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Competition rules

  1. Teams and individual participants must register before the registration deadline.
  2. All core project work should be completed during the official 30-day build period (5 October – 5 November).
  3. Teams are encouraged to collaborate, learn from mentors, and seek guidance throughout the hackathon. However, each team's final solution must be their own original work.
  4. Existing open-source software, frameworks, APIs, libraries, datasets, and AI tools may be used, provided they are appropriately acknowledged in the final submission.
  5. Teams must have the necessary rights or permission to use any code, assets, images, datasets, or other materials included in their project.
  6. Solutions should demonstrate a meaningful use of Interledger, Open Payments, or other open payment technologies relevant to the challenge.
  7. Final submissions must include all required deliverables, including the presentation, recorded walkthrough, demo or repository link, and any supporting documentation.
  8. Submission folders must remain accessible to the judging panel throughout the judging process.
  9. Teams retain ownership of their intellectual property and submitted work.
  10. Projects should be suitable for public demonstration during the Grand Finale and may be featured by the organisers after the event, with appropriate credit given to the team.
  11. Judges' decisions are final.
  12. All participants are expected to follow the event's Code of Conduct and contribute to a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment.
Remember

This hackathon is about solving real-world problems, sharing ideas, and learning together. Judges will evaluate not only what you build, but also how you approached the challenge and communicated your solution.

Code of Conduct​

The Cape Town Software Development Meetup - Hackathon is intended to be an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive space where participants can learn, collaborate, experiment, and build together.

We expect everyone taking part in the hackathon, including participants, mentors, judges, organisers, and community members, to contribute to a respectful and constructive environment.

Be respectful​

Treat everyone with courtesy and respect, regardless of experience level, background, identity, role, or technical ability.

Different perspectives and approaches are part of what makes a hackathon valuable. Disagreement is welcome, but personal attacks, harassment, intimidation, discrimination, or deliberately disruptive behaviour are not.

Support your team and community​

Hackathons are collaborative by nature. Share knowledge, ask questions, offer constructive feedback, and help create an environment where people feel comfortable contributing ideas.

Participants should respect the contributions of their teammates and give appropriate credit for ideas, designs, code, research, and other work.

Keep feedback constructive​

When giving feedback, focus on the work rather than the person. Feedback should help teams improve their solutions and should be shared respectfully.

Likewise, be open to receiving feedback from teammates, mentors, and organisers throughout the hackathon.

Respect boundaries and communication channels​

Use the official Slack spaces and team channels responsibly. Do not spam, harass, pressure, or repeatedly contact other participants who have indicated that they do not wish to engage.

Private team spaces should be respected, and information shared within a team should not be distributed elsewhere without permission.

Build fairly​

Teams should submit work created for the hackathon and clearly acknowledge any external tools, libraries, APIs, open source projects, AI tools, datasets, or other resources that contributed significantly to their solution.

Do not intentionally copy another team's work, interfere with another team's project, or misrepresent work as your own.

Help us maintain a safe space​

If you experience or witness behaviour that goes against this Code of Conduct, please contact one of the hackathon organisers privately through the designated Slack channel or organiser contact.

Concerns will be handled as discreetly and fairly as possible.

Participation​

By taking part in the Cape Town Software Development Meetup - Hackathon, you agree to follow this Code of Conduct and help us maintain a community where everyone can participate, learn, collaborate, and build with confidence.

Serious or repeated violations may result in a warning, removal from the hackathon community, or disqualification from the competition.