue at the AAA office nearest the contestant. The Federal Arbitration Act governs. No class actions. Damages are limited to out‑of‑pocket expenses.

Devpost’s Terms of Service apply. In the Terms, “Poster” is equivalent to “Sponsor.” In case of conflict, these Official Rules control.

Personal data is governed by the Devpost Privacy Policy and Student Chakra’s privacy practices. Student Chakra is GDPR Compliant. We don't retain user info. Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected].

© 2025 Student Chakra Foundation. All rights reserved.