ANNEX C

Competition rules & IP policy

These are the rules every participant agrees to by entering AI Horizon 2026, together with the intellectual-property, safeguarding and data-protection terms. Your project stays yours — read C.3. Entering the competition means accepting all of this (C.17).

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LAST UPDATED · 20 JULY 2026

C.0 — DEFINITIONS

These terms have the following meanings throughout Annex C. They are listed first so every later rule is unambiguous.

Term	Means
The Programme / Competition	AI Horizon 2026 (Eastern Province), including all phases and the Grand Finale.
Organizing Committee	The body running the Programme, led by the Event Director under the Provincial Ministry of Education.
Officer in Charge	The Secretary, Provincial Ministry of Education, Eastern Province (senior accountable authority).
Participant	Any individual registered in the Competition, including each team member.
Team	A registered group of up to five (5) Participants entering together.
Team Lead / Coordinator	The one nominated contact responsible for a Team's communication and compliance.
Minor	A Participant under 18 years of age.
Guardian	A parent or legal guardian of a Minor.
Submission	Any material entered at any stage (abstract, proposal, prototype, presentation, and supporting files).
Finalist	A Participant/Team selected to present at the Grand Finale.
Mentor	An approved advisor assigned to support a Team.
Judge	An appointed evaluator scoring Submissions against Annex B.
Categories	The four entry categories: School, Undergraduate, Open Innovation, Government Institution.

C.0b — REGISTRATION & SUBMISSION MECHANICS

What you must submit, how, and by when. Missing a required item or format can make a Submission ineligible (see C.7).

Rule C.0b.1 — Registration

Rule: All Participants must register through the official Competition portal, providing team details, category, and a project summary/abstract, by the registration deadline. What this means for you: you enter online; have your team list and a short project summary ready. Example: ✅ A team registers all members and selects "School" before the deadline. ❌ A paper/email entry outside the portal is not accepted.

Rule C.0b.2 — Stage submissions

Rule: Each stage requires its specified materials, submitted via the portal by that stage's deadline:

Abstract — project summary (problem, idea, intended AI use).
Proposal — concept note (max 5 pages), software-architecture outline, business-model canvas, project timeline, risk-assessment plan.
Prototype/MVP — working prototype, source code, repository link, user manual, demonstration video (max 5 min), presentation slides.
Final Presentation — live pitch (10 min) + live demo (10 min) + Q&A (5 min) at the Grand Finale. What this means for you: each stage has a specific checklist — submit every item in the stated format. Example: ✅ A team uploads code link + 4-min demo video + slides for the prototype stage. ❌ Submitting slides but no working prototype fails the prototype stage requirements.

Rule C.0b.3 — Format & file rules

Rule: Submissions must meet the published format, file-type, and size requirements; late or corrupt uploads are treated as non-submission. What this means for you: check the file requirements; upload early to avoid last-minute failures. Example: ✅ A demo video under the size limit in the accepted format. ❌ A 2 GB file that fails to upload before the deadline counts as not submitted.

Rule C.0b.4 — Language

Rule: Submissions may be made in Tamil, Sinhala, or English. What this means for you: you can work in your preferred language of the three. Example: ✅ A Tamil-language abstract. ❌ A submission in a language other than Tamil, Sinhala, or English.

In plain terms: register on the portal, then submit the exact checklist for each stage, in the right format, on time, in Tamil/Sinhala/English.

C.1 — ELIGIBILITY

Rule C.1.1 — Geographic eligibility

Rule: Participation is open only to individuals and institutions within the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. What this means for you: your school, university, organisation, or residence must be in the Eastern Province to enter. Example: ✅ A school in Batticaloa District enters. ❌ A school in Colombo cannot enter this edition.

Rule C.1.2 — Category eligibility

Rule: Each participant or team must enter under exactly one of the four categories — School, Undergraduate, Open Innovation, or Government Institution — and meet that category's criteria. What this means for you: pick the one category you genuinely qualify for; you cannot enter the same project in two categories. Example: ✅ University students enter under Undergraduate. ❌ A university team entering under School to face easier competition is ineligible.

Rule C.1.3 — Team composition

Rule: Participants may enter individually or in teams of up to five (5) members. What this means for you: a team can have between 1 and 5 people; list every member at registration. Example: ✅ A 4-member school team registers all four names. ❌ Adding a 6th member mid-competition without approval breaches this.

Rule C.1.4 — One lead institution per team

Rule: Each team must nominate one lead institution or contact responsible for communication and compliance. What this means for you: one named person/teacher is the point of contact for your team. Example: ✅ A school names its ICT teacher as coordinator. ❌ No identifiable contact means entry cannot be processed.

C.2 — GENERAL COMPETITION RULES

Rule C.2.1 — Original work

Rule: All projects must be the original work of the participants. What this means for you: the core idea and build must be yours, not copied from someone else's project. Example: ✅ You build your own pest-detection model. ❌ You submit a classmate's last-year project as your own — disqualified.

Rule C.2.2 — No plagiarism

Rule: Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. What this means for you: don't present others' work, code, text, or designs as your own. Example: ✅ You write your own concept note. ❌ You copy a published paper's text into your proposal — disqualified.

Rule C.2.3 — Open-source use with attribution

Rule: Open-source software, frameworks, libraries, and datasets may be used, but must be properly acknowledged. What this means for you: you can build on free tools — just credit them clearly. Example: ✅ "Built using the open-source Vosk speech model (Apache 2.0)." ❌ Using an open-source model and claiming you built it from scratch breaches this.

Rule C.2.4 — AI-tool disclosure

Rule: AI-generated code and AI-assisted development tools are permitted but must be clearly disclosed. What this means for you: using AI assistants is fine and encouraged — but say where and how you used them. Example: ✅ "We used an AI coding assistant to scaffold the app; the model logic is ours." ❌ Hiding heavy AI generation and claiming full manual authorship breaches this.

Rule C.2.5 — No IP infringement

Rule: Projects must not infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, or other intellectual-property right. What this means for you: don't use protected logos, copyrighted content, or patented methods without permission. Example: ✅ You use royalty-free icons. ❌ You ship a logo copied from a company brand — breaches this and exposes you to liability.

Rule C.2.6 — Authenticity verification

Rule: The Organizing Committee may verify the authenticity of any submission at any stage. What this means for you: you may be asked to show your code history, data sources, or explain your build. Example: ✅ You provide your repository commit history on request. ❌ Refusing to demonstrate your own project raises an authenticity flag.

Rule C.2.7 — Prohibited content

Rule: Projects containing harmful, unethical, illegal, discriminatory, or offensive content will be immediately disqualified. What this means for you: your project must be safe, lawful, and respectful of all groups. Example: ✅ A crop-disease detector. ❌ A tool that profiles people by ethnicity — immediately disqualified.

Rule C.2.8 — Deadlines

Rule: Participants must comply with all published competition deadlines. What this means for you: the portal continues to accept submissions after the closing date, but anything arriving later is recorded with its submission time and marked late. Whether a late submission is considered is decided by the Organizing Committee; do not rely on it. Example: ✅ You submit your abstract before 8 October — your entry is on time. ⚠️ Submitting on 9 October still reaches us, but it is flagged as late and the Committee decides whether it can be considered.

Rule C.2.9 — Amendments

Rule: Organizers reserve the right to amend competition procedures where necessary, with reasonable notice to participants. What this means for you: rules may be adjusted; you'll be told if they change. Example: ✅ A deadline is extended and all teams are notified. ❌ (n/a — this protects fairness if circumstances change.)

In plain terms: do your own honest work, credit your tools, disclose AI use, keep it legal and respectful, and hit the deadlines.

C.3 — INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) POLICY

Rule C.3.1 — Ownership stays with participants

Rule: Participants retain full ownership of their software, source code, designs, and innovations. What this means for you: you keep your project — entering does not give it away to the organisers or Ministry. Example: ✅ After the event you can continue developing and commercialising your project freely.

Rule C.3.2 — Promotional rights for organisers

Rule: Organizers may use project titles, abstracts, images, videos, and demonstrations for educational, promotional, and reporting purposes. What this means for you: the organisers can feature your project in event publicity and reports — but they don't own it. Example: ✅ Your demo appears in the event highlight reel and the Ministry's report. ❌ (This does not let anyone sell or claim your product.)

Rule C.3.3 — Patent rights

Rule: Any patentable innovation developed through the competition remains the property of the participants. What this means for you: if your idea is patentable, the right to patent it stays with you. Example: ✅ You later file a patent on your method — the competition has no claim on it.

Rule C.3.4 — Commercialization

Rule: Any future commercialization, licensing, partnership, or investment is negotiated independently by the participants and the relevant parties. What this means for you: deals about your project are yours to make; the organisers won't take a cut by default. Example: ✅ An investor approaches you after the finale — you negotiate directly.

Rule C.3.5 — Third-party and pre-existing IP

Rule: Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the rights to any third-party or pre-existing material they include. What this means for you: if you reuse someone else's component, make sure its licence allows it. Example: ✅ You use an MIT-licensed library (permitted). ❌ You embed paid software you don't have a licence for.

In plain terms: your project stays yours. The organisers may show it off to promote the event and report to funders, but ownership, patents, and any future deals remain with you.

C.4 — CONFIDENTIALITY

Rule C.4.1 — Confidential treatment of submissions

Rule: Judges, mentors, evaluators, and organisers shall treat proprietary information in submissions with appropriate confidentiality. What this means for you: the people reviewing your work won't leak or reuse your private details. Example: ✅ A judge keeps your unpublished method private. ❌ A mentor sharing your idea with a competing team breaches this — and is grounds for that mentor's removal.

Rule C.4.2 — Participant confidentiality

Rule: Participants must not share other teams' confidential submission details obtained through the competition. What this means for you: if you see another team's work (e.g. during mentoring), keep it to yourself. Example: ❌ Posting a rival's prototype details online breaches this.

In plain terms: what's shared in the competition stays in the competition.

C.5 — MINORS & SAFEGUARDING

Because the School category involves minors (participants under 18), the following protections apply in addition to all other rules. These must be aligned with the Provincial Ministry of Education's child-protection and data-protection policies.

Rule C.5.1 — Guardian/school consent

Rule: Every participant under 18 must have written consent from a parent or legal guardian, and endorsement from their school, to participate, travel, and appear in event media. What this means for you (school teams): before competing or attending the finale, a consent form signed by a parent/guardian and the school must be on file. Example: ✅ Each school finalist submits a signed consent form before the finale. ❌ A minor attending the finale without consent on file cannot participate.

Rule C.5.2 — Supervision

Rule: Minor participants must be accompanied by a nominated teacher/guardian chaperone at all in-person events, including the Grand Finale. What this means for you: school teams travel and attend with a responsible adult from their school. Example: ✅ A teacher accompanies the school team to Batticaloa for the finale. ❌ Unaccompanied minors are not permitted at the venue.

Rule C.5.3 — Safe interaction with mentors

Rule: All mentor interactions with minors must occur through school-endorsed channels and, where possible, in the presence of or with the knowledge of a teacher/guardian. Mentors working with minors are subject to the Ministry's safeguarding requirements. What this means for you: mentoring of school teams is supervised and transparent — never private one-to-one contact outside approved channels. Example: ✅ Mentor sessions happen via the school's group channel or with a teacher present. ❌ A mentor arranging private, unsupervised contact with a minor breaches safeguarding and results in removal.

Rule C.5.4 — Media involving minors

Rule: Photographs, video, or names of minors may only be published where guardian/school consent (C.5.1) has been given. What this means for you: a minor's image/name appears in event media only if consent covers it. Example: ✅ A consented school finalist features in the highlight reel. ❌ Publishing a minor's photo without consent must be avoided.

Rule C.5.5 — Reporting concerns

Rule: Any safeguarding concern must be reported immediately to the Event Director and the Officer in Charge (Secretary, Provincial Ministry of Education). What this means for you: if anyone has a child-safety concern, there is a clear, senior reporting line. Example: ✅ A volunteer reports a concern to the Event Director the same day.

In plain terms: minors compete with parent/school consent, travel with a chaperone, are mentored only through supervised channels, and are protected by a clear reporting line — all aligned to Ministry child-protection policy.

C.6 — DATA PROTECTION

Rule C.6.1 — Lawful, consented data use

Rule: Participants must use only data they are lawfully entitled to use, with appropriate consent, and must not use illegal datasets or violate privacy. What this means for you: any data your project uses must be obtained legally and with permission. Example: ✅ You collect voice samples with signed consent. ❌ Using scraped personal data without consent breaches this (and Rule C.2.7).

Rule C.6.2 — Organisers' handling of participant data

Rule: Personal data collected for registration and the event will be used only for running the competition and reporting, and handled per applicable data-protection law. What this means for you: your registration details are used to run the event, not sold or misused. Example: ✅ Your contact details are used to send competition updates only.

In plain terms: use data you're allowed to use; the organisers will protect the data you give them.

C.7 — DISQUALIFICATION CRITERIA

A submission or participant may be disqualified for any of the following. Where practical, the Organizing Committee will investigate and, except for serious safeguarding or legal breaches, give the participant a chance to respond before a final decision.

Administrative violations — false/misleading information; missed deadlines; incomplete submissions; breach of competition regulations.

What this means: be accurate, complete, and on time.
Example: ❌ Faking team-member details → disqualification.

Technical violations — plagiarism or unauthorised copying; commercial source code copied without permission; non-functional prototypes presented as working; misrepresenting development effort.

What this means: the work must be genuinely yours and honestly represented.
Example: ❌ A "working" demo that is actually a video mock-up with no real system.

Ethical violations — illegal datasets; privacy violations; harmful or malicious applications; discriminatory or unethical AI.

What this means: keep it lawful, safe, and fair.
Example: ❌ A facial-profiling tool targeting a community → immediate disqualification.

Conduct violations — misconduct toward judges/mentors/participants/organisers; attempting to influence judging; breach of competition ethics; safeguarding breaches.

What this means: behave professionally and respectfully throughout.
Example: ❌ Pressuring a judge for a higher score → disqualification.

In plain terms: honesty, legality, safety, and good conduct are non-negotiable. Most issues get a chance to explain; serious legal/safeguarding breaches do not.

C.8 — JUDGING & DECISIONS

Rule C.8.1 — Judging against the published rubric

Rule: All submissions are judged against the published evaluation rubric (Annex B) by the appointed panel. What this means for you: you know exactly how you'll be scored — read Annex B. Example: ✅ Your score reflects the Annex B criteria, with reasons recorded.

Rule C.8.2 — Decisions final and binding

Rule: The judges' decisions are final and binding. What this means for you: results stand once announced; there is no re-scoring on preference. Example: ✅ Winners are announced and confirmed. ❌ Demanding a re-judge because you disagree is not provided for.

Rule C.8.3 — Conflict of interest

Rule: Judges and mentors must declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from scoring affected submissions. What this means for you: no one judges their own institution's or relatives' teams. Example: ✅ A judge recuses from scoring their university's team.

C.9 — PARTICIPANT DECLARATION (to accept at registration)

By registering, each participant (and, for minors, their parent/guardian and school) confirms:

I/we have read, understood, and agree to these Rules and the IP Policy (Annex C).
The submission is our original work; all third-party and open-source components are acknowledged, and AI assistance is disclosed.
We hold the rights to all data and materials used, and our project is lawful, safe, and non-discriminatory.
We grant the organisers the promotional/reporting rights in C.3.2, while retaining ownership of our work.
(For minors) A parent/guardian and the school consent to participation, travel, supervision, and media as set out in C.5.
We accept the judging process and that decisions are final and binding.

Signature lines: Participant/Team Lead · (For minors) Parent/Guardian · School/Institution endorsement · Date.

C.10 — CODE OF CONDUCT (IN-PERSON & ONLINE)

Rule C.10.1 — Respectful conduct

Rule: All Participants, mentors, judges, volunteers and staff must behave respectfully and professionally at every Competition activity, in person and online. What this means for you: treat everyone courteously; no abuse, bullying or aggression. Example: ✅ Disagreeing politely with a judge's feedback. ❌ Shouting at a volunteer → conduct violation (C.7).

Rule C.10.2 — Anti-harassment

Rule: Harassment, discrimination, or intimidation of any kind — including on grounds of ethnicity, religion, gender, language, or disability — is prohibited. What this means for you: everyone is safe and welcome regardless of background. Example: ❌ Mocking a participant's language or religion → immediate action up to disqualification/removal.

Rule C.10.3 — Venue & safety rules

Rule: Participants must follow all venue rules and the instructions of organisers and safety/security staff at in-person events. What this means for you: follow signage, staff directions, and safety rules at the venue. Example: ✅ Following evacuation instructions in a drill. ❌ Entering restricted/back-of-house areas without permission.

In plain terms: be respectful, be safe, follow staff instructions — harassment is never tolerated.

C.11 — ACCESSIBILITY & NON-DISCRIMINATION

Rule C.11.1 — Equal opportunity to participate

Rule: The Competition is open to all eligible Participants without discrimination, and reasonable accommodations will be made for Participants with disabilities where practicable. What this means for you: if you need an accommodation to take part, request it and the organisers will try to provide it. Example: ✅ A participant requests an accessible venue route or extra presentation time for a disability and it is arranged where possible.

Rule C.11.2 — Inclusive design encouragement

Rule: Participants are encouraged (not required) to consider accessibility and inclusion in their solutions, consistent with the Programme's regional-inclusion goals. What this means for you: building inclusive solutions is valued and can strengthen your Impact score (Annex B). Example: ✅ A tool offered in Tamil, Sinhala and English.

In plain terms: everyone gets a fair chance; ask for accommodations if you need them.

C.12 — WITHDRAWAL & TEAM CHANGES

Rule C.12.1 — Withdrawal

Rule: A Participant or Team may withdraw at any time by written notice to the Organizing Committee; withdrawn entries forfeit any standing in the Competition. What this means for you: you can leave, but you give up your place if you do. Example: ✅ A team emails its withdrawal before the finals; its finalist slot may pass to a reserve.

Rule C.12.2 — Member substitution

Rule: Team-member changes after registration require Organizing Committee approval and must keep the Team within size and eligibility limits. What this means for you: you can replace a member only with approval, and not after the stated cut-off. Example: ✅ Replacing a member who fell ill, with approval, before the cut-off. ❌ Swapping in a new member the night before finals.

In plain terms: you may withdraw (and lose your place) or change members only with approval and within the rules.

C.13 — PRIZE TERMS

Rule C.13.1 — Claiming prizes

Rule: Prizes and awards are claimed by verified winners per instructions issued at the Grand Finale; unclaimed prizes within a stated period may be forfeited. What this means for you: follow the claim process and timeline to receive your prize. Example: ✅ A winning team completes the claim form and provides required details.

Rule C.13.2 — Conditions & integrity

Rule: Prizes are awarded on the integrity of the win; a prize may be withdrawn if a later breach (e.g. plagiarism) is discovered. What this means for you: winning honestly is a condition of keeping the prize. Example: ❌ Plagiarism uncovered after the award → prize withdrawn.

Rule C.13.3 — Taxes & deductions

Rule: Prizes are awarded as items/goods, not cash. Any taxes or statutory deductions that may apply to a prize are the responsibility of the recipient unless stated otherwise. What this means for you: prizes come as goods/devices/vouchers rather than money; check whether any duty applies to an item you receive.

In plain terms: prizes are items, not cash; claim yours properly and on time; it depends on an honest win.

C.14 — LIABILITY & INDEMNITY

Rule C.14.1 — Limitation of liability

Rule: To the extent permitted by law, the Organizing Committee, the Provincial Ministry of Education, and partners are not liable for loss, injury, or damage arising from participation, except where caused by their own gross negligence. What this means for you: take normal care; the organisers aren't responsible for everything that could happen. Example: (Illustrative — exact wording is for legal counsel.)

Rule C.14.2 — Participant responsibility

Rule: Participants are responsible for their own equipment, conduct, and any damage they cause, and (for Minors) are supervised per C.5. What this means for you: look after your own gear and behaviour. Example: ❌ Damaging venue equipment through misuse may make the Participant liable.

In plain terms (non-binding): participate sensibly; the organisers limit their liability as the law allows, and you're responsible for your own actions and property. Final wording must come from the Ministry's legal officer.

C.15 — FORCE MAJEURE & CANCELLATION

Rule C.15.1 — Events beyond control

Rule: The Organizing Committee may postpone, modify, or cancel any part of the Competition due to events beyond its reasonable control (e.g. natural disaster, public-health emergency, civil unrest, loss of funding), with notice to Participants where possible. What this means for you: if something major forces a change, the organisers can adjust the event and will tell you. Example: ✅ The finale is postponed due to severe weather; teams are notified and a new date set.

Rule C.15.2 — No liability for cancellation

Rule: The organisers are not liable for costs incurred by Participants if the Competition is changed or cancelled under C.15.1, beyond any refund of fees actually paid (the Competition is free/token entry). What this means for you: in a forced cancellation, don't expect reimbursement of your own costs.

In plain terms: if something major disrupts the event, the organisers can change or cancel it and will notify you; they can't cover your personal costs in that case.

C.16 — GOVERNING LAW & DISPUTES

Rule C.16.1 — Governing law

Rule: These rules are governed by the laws of Sri Lanka. What this means for you: Sri Lankan law applies to the Competition.

Rule C.16.2 — Dispute resolution

Rule: Disputes about these rules (excluding judging outcomes, which are final per C.8.2) will first be raised with the Organizing Committee in writing and resolved in good faith; unresolved matters are escalated to the Officer in Charge. What this means for you: raise rule disputes in writing first; there's a clear escalation path — but you can't dispute a judging result. Example: ✅ A team formally queries an eligibility decision and the Committee reviews it.

In plain terms: Sri Lankan law governs; rule disputes go to the Committee then the Secretary; judging results are final.

C.17 — ACCEPTANCE OF RULES

Rule C.17.1 — Entry equals acceptance

Rule: By registering and participating, each Participant (and, for Minors, their Guardian and school) is deemed to have read, understood, and accepted all of Annex C as binding. What this means for you: entering the Competition means you agree to these rules — read them first. Example: ✅ Completing registration confirms acceptance (see the Declaration, C.9).

In plain terms: if you enter, you accept these rules.