Megathon X: Singularity

Terms & Conditions

Organised by E-Cell, IIIT Hyderabad. Title sponsor Lloyds Bank, in association with Qualcomm. By registering you agree to everything below. Download as PDF

  1. Eligibility

    • Only students currently enrolled in undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral programs (such as B.Tech, M.Tech, MS, PhD or equivalent degrees) at colleges or universities recognised by the UGC, AICTE or a state/central education board in India are eligible to participate.
    • Each participant must present a valid college-issued student ID card with their name, photograph, date of issue and date of expiry clearly visible (hard or soft copy, both accepted).
    • Invalid or fake IDs will lead to disqualification without refund.
    • International students enrolled in recognised Indian institutions are eligible.
    • All individuals who have purchased a valid ticket are eligible for participation; there will be no prior shortlisting or elimination round.
    • Inter-college teams are permitted.

  2. Participation

    • Participants may register individually or in teams.
    • Teams may consist of up to five (5) members, and every member must meet the eligibility criteria.
    • All team members must be registered participants with valid tickets obtained through Konfhub mail.
    • After the problem statements are announced, a form will be circulated for problem statement allocation. Allocation will be determined using an internal algorithm designed to ensure fair and balanced distribution across teams and problem statements.
    • No changes to team composition (members or names) will be permitted after 9 October 2026, 11:59 PM.
    • Once a problem statement has been allocated, no changes to the allocation will be entertained.
    • The hackathon will be conducted entirely offline. No hybrid or online participation is permitted.

  3. Ticketing

    • Each participant must present their ticket at on-site registration. Tickets may be bought individually or as a group.
    • Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be resold.
    • Refund and dispute requests must be emailed to ecell@iiit.ac.in on or before 9 October 2026. Requests after this date will not be entertained.
    • In case of event cancellation, refund policies will be communicated by organisers at that time.
    • A special coupon code is available only for IIIT Hyderabad participants during online registration.
    • On-spot registrations will be available for both IIITH and non-IIITH participants. No special discounts apply.
    • The fee is charged per participant, not per team.

  4. Check-in and attendance

    • Participants must check in at the venue before the official start time (reporting and start time will be intimated later).
    • Late entry and re-entry during the event are subject to security checks and organiser approval.
    • Overnight stay is mandatory as part of the hackathon. Exemptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis with prior organiser approval.
    • Basic facilities (food, seating arrangements, charging points, etc.) will be provided.
    • Access restrictions: non-IIIT participants are not permitted to enter institute workspaces or laboratories, Vindhya, T-Hub or KRB lab spaces. They may only use designated rooms in the Himalaya Block for the duration of the event.
    • An IIIT Hyderabad route map will be shared with participants closer to the event to guide movement within the campus.

  5. Hardware and equipment

    • Participants must bring their own laptops and devices.
    • Specialised hardware required for problem statements will be provided if mentioned in advance by sponsors/organisers.
    • Participants must bear the cost of repair or replacement for any damage caused to provided hardware.
    • Borrowing or sharing equipment between teams is allowed at their own risk; organisers are not responsible.

  6. Internet and infrastructure

    • Wi-Fi will be provided at the venue.
    • Any attempt to hack into networks, devices or infrastructure will result in disqualification.
    • Use of external servers or cloud platforms is permitted unless restricted by the problem statement.

  7. Usage of coding tools

    • No restrictions on programming languages, stacks or libraries unless specified.
    • AI tools, including chatbots and LLMs, are permitted unless explicitly restricted.
    • Final submissions must include disclosure of all AI/LLM assistance. Failure to disclose may result in disqualification.

  8. Submission policy

    • All projects must be submitted on the designated platform (to be announced well in advance).
    • Each submission must include:
      • A GitHub repository link containing README.md with compilation and execution instructions, ai_chat.md with all AI tool/chat links used, and the full solution code.
      • A PDF report summarising the project.
      • A presentation outlining the team's understanding, approach, solution and outcomes.
    • Teams must ensure repositories are accessible for judging.
    • Repositories must remain private during the hackathon. Access must only be granted to judges, mentors and sponsors as required.
    • No or late mid-submissions will result in direct disqualification.
    • No or late final submissions will not be considered for any further rounds of evaluation.

  9. Code of conduct

    • Participants must respect fellow participants, mentors, judges and organisers.
    • Harassment, abusive behaviour or cheating will result in disqualification.
    • Plagiarism or use of pre-built solutions without acknowledgment is prohibited; see section 10.
    • Use of alcohol, drugs or prohibited substances is strictly forbidden.
    • Any misconduct or violation of the code of conduct must be reported immediately to the organisers via the designated helpdesk or helpline numbers (shared through QR codes at the venue). During the event, issues may also be raised through the official Discord server.

  10. Originality and plagiarism

    • A submission is original only if it was built by the team during the hackathon window: from the release of the problem statements to the final submission deadline. Originality is judged by when and by whom the work was created, not by how much an existing project has been changed.
    • Third-party libraries, frameworks, APIs, models, datasets and boilerplate may be used if licensed correctly and credited in README.md. AI assistance is permitted and must be disclosed as required by section 7.
    • Forks, clones, rebrands, ports and derivatives of existing projects may not be submitted as a team's solution. The extent of modification is not a defence.
    • No project or codebase that existed before the problem statements were released may be submitted, including a team's or member's own earlier work and work from a course, internship or employer.
    • An existing project may be used as a dependency, but may not be the solution. If it supplies the core functionality the problem statement asks for, the submission is not original.
    • A team may reuse its own general-purpose utility code or design assets if disclosed in README.md and not the substance of the solution.
    • Repositories must preserve full commit history and show incremental development. Squashed or imported history, or a first commit containing a substantially complete solution, will be treated as evidence of a pre-existing codebase.
    • Organisers may use similarity-detection tools, commit-metadata analysis and live questioning, and may require a team to explain or reproduce any part of its submission. Refusal is grounds for disqualification.
    • Suspected violations may be reported through the helpdesk or the official Discord server during the event, or by email to ecell@iiit.ac.in afterwards.
    • A violation established during the event results in disqualification of the entire team, without refund.
    • If a violation surfaces after results are announced, organisers may, within 90 days, revoke the team's award, certificates and prize money, reclaim prize money already paid, reassign the award to the next-ranked team, and inform the sponsor. The team will be given seven (7) days to respond before any such action is taken.

  11. Intellectual property

    • All code and related material submitted during the hackathon must include a licence file. The default licence shall be the MIT License.
    • Participants retain full ownership of the intellectual property they create.
    • By submitting their work, participants grant the sponsor of the problem statement a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, modify, distribute and build upon the submitted solution for research, development or commercial purposes.
    • This licence does not restrict participants from reusing, modifying or commercialising their work independently.
    • Judges and organisers must be given full access to the code and related materials for evaluation purposes only.
    • Any separate agreements or arrangements between participants and sponsors beyond the hackathon are strictly between them; the organisers are not involved or liable.
    • Projects must not infringe on third-party intellectual property rights. Submissions must comply with the MIT License and ensure compatibility with its permissive terms.

  12. Evaluation

    • Evaluation will have three elimination rounds:
      • R0: online double-blind review of submissions. The evaluation criteria will be made publicly available in advance.
      • R1: in-person evaluation by sponsors of the respective problem statements. The evaluation criteria for this round will be determined solely at the discretion of the sponsor. Organisers shall not be held responsible for any modifications or decisions made by sponsors during this round.
      • R2: pitching round for the top 5 teams from each problem statement in R1 before sponsors and independent judges. Only an overview of the expectations for R2 will be shared publicly; detailed evaluation criteria will remain confidential.
    • The top 3 teams from each problem statement will be awarded.
    • Organisers reserve the right to adjust awards if there is a significant imbalance.

  13. Prizes

    • Prizes will consist of cash awards and winning certificates.
    • The prize amount may vary across different problem statements, depending on the sponsoring organisation's allocation and discretion.
    • Allocation of problem statements will be based on the internal algorithm, irrespective of the prize money associated with each statement. No requests for reallocation or changes in problem statements based on prize value will be entertained under any circumstances.
    • All participants will receive stickers, a T-shirt, a participation certificate, a notebook and a pen.
    • All prizes are subject to applicable taxes and awarded per team unless otherwise specified by the sponsor.
    • Organisers are not responsible for additional perks, benefits or prize components promised or offered by sponsors.
    • All awards are subject to the originality requirements in section 10 and may be revoked, and prize money reclaimed, in accordance with that section.

  14. Travel and accommodation

    • Participants must arrange their own travel.
    • Accommodation is not provided by default. Outstation participants must make arrangements unless otherwise communicated.

  15. Food and facilities

    • Dinner will be provided on 10 October 2026.
    • Breakfast and lunch will be provided on 11 October 2026.
    • Only vegetarian food will be served.
    • Participants with allergies or specific dietary preferences must inform organisers in advance at ecell@iiit.ac.in.
    • Paid food stalls will be available during the hackathon.
    • Outside food delivery may be restricted by venue policies.

  16. Liability, safety and emergency

    • Participants are responsible for their belongings.
    • Participants are liable for any damage they cause to property at the venue.
    • Organisers are not liable for accidents, injuries or damages.
    • Basic first aid and medical support will be available.
    • In emergencies, organisers will assist with hospital care but costs must be borne by participants.
    • Pre-existing medical conditions must be disclosed.
    • Help QR codes with helpline numbers will be displayed at the venue. Pre-event queries can be directed via the official website.

  17. Changes to event format

    • Organisers reserve the unconditional right to modify, postpone or cancel any part of the hackathon, including but not limited to its structure, rules, schedule, evaluation process, prize distribution or overall format at any point in time, without prior notice, if deemed necessary due to technical, logistical, legal or other unforeseen circumstances. All such decisions by the organisers shall be final and binding.
    • Participants will be notified of any major updates through official channels such as email and social media prior to the event, where possible.
    • During the event, announcements will be communicated via the official Discord server and on-site notifications.
    • Organisers shall not be held liable for delays, modifications or cancellations arising from force majeure events or circumstances beyond their reasonable control.

  18. Media consent

    • By attending, participants consent to being photographed, filmed or recorded.
    • Organisers may use such media for promotional purposes.
    • A link to the photo folder will be shared after the event.

  19. Disqualification

    • Organisers reserve the right to remove any participant or team found violating these terms and conditions.
    • Causes for disqualification include, but are not limited to:
      • Providing invalid or fake identification.
      • Harassment, abusive behaviour or violation of the code of conduct.
      • Cheating, or any breach of the originality requirements in section 10.
      • Tampering with problem statement allocation or the submission process.
      • Attempting to hack venue infrastructure, networks or other participants' devices.
      • Use of alcohol, drugs or prohibited substances during the event.
      • Refusal to comply with organiser or security instructions.

  20. Dispute resolution

    • Any disputes arising during registration, participation, evaluation or prize distribution will be resolved solely by the organising team.
    • During the event, disputes can be raised through the helpdesk, helpline numbers (via QR codes at the venue) or through the official Discord server.
    • All decisions made by the organisers are final and binding, with no appeal process.

  21. Data privacy

    • Participant data collected during registration will be used strictly for event management and communication purposes.
    • Data will not be sold or shared with unrelated third parties.
    • Sponsors will receive access to limited participant data (e.g. name, email, college, year of study) solely for event-related communication.
    • By registering, participants consent to this usage of their data.