Eligibility

You are eligible to enter if you meet the following requirements at time of entry:

• You are at least 13 years of age
• You are not a resident of Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria
  US export regulations prohibit the export of goods and services to the countries listed above, therefore residents of these countries are not eligible to participate in this challenge.
• You are not involved in the execution or administration of this contest.
• You are not an immediate family member or household member of a Hackster employee.

Submission requirements

To be eligible for judging, you must meet ALL of the following requirements unless otherwise stated:

General Requirements

• You must be registered as a participant for this contest.
• Your entry must be your own original work.
• Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other Hackster contest.
• Your team is no more than 5 members per entry.*

*By entering a submission to this contest on behalf of a team, you acknowledge that you are the designated representative authorized to act on behalf of your team. (See full rules below for details)

Hardware/Software Build Requirements

• Your project must be created using the Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit
• Your project must be created using Microsoft Azure Cloud Services
• You must showcase Azure Sphere in your secure connected solution

You must register your Azure Sphere using the instructions below:

1. Download and unzip the Contest Registration application (to a writeable region of your local hard-drive or other storage. This is a small Windows App for daily sync with contest server. Download the ZIP file from the following URL: http://avnet.me/azsphere-contest-app

2. Launch the sk_server_registration.exe application. The Computer on which this application is run, must have a valid Azure Sphere SDK tool installation (ie. Verify beforehand that the computer can communicate with an attached Starter Kit using the SDK’s azsphere command-line interface).
Note also that this computer must be connected to the internet.

3. Connect your Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit via the provided USB cable to this developmentcomputer and allow a couple of seconds for the board to finish booting it’s OS.

4. Enter your User info (email, city, zip, country, device name). This only needs to be typed one time, thenext time that the App is run, these fields will auto populate.

5. Press the Read Device button in the application user interface, to read Device info from your Starter Kit.A script command window will open briefly then close after capturing the device info. This step always requires that a Starter Kit is attached. If red text is seen in the console window, it is likely due to the script being executed too soon after power-up of the board. Simply press the Read Device button again to ensure that valid Device info gets captured.

6. Press the Send to Server button. This will post an encrypted version of the session information to the Contest Server. You may now close the application and disconnect the Starter Kit.

You must register at least once per day for 30 days in order to be eligible for the Tier 1 prizes. You must register for 15 days in order to be eligible for the Tier 2 prizes. You have until November 30th, 2019 to complete this condition.

Tier 1 entries can be considered for Tier 2 and Tier 3 prizes. Non-winning Tier 2 and Tier 3 entries cannot be considered for Tier 1 prizes.

Project Documentation Requirements

• Your project must include a project name, short project description, cover image, bill of materials (BOM), full instructions, images, and relevant resource files (schematics, code, CAD).
• Your project must be written in English.
• Your project must be submitted by Nov 30, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT.

Hackster Impact Prize Additional Requirements:

Your project must include a paragraph describing which SDG it contributes to, and how it contributes to it.

Judging criteria

Your project will be judged according to the rubric below.

• Project Documentation (30 points)
  Story/Instructions - Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or a video demonstration of your solution working as intended. Ask yourself: “If I were a beginner reading this project, would I understand how to recreate it?”
• Complete BOM (10 points)
  Detail the hardware, software and/or tools used.
• Schematics (10 points)
  Draw your circuit diagrams using software like Fritzing.org and/or take detailed photographs.
• Code & Contribution (20 points)
  Include working code with helpful comments.
• Creativity (30 points)
  Your idea doesn’t have to be original, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea)

For the Hackster Impact Prize, your project will be judged according to the rubric below.

• Impact (40 points)
  How big of a problem are you solving? How well does your solution address the problem? How feasible is it? How easy will it be to implement at scale?
• Project Documentation (40 points)
  Story/Instructions - Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or a video demonstration of your solution working as intended. Ask yourself: “If I were a beginner reading this project, would I understand how to recreate it?”
  
  Complete BOM and Schematics -
  Detail the hardware, software and/or tools used. Draw your circuit diagrams using software like Fritzing.org and/or take detailed photographs.
  
  Code & Contribution -
  Include working code with helpful comments.
• Creativity (20 points)
  Your idea doesn’t have to be original, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea)

How to enter

Step 1: Register for the Contest

• Start by creating a free account on Hackster.io (or sign-in if already a member).
• Register for the contest by clicking “Register as a participant”.
• Visit https://secureeverything.avnet.com/

Step 2: Build and Document Your Project

• Build your project according to the submission requirements.
• Document your project build using Hackster’s project template. To create a new project, click “create new project” on the contest page or the “+” symbol in the top right corner of your Hackster page.
• As you're building your project, remember to register your device once a day for 15-30 days using the app referenced in the Requirements section.

Step 3: Review and submit your project

• Review your project and make sure it meets all the submission requirements.
• Upload a previously created project by clicking “add existing project” on the contest page.
• Submit your project by Nov 30, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT by clicking “review and submit project” on the contest page.
• Indicate the unique device name used to register your device on the app in the indicated field upon project submission so we may accurately identify you have fulfilled this requirement.

For doing this, you will receive one (1) Contest entry. There is a limit of 1 entries per person/team.

Any attempt by any you to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different accounts, email addresses, identities, registrations, logins, or any other methods will void your entries and you may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited.

We are not responsible for excess, lost, late, or incomplete entries. If disputed, entries will be deemed submitted by the “authorized account holder” of the email address, social media account, or other method used to enter. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an internet or online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses.

Full rules

Sponsor:

These Official Rules (“Rules”) govern the operation of the Hackster: Secure EverythingContest (“Contest”). Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, 98052, USA, is the Contest sponsor (“Sponsor”). Hackster.io is a Contest Administrator (“Administrator”).

Definitions:

In these rules, “we,” “our”, and “us” refer to Microsoft and/or Hackster.io. “You” and “yourself” refer to an eligible contest participant, or the parent/legal guardian of any Contest entrant who has not reached the age of majority to contractually obligate themselves in their legal place of residence. By entering, you (your parent/legal guardian if you are not the age of majority in your legal place of residence), agree to be bound by these Rules.

Contest Description:

This is a skill-based contest brought to you by Hackster.io and sponsored by Microsoft. The object of this contest is to create project tutorials using the/a/an Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit. For the purposes of this contest, each idea you submit will be called a “hardware application” and each project you submit in the Contest will be called an “entry”. All eligible entries received will be judged using the judging criteria above to determine the final prize winners.

Entry Period:

The Contest starts on July 17, 2019 at 12:00 AM PT and ends on November 30th, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT. Entries must be received during the Entry Period to be eligible.

Eligibility:

To enter, you must be at least 13 years of age or older with an active Hackster.io account. If you are 13 years of age or older but have not reached the age of majority in your legal place of residence, then you must have consent of a parent/legal guardian. If you are 12 years of age or younger, you must receive a parent/legal guardian's permission and have them complete Hackster’s contest permission form prior to submitting an entry into this contest. Send any questions to contests@hackster.io.

Employees and directors of Microsoft Corporation or Hackster.io and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising agencies, and Contest Parties are not eligible, nor are persons involved in the execution or administration of this promotion, or the family members of each above (parents, children, siblings, spouse/domestic partners, or individuals residing in the same household). Void in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Region of Crimea, and where prohibited.

If you are participating in your capacity as an employee, it is your sole responsibility to comply with your employer’s gift policies. Microsoft will not be party to any disputes or actions related to this matter. Microsoft is committed to complying with government gift and ethics rules and therefore government and public sector employees are not eligible to enter.

How to Enter:

Before submitting an entry, you must first sign in to your Hackster.io account (or create a new free account) and request a free Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit by following the instructions at https://secureeverything.avnet.com/. As soon as you receive your starter kit, you may activate it and begin working on your entry. If you are 12 years of age or younger, we may send the hardware to your parent/legal guardian on your behalf.

Once the hardware leaves our warehouse, there is very little we can do to help locate lost or delayed shipments. Microsoft and Hackster.io will not be held liable for any shipments that do not arrive or are delayed, and are under no obligation to replace lost shipments or missing or broken parts. If you have questions regarding your shipment, please contact us at contests@hackster.io. Unless otherwise noted, all hardware is subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and/or terms and conditions.

To submit an entry into the Contest, you must do all of the following:

Step 1: Register for the Contest

• Visit https://secureeverything.avnet.com/
• Register for the contest by clicking “Register as a participant”.
• You may enter as a team of no more than five (5) members. If you enter as a team, your team must choose one individual (the “representative”) to obtain a starter kit, speak for, act, and enter a project submission on behalf of your team. Each individual team member must meet all the eligibility and Contest requirements outlined in the Official Rules. If you are participating as a member of a team, you may also enter a project as an individual, as long as each entry is substantially unique and different.

Step 2: Build and Document Your Project

• Build your project according to the submission requirements. Requirements may differ based on the prize you’d like to be eligible to win so please read carefully.
• Document your project build using Hackster’s project template. To create a new project, click “create new project” on the contest page or the “+” symbol in the top right corner of your Hackster page.

Step 3: Review and submit your project

• Review your project and make sure it meets all the submission requirements.
• Upload a previously created project by clicking “add existing project” on the contest page.
• Submit your project by November 30th, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT by clicking “review and submit project” on the contest page.

For doing this, you will receive one (1) Contest entry. There is a limit of two entries per person (once as a member of a team and once as an individual).

Any attempt by any you to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different accounts, email addresses, identities, registrations, logins, or any other methods will void your entries and you may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited.

We are not responsible for excess, lost, late, or incomplete entries. If disputed, entries will be deemed submitted by the “authorized account holder” of the email address, social media account, or other method used to enter. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned to an email address by an internet or online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses.

Eligible Entry:

To be eligible for judging, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:

General Requirements

• Your entry must be your own original work.
• NOTE: for Contests which require a video entry, the video must be solely the world of the team, including but not limited to, the actual filming, editing, graphic design, etc.
• Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other Hackster.io contest.
• Your entry must comply with the Hackster.io Terms of Service and Code of Conduct.
• You must have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry.
• To the extent that entry requires the submission of user-generated content such as software, photos, videos, music, artwork, essays, etc., entrants warrant that their entry is their original work, has not been copied from others without permission or apparent rights, and does not violate the privacy, intellectual property rights, or other rights of any other person or entity. You may include Microsoft trademarks, logos, and designs, for which Microsoft grants you a limited license to use for the sole purposes of submitting an entry into this Contest.
• Your entry may NOT contain, as determined by us in our sole and absolute discretion, any content that is obscene or offensive, violent, defamatory, disparaging or illegal, or that promotes alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco or a particular political agenda, or that communicates messages that may reflect negatively on the goodwill of Microsoft.

We reserve the right to reject an entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine contains any of the above content.

Important note about Copyright: Your entire entry must only include material (including hardware, source code – both open source and third party sourced, user interface, music, video or images) that you own or that you have permission from the copyright/trademark owner to use. Your and/or your team’s entry may not include copyrighted materials (such as source code, user interface, background music, images or video) unless you own or have permission to use the materials. Ownership is not defined as purchasing a CD at a music store for replay, if playing a copyrighted recording on your guitar or repurposing an application’s user interface – your entry may be disqualified if copyrighted materials, including but not limited to these examples, are a part of your entry without appropriate licensing or permissions. If you do use permissible copyrighted materials, you must include the permissions information by citing the artist/creator and license information. Note that even material released under sites such as Creative Commons, common open source code licenses, and other similar licensing may need permission or acknowledgement as per the specific license.

Hardware/Software Build Requirements

• Your project must be created using the Azure Sphere MT3620 Starter Kit
• Your project must be created using Microsoft Azure Cloud Services
• Your project must be a/an security solution
• Your project must solve a problem related to security
• You must ping the Microsoft Azure Cloud server at least once per day for 30 days in a row in order to be eligible for the Tier 1 prizes. You must ping the Microsoft Azure Cloud server at least once per day for 15 days in a row in order to be eligible for the Tier 2 prizes. You have until November 30th, 2019 to complete this optional condition.
• A Note to Challengers: when choosing the name of your device, please do not choose a name that would compromise your privacy in any way, for example by including your name, location, or any other personal information.
  Please have fun with naming your device, but also do not choose any words or phrases that could be considered offensive.

Project Documentation Requirements

• Your project must include a project name, short project description, cover image, bill of materials (BOM), full instructions, images, and relevant resource files (schematics, code, CAD).
• Your project must be written in English.
• Your project must be submitted by November 30th, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT.

Use of your Entry:

We are not claiming ownership rights to your Submission. However, by submitting an entry, you grant us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this Contest and use your entry in any media whatsoever now known or later invented for any non-commercial or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, the marketing, sale or promotion of Microsoft products or services, without further permission from you. You will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these Official Rules.

By entering you acknowledge that the we may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your entry and you waive any claims resulting from any similarities to your entry. Further you understand that we will not restrict work assignments of representatives who have had access to your entry and you agree that use of information in our representatives’ unaided memories in the development or deployment of our products or services does not create liability for us under this agreement or copyright or trade secret law.

Your entry may be posted on a public website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. We are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry.

Winner Selection and Notification:

Pending confirmation of eligibility, potential prize winners will be selected by a qualified judging panel from among all eligible entries that qualify under the Tier 1 and Tier 2 prize buckets, based on the judging criteria outlined below. Valid entries that did not meet the criteria to be within Tier 1 or Tier 2, will not be judged, but will automatically receive the prize listed below up to the first 500 entries.

• Project Documentation (30 points)
  Story/Instructions - Show how you created your project, including images, screenshots, and/or a video demonstration of your solution working as intended. Ask yourself: “If I were a beginner reading this project, would I understand how to recreate it?”
• Complete BOM (10 points)
  Detail the hardware, software and/or tools used.
• Schematics (10 points)
  Draw your circuit diagrams using software like Fritzing.org and/or take detailed photographs.
• Code & Contribution (20 points)
  Include working code with helpful comments.
• Creativity (30 points)
  Your idea doesn’t have to be original, but it should be creative (a fresh take on an old idea is often worth as much as a brand new idea)

Winners will be selected from among all eligible entries received within 7 days following the Entry Period. In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, an additional judge will break the tie based on the judging criteria described above. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, at our discretion, select fewer winners than the number of Contest Prizes described below. If public vote determines winners, it is prohibited for any person to obtain votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including offering prizes or other inducements in exchange for votes, automated programs or fraudulent i.d’s. Microsoft will void any questionable votes.

Winners will be notified via the contact information provided during entry no later than December 16th, 2019 with prize claim instructions, including submission deadlines. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim a prize or fails to return any Forms, the selected winner will forfeit their prize and an alternate winner will be selected time allowing. If you are a potential winner and you are 13 or older, but have not reached the age of majority in your place of legal residence, we may require your parent/legal guardian to sign all required forms on your behalf. Only three alternate winners will be selected, after which unclaimed prizes will remain unawarded.

Prizes:

The following prizes will be awarded:

Tier 1: Three (3) winners will be selected to each receive a Microsoft Hololens 2. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $3,500 USD.

Tier 2: Seven (7) winners will be selected to receive a Surface Laptop 2. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $1,000 USD.

Tier 3: All other Azure Sphere kits that ping the Microsoft server for 15-consecutive days (up to 500) will receive one (1) Raspberry Pi 4. Approximate Retail Value (ARV) $35.00 USD.

The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. We will determine the value of the prize to be the fair market value at the time of prize award.

The total Approximate Retail Value (ARV) of all prizes: $ 35,000 USD.

NOTE:

• If a prize is awarded to a project submitted by a team, the designated representative will be the sole recipient of said prize, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the representative and his/her team.
• If you win a prize that violates import regulations for your county, you must complete this form within 10 days of receiving confirmation of your winning entry to 1) receive a virtual Visa gift card with the equivalent value of the prize OR 2) provide an alternative shipping address to send the prize.

Unless otherwise noted, all prizes are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and/or terms and conditions.

We will only award one (2) prizes per person (once as an individual entry and once as a team entry) during the Entry Period. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. No substitution, transfer, or assignment of prize permitted, except that Microsoft reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. Prizes are awarded “AS IS” with no warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to, the implied warranties or merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. Prizes will be sent no later than 28 days after winner selection. Prize winners may be required to complete and return prize claim and / or tax forms (“Forms”) within the deadline stated in the winner notification. Taxes on the prize, if any, are the sole responsibility of the winner, who is advised to seek independent counsel regarding the tax implications of accepting a prize. By accepting a prize, you agree that Microsoft may use your entry, name, image and hometown online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this Contest without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

Odds:

The odds of winning are based on the number of eligible entries received.

General Conditions and Release of Liability:

To the extent allowed by law, by entering you agree to release and hold harmless Microsoft, Hackster.io and its respective parents, partners, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss, or damage of any kind arising in connection with this Contest or any prize won. All local laws apply. The decisions of Microsoft are final and binding.

We reserve the right to cancel, change, or suspend this Contest for any reason, including cheating, technology failure, catastrophe, war, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that affects the integrity of this Contest, whether human or mechanical. If the integrity of the Contest cannot be restored, we may select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the Contest.

If you attempt or we have strong reason to believe that you have compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of this Contest by cheating, hacking, creating a bot or other automated program, or by committing fraud in any way, we may seek damages from you to the full extent of the law and you may be banned from participation in future Microsoft promotions.

Governing Law:

This Contest will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this Contest.

Use of your Entry:

Personal data you provide while entering this Contest will be used by Microsoft and/or its agents and prize fulfillers acting on Microsoft’s behalf only for the administration and operation of this Contest and is subject to Sponsor’s privacy statement available at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=521839 and Administrator’s privacy statement available at https://www.hackster.io/privacy.

• If you are selected as a winner, you agree to be contacted by Sponsor or Administrator. Your personal information will be treated in accordance with their respective privacy statements.
• If required by applicable law(s), Administrator may retain winners’ personal information in accordance with its privacy policy.
• If you are selected as a winner, you agree that your name will be posted on the winner list.

Winners List:

Send email to contests@hackster.io with the subject line “Hackster: Secure Everything winners” within 30 days of November 30th, 2019 to receive a list of winners that received a prize worth $25.00 or more.

What if something unexpected happens and the contest can not run as planned?

If someone cheats, or a virus, bug, bot, catastrophic event, or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, (also referred to as force majeure) affects the fairness and/or integrity of this contest, we reserve the right to cancel, change or suspend this contest. This right is reserved whether the event is due to human or technical error. If a solution cannot be found to restore the integrity of the contest, we reserve the right to select winners from among all eligible entries received before we had to cancel, change or suspend the contest.

If you attempt, or we have strong reason to believe that you have compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of this contest by cheating, hacking, creating a bot or other automated program, or by committing fraud in ANY way, we may seek damages from you to the fullest extent permitted by law. Further, we may disqualify you, and ban you from participating in any of our future contests.

Who do I contact about this contest?

If you have any questions or comments regarding this contest, please email us at contests@hackster.io.