By registering for the USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026 or completing the AI Readiness Qualifier, you agree to these Terms of Use. Please read them carefully before registering. If you do not agree, do not register or participate.
Participation is open to students worldwide subject to the following requirements:
There is no minimum age requirement beyond grade eligibility. However, participants under the age of 13 in the United States must have verifiable parental or guardian consent as described in our Privacy Policy. Participants under 18 in jurisdictions where 18 is the age of majority should confirm that their participation is permitted by their parent or guardian.
The following individuals are not eligible to participate as competitors:
All participants must register individually on Devpost before the registration deadline of June 6, 2026. Devpost registration is the mechanism by which USAII® confirms participant eligibility for the qualifier.
After Devpost registration closes, teams self-register at qualifier.usaii.org. At least one team member's email must match the Devpost registrant pool. By registering your team on the qualifier, you confirm that:
The qualifier window opens June 7, 2026 at 12:00am ET and closes June 10, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. All tracks share the same window. Teams that do not complete and submit the qualifier before June 10 at 11:59pm ET will not be considered for advancement, except in documented cases of technical failure reported to USAII® before the deadline.
Teams that advance receive a unique Qualifier Code (format: USAII-2026-XXXXXX) by email on June 11, 2026. This code must be entered on the Devpost submission form during the hackathon. Teams must not share their qualifier code with teams other than their own. USAII® reserves the right to disqualify teams that share or misuse qualifier codes.
All work submitted must be created during the hackathon window. Teams may:
Teams may not:
All AI tools used in building your solution must be disclosed in your Devpost submission. This includes large language models, image generation tools, code generation tools, and no-code AI platforms. Failure to disclose AI assistance is grounds for disqualification. Using AI tools with proper disclosure does not disadvantage your submission — responsible AI use is encouraged.
Solutions must use only:
Solutions must not use private, confidential, or personally identifiable data without appropriate consent and legal basis.
Submitted projects must not:
Responsible AI is a core judging criterion. Projects that fail to identify or mitigate meaningful ethical risks will score lower — not higher — than those that engage with these issues thoughtfully.
Submissions are evaluated by a panel of industry professionals, academics, and researchers with demonstrated expertise in AI and related fields. Judging proceeds in multiple rounds: automated screening, judge review, and a final panel for top teams. Full judging criteria are published in the Hackathon Plan at www.usaii.org.
Decisions of judges and USAII® regarding qualifier advancement, scores, and prize winners are final. USAII® reserves the right to disqualify any team at any stage for violation of these terms, regardless of prior advancement.
In the event of a tied score, the final panel of judges will determine the winner at their sole discretion.
Teams who believe a material error occurred in the evaluation of their submission may submit an appeal by email to aihackathon@usaii.org with the subject line 'Appeal — [Team Name]' within 48 hours of receiving their result notification. Appeals must specify the alleged error clearly and provide supporting evidence. Appeals on the basis of disagreement with judging criteria or scorer preferences will not be considered.
Prizes are awarded per track (High School, College, Graduate). Each track has five award categories: Grand Prize ($2,500), Runner-Up ($1,500), Third Place ($500), Responsible AI ($250), and Social Impact ($250). All monetary prizes are in USD. USAII® AI Certification Scholarships are also awarded to winning teams.
To receive a prize, winning teams must:
Prizes will be forfeited if a winning team cannot be contacted within 14 days of notification, if required documentation is not provided within 30 days, or if USAII® discovers that the team violated these terms after the award announcement.
Prize winners are solely responsible for any taxes, duties, or other obligations arising from receipt of their prize in their jurisdiction. USAII® will provide required tax documentation in accordance with applicable US law for prizes awarded to US recipients.
You retain full intellectual property rights to the work you create during the hackathon. Participation in USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026 does not grant USAII® any ownership of your submission or underlying intellectual property.
By submitting to the hackathon, you grant USAII® a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use your team name, project name, project description, and demo video for the purposes of promoting the hackathon and celebrating participant achievements. This includes use in press releases, social media, the USAII® website, and future marketing materials. USAII® will always credit your team by name.
You are responsible for ensuring that your submission does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. If your submission uses open-source software, you must comply with all applicable open-source licenses. If your submission uses any third-party APIs or services, you must comply with their terms of service.
USAII® is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive, and harassment-free experience for all participants, mentors, judges, and staff — regardless of age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or level of experience.
The following are not tolerated:
If you experience or witness behavior that violates this Code of Conduct, report it to aihackathon@usaii.org. USAII® will investigate all reports promptly and confidentially. USAII® reserves the right to disqualify, remove, or ban any participant who violates this Code of Conduct, with no refund of any fees and no eligibility for prizes.
The AI Readiness Qualifier app, hackathon platform, and all associated tools are provided 'as is' without warranty of any kind. USAII® does not warrant that the services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or harmful components.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, USAII® shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your participation in the hackathon, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of prize opportunity, or inability to access the qualifier platform.
USAII® is not responsible for technical failures outside our control, including internet outages, browser compatibility issues, or third-party service disruptions. Teams experiencing technical difficulties should contact aihackathon@usaii.org with their Submission ID before the June 10 deadline.
These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from participation in the hackathon shall be resolved through binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction.
USAII® reserves the right to modify these terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to registered participants by email at least 7 days before taking effect. Continued participation after notification of changes constitutes acceptance.
If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
These Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy together constitute the entire agreement between you and USAII® regarding the USAII® Global AI Hackathon 2026, superseding any prior agreements or representations.
For any questions about these Terms of Use, contact aihackathon@usaii.org.