HackSprint

01Who this covers#

Everyone on the Platform: participants, teams, judges, organizers, and staff. It applies in hackathons and workspaces, on profiles, in any community channel we run, and at any HackSprint event online or in person.

02How we expect you to act#

·Assume the other person is trying. Critique the work, not the human behind it.

·Be specific and useful when you review or comment. "This query scans the whole table" beats "this is bad".

·Credit what you did not write: libraries, snippets, teammates, and AI output.

·Leave room for people who are new. Everyone was once entering their first hackathon.

·Respect the event rules and the organizer’s decisions, even when you disagree with them.

·Keep private things private. Another person’s submission, workspace, or personal details are not yours to share.

03Unacceptable behaviour#

·Harassment, threats, stalking, or unwanted contact after being asked to stop.

·Discriminatory or demeaning remarks about race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

·Sexual attention or imagery in any shared space, and any sexualisation of a minor.

·Publishing someone’s address, workplace, or identity without their consent.

·Sustained disruption of a challenge, a judging session, or a community channel.

·Retaliation against someone for reporting a concern in good faith.

04Competing fairly#

·Submit your own work, written during the event window unless the brief allows otherwise.

·One account, one entry, one track. Do not enter the same hackathon twice under another identity.

·Do not share solutions, hidden test cases, or challenge internals while an event is live.

·Do not attempt to reach another participant’s workspace, or the grading system itself.

·Do not defeat proctoring. No stand-ins, no second screen, no hidden helper.

·If you find a bug that gives you an advantage, report it. We have never penalised anyone for doing that.

05Using AI honestly#

Our IDE includes an AI coding agent, and most events allow it. Honest use means the work is still yours to explain.

·Follow the event’s stated AI policy. Some challenges restrict or disable the agent.

·Be able to walk a judge through what your submission does and why.

·Do not present generated code as hand-written where a brief asks you to distinguish them.

·Do not use an outside model to complete a proctored challenge where the rules forbid outside help.

06Reporting a concern#

Report it

Use the contact form and select “Report a conduct issue”. If someone is at immediate risk, say so at the top of your message and we escalate it straight away.

Tell us what happened, where, when, who was involved, and anything that helps us verify it, such as links, screenshots, or session references. You can report on someone else’s behalf, and you can ask to stay anonymous to the people involved. We only need your identity so we can follow up with you.

07What happens next#

StageTiming

We acknowledge your reportWithin 1 business day

A reviewer with no involvement picks it upWithin 3 business days

We gather evidence and hear the other sideUsually within 10 business days

We tell you the outcomeAs soon as a decision is made

Reports are shared only with the people who need them to investigate. Where an event organizer has to act, we pass on the minimum necessary. Interim measures such as muting an account or pausing a submission can happen while a review is open.

08Consequences#

·A private correction, for a first minor lapse.

·A formal warning recorded on the account.

·Removal of a submission, or disqualification from an event.

·Forfeiting a prize or a leaderboard placement.

·Temporary suspension from the Platform or a community channel.

·A permanent ban for serious or repeated breaches, and referral to law enforcement where someone is at risk.

09Appeals#

You can appeal any decision within 14 days by replying to the outcome message with what you think we got wrong. A reviewer who was not part of the original decision looks at it again, and that second decision is final.

02How we expect you to act#

·Assume the other person is trying. Critique the work, not the human behind it.

·Be specific and useful when you review or comment. "This query scans the whole table" beats "this is bad".

·Credit what you did not write: libraries, snippets, teammates, and AI output.

·Leave room for people who are new. Everyone was once entering their first hackathon.

·Respect the event rules and the organizer’s decisions, even when you disagree with them.

·Keep private things private. Another person’s submission, workspace, or personal details are not yours to share.

03Unacceptable behaviour#

·Harassment, threats, stalking, or unwanted contact after being asked to stop.

·Discriminatory or demeaning remarks about race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

·Sexual attention or imagery in any shared space, and any sexualisation of a minor.

·Publishing someone’s address, workplace, or identity without their consent.

·Sustained disruption of a challenge, a judging session, or a community channel.

·Retaliation against someone for reporting a concern in good faith.

04Competing fairly#

·Submit your own work, written during the event window unless the brief allows otherwise.

·One account, one entry, one track. Do not enter the same hackathon twice under another identity.

·Do not share solutions, hidden test cases, or challenge internals while an event is live.

·Do not attempt to reach another participant’s workspace, or the grading system itself.

·Do not defeat proctoring. No stand-ins, no second screen, no hidden helper.

·If you find a bug that gives you an advantage, report it. We have never penalised anyone for doing that.

05Using AI honestly#

Our IDE includes an AI coding agent, and most events allow it. Honest use means the work is still yours to explain.

·Follow the event’s stated AI policy. Some challenges restrict or disable the agent.

·Be able to walk a judge through what your submission does and why.

·Do not present generated code as hand-written where a brief asks you to distinguish them.

·Do not use an outside model to complete a proctored challenge where the rules forbid outside help.

06Reporting a concern#

Report it

Use the contact form and select “Report a conduct issue”. If someone is at immediate risk, say so at the top of your message and we escalate it straight away.

07What happens next#

StageTiming

We acknowledge your reportWithin 1 business day

A reviewer with no involvement picks it upWithin 3 business days

We gather evidence and hear the other sideUsually within 10 business days

We tell you the outcomeAs soon as a decision is made

08Consequences#

·A private correction, for a first minor lapse.

·A formal warning recorded on the account.

·Removal of a submission, or disqualification from an event.

·Forfeiting a prize or a leaderboard placement.

·Temporary suspension from the Platform or a community channel.

·A permanent ban for serious or repeated breaches, and referral to law enforcement where someone is at risk.

Code of Conduct

01Who this covers#

02How we expect you to act#

03Unacceptable behaviour#

04Competing fairly#

05Using AI honestly#

06Reporting a concern#

07What happens next#

08Consequences#

09Appeals#

Code of Conduct

01Who this covers#

02How we expect you to act#

03Unacceptable behaviour#

04Competing fairly#

05Using AI honestly#

06Reporting a concern#

07What happens next#

08Consequences#

09Appeals#