Teams can include Participants from any country except where prohibited by law or where participation/the award of prizes would violate international sanctions, anti-money laundering restrictions or export controls (e.g., OFAC-restricted countries).
Participants must have access to the internet and required software/tools.
Participation constitutes the Participant’s full agreement to these Terms and the Competition organizer’s decisions, which are final and binding.
Persons directly involved in administering or judging the Competition are excluded.
Not infringe upon any third-party intellectual property or proprietary rights.
Be free of malicious code, inappropriate content, or unlawful material.
Be presented in English (documentation, demo, and code comments).
Each entrant may submit only one entry, either individually or as part of a team.
Submissions must be original work. Use of open-source libraries and frameworks are encouraged, provided licenses are respected and properly credited.
Projects that were previously published or submitted to other competitions are not eligible unless they are substantially new and developed during this Competition.
The Cardano Foundation reserves the right to verify participant eligibility, team composition, and originality of work at any stage. Participants who cannot satisfactorily provide requested verification may be disqualified.
Problem Statement & Solution – What problem are you solving, and how does your project address it?
Technical Demonstration – A working prototype, demo, or simulation showcasing the core functionality.
Architecture Overview – Brief explanation of the tools, frameworks, and infrastructure used (e.g., Cardano components, APIs, SDKs).
Innovation & Differentiation – What makes your solution unique compared to existing alternatives?
Impact & Use Case – Potential benefits for end-users, businesses, or the Cardano ecosystem.
Feasibility & Scalability – How your solution could grow, scale, or be deployed in real-world environments.
Team Presentation – Roles of each team member and their contributions.
Future Development Plans – What would you build next if given more time or support?
Innovation & Creativity: Is the idea original, bold, or disruptive? Does it solve a problem and advance Cardano in a meaningful way?
Technical Execution & Use of Cardano Tech: Does the demo/MVP work as intended? How well does it leverage Cardano’s unique features (eUTxO, deterministic fees, Native tokens, smart contract, L2, Governance etc.)?
User Experience & Design: Is the design intuitive, clear, and user-friendly?
Impact & Feasibility: Does the project have potential for scalable application beyond the hackathon?
Pitch & Presentation: Is the demonstration of high quality and does it effectively demonstrate the solution?
Any winner notification that is lost, intercepted, or not received by a potential winner for any reason;
Payment to incorrect banking information or wallet address provided by or on behalf of a winner.
Incorrect or outdated contact information provided by participants.
A cash prize
Mentorship
Access to resources and networks
Marketing and promotional support
Violates these Terms or any other terms applicable to their attendance of the Summit.
Engages in any unethical or unfair conduct.
Provides false or misleading information.
Respect: Treat all other Participants, Judges, and organisers with respect.
Fair Play: Compete fairly and ethically.
Professionalism: Maintain a professional demeanour at all times.
Layer Up Competition Terms and Conditions
1. Introduction
Welcome to the Layer Up hackathon (the "Competition") to take place during or before the 2025 Cardano Summit, where innovative developers compete for recognition and prizes. By participating in the Competition, you ("You" or "Participant") agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (the "Terms"). Please read them carefully.
Competition format and criteria may be updated, please keep an eye out for relevant Competition announcements.
2. Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the Competition, the following conditions apply:
Exclusions
3.Submission Requirements
We may provide additional submission requirements or guidelines to Participants during the Competition. Submission should follow the following general requirements, they should:
Fair Play Rules
Verification
4. Competition Format
The Competition will require a functional demonstration of your project to a panel of judges (the "Judges"). Demonstrations should address the following points:
This is not an exhaustive list and is meant to guide and assist you in your demonstrations.
5. Judging Criteria
The Judges will evaluate Participants based on a variety of criteria, including but not limited to:
6. Selection of Winners
The Judges will select the winners of the Competition based on their evaluation of the Participants' demonstrations and the judging criteria. The Judges' decisions are final.
Notification of Winner(s)
The potential winner(s) will be notified by the Cardano Foundation via the email address or contact information provided during registration. If a winner does not respond within 7 days of the initial notification, the Cardano Foundation reserves the right to select an alternate winner based on Judge’s results.
The Cardano Foundation is not responsible for:
Receipt of prizes may be subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Terms and Conditions.
7. Prizes
Winners of the Competition will be eligible to receive prizes ("Prizes"). Prizes may include:
Winners of cash prizes, if applicable, may be required to fulfil certain conditions, including KYC checks, in order to receive the prize.
Winners must pay any applicable taxes and fees on the Prize awarded in the Competition according to the laws and regulations that apply to them.
8. Sponsor Terms and Conditions
Prizes are provided by sponsors of the Competition ("Sponsors"). Individual Sponsor terms and conditions may apply to Prizes.
Amounts stated in Prizes, especially relating to the value of any services provided by Sponsors, are estimates and may vary depending on winner requirements and Sponsor terms.
9. Disqualification
The Competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any Participant:
Any such decision shall be made at the sole discretion of the Cardano Foundation and shall be final.
10. Final Provisions
10.1. Intellectual Property
Participants retain all intellectual property rights in their submissions. You grant us a non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-free, limited, licence to use Your images, logos and trademarks for advertising, marketing and promotional materials in all formats and media in connection with the 2025 Cardano Summit and related events.
10.2. Contact
If you have any questions about the Competition or these Terms, please contact the Competition organizers at event-support@cardanofoundation.org .
10.3. Data Protection
Any personal data collected from Participants will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection laws, applicable event terms and our privacy policy. Participants have the right to access, rectify, or erase their personal data.
10.4. Code of Conduct
In addition to complying with any applicable event terms, Participants are expected to adhere to a high standard of conduct throughout the Competition, including:
10.5. Force Majeure
The Competition organisers and Sponsors are not liable for any delay or failure to perform their obligations under these Terms due to any cause beyond their reasonable control.
10.6. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck out and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
10.7. Waiver
No waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be effective unless in writing and signed by the party against whom the waiver is sought to be enforced.
10.8. Limitation of Liability
The Competition organisers and Sponsors are not liable for any loss, damage, or injury arising out of or in connection with the Competition or the Prizes, howsoever arising.
10.9. Amendments
The Competition organizers reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time. Any amendments will be posted on the Summit website.
10.10. Governing Law
This Agreement and any claims under or in connection with this Agreement shall be governed by substantive Swiss law, excluding conflict of laws principles and the Vienna Convention on the International Sale of Goods dated 11 April 1980.
Any dispute or claim arising under or in connection with this Agreement, including non-contractual claims and in particular claims based on tort, shall be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of law of Zurich, Switzerland.