Last Updated: 05/05/2026

These Official Rules (“Rules”) govern participation in the EU Academia Hackathon (“Hackathon”), organized by [EPAS Team of 4th High School of Ioannnina] (“Organizers”). By registering for or participating in the Hackathon, each participant (“Participant”) agrees to comply with and be legally bound by these Rules in their entirety.

The Hackathon is open to students and young innovators, unless otherwise specified by the Organizers. All Participants must comply with applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations. The Organizers reserve the right to verify eligibility at any stage and to disqualify any individual who does not meet the stated criteria or who provides inaccurate or incomplete information.

Participation may occur individually or in teams of up to twelve (12) members. Each Participant may be affiliated with only one team throughout the duration of the Hackathon. Teams are solely responsible for their internal organization, communication, and distribution of responsibilities. The Organizers shall bear no responsibility for disputes, disagreements, or claims arising between team members.

The Hackathon will take place from 09 May 2026 at 12:00 AM (EEST) until 12 May 2026 at 11:45 PM (EEST). All work submitted for evaluation must be completed within this period. Any use of materials, concepts, or prior work developed before the Hackathon must be clearly disclosed at the time of submission. Failure to disclose such information may result in disqualification.

All submissions must be aligned with one of the official thematic tracks, namely Disabilities (Accessibility and Inclusion) or Misinformation (Truth and Awareness). Each project must demonstrate a clear purpose, defined concept, and meaningful potential impact. Submissions must constitute original work created or substantially developed during the Hackathon period. The Hackathon explicitly permits a broad range of formats, including but not limited to digital products, research proposals, policy concepts, awareness campaigns, artistic works, multimedia content, and physical or conceptual prototypes. Non-technical and idea-based submissions are permitted, provided they are sufficiently detailed and demonstrate feasibility, structure, and intended impact.

Participants may incorporate open-source software, publicly available datasets, and third-party tools, provided that such use complies with the relevant licensing terms and conditions. Proper attribution must be given where required. Participants are solely responsible for ensuring that their submissions do not infringe upon any intellectual property rights, copyrights, trademarks, or proprietary rights of third parties. Any violation may result in immediate disqualification.

All projects must be submitted via the official Hackathon platform (Devpost) prior to the stated deadline. Each submission must include a complete and accurate project description, a clear explanation of its intended impact and relevance, and supporting materials such as a video demonstration, presentation, images, or prototype documentation. The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify incomplete, late, or non-compliant submissions at their sole discretion.

Participants shall retain full ownership of all intellectual property rights associated with their submissions. By participating and submitting a project, Participants grant the Organizers a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, reproduce, display, distribute, and publicly communicate the submitted materials for purposes related to the promotion, documentation, and dissemination of the Hackathon, including educational and non-commercial uses. Where reasonably possible, appropriate credit shall be given to the Participants.

All Participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional, respectful, and inclusive manner at all times. Any form of harassment, discrimination, hate speech, intimidation, or inappropriate behavior is strictly prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic, in alignment with principles upheld by institutions such as the European Union. The Organizers reserve the right to take appropriate action, including immediate disqualification and removal from the Hackathon, without prior notice, in response to any violation of this Code of Conduct.

All submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges appointed by the Organizers. Evaluation will be based on criteria including, but not limited to, impact, originality, creativity, feasibility, execution, and alignment with the Hackathon themes. The decisions of the judges are final, binding, and not subject to appeal or review.

The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any Participant or team that violates these Rules, submits false or misleading information, engages in plagiarism or academic misconduct, or acts in a manner deemed unethical, harmful, or inconsistent with the objectives of the Hackathon. Disqualification decisions shall be made at the sole discretion of the Organizers.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Organizers shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from or in connection with participation in the Hackathon. This includes, but is not limited to, technical malfunctions, platform failures, submission errors, loss of data, or unauthorized access to Participant materials. Participation is undertaken at the Participant’s own risk.

Participants acknowledge and consent that personal data provided during registration and participation may be collected and processed by the Organizers solely for the purpose of administering the Hackathon. Such processing shall be conducted in accordance with applicable European data protection principles and frameworks aligned with the European Commission. Participants have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of their personal data, subject to applicable legal requirements.

The Organizers reserve the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Hackathon, or to amend these Rules, at any time and for any reason deemed necessary. Any such changes will be communicated to Participants in a timely and appropriate manner.