Adaptive Computing Developer Contest

If you are a winner, we will contact you directly via email to arrange the shipment of your prize.

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.
• You must become a member of the Xilinx Hackster.io hub.
• 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 Application Requirements

Note: If you choose to submit an application for hardware, you must meet the following requirements. If not, continue to 'Hardware/Software Build Requirements' below.

• Your hardware application must be submitted via the online application form found on the contest's Hardware Application page. If applying for either the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZCU104 Evaluation Kit giveaway or Alveo U50 Accelerator Card loaner, fill out the Xillinx Loaner/Export Control Form in addition to the Hardware Application form.
• View the training material outlined on the Hardware Application page and take the corresponding quiz. Must have an 80% passing grade to Hardware Application to qualify.
• Your hardware application must be written in English.
• Your hardware application must use an Ultra96-V2 board, Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Evaluation Kit, or an Alveo U50 Accelerator Card.
• Your hardware application must leverage adaptive computing to solve a problem related to one of the three categories associated with the contest (Intelligent Video Analytics, Adaptable Compute Acceleration, or Adaptive Intelligence of Things).
• Your hardware application must be submitted by August 14, 2020 11:59PM PT.

Hardware/Software Build Requirements

• Your project must be created using, as applicable to the corresponding Contest category, the Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZCU104 Evaluation Kit or the Xilinx Alveo U50 Accelerator Card or the Avnet Ultra96-V2 Development Board.
• Your project must be created using the Xilinx Vitis or Vitis AI or both.
• Your project must solve a problem related to one of the three categories associated with the contest (Intelligent Video Analytics, Adaptable Compute Acceleration, or Adaptive Intelligence of Things).

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 15, 2020 11:59 PM PT

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.

Code & Contribution (30 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).

• 1st Place: US$10,000
• 2nd Place: US$5,000
• 3rd Place: US$3,000

• 1st Place: US$10,000
• 2nd Place: US$5,000
• 3rd Place: US$3,000

• 1st Place: US$10,000
• 2nd Place: US$5,000
• 3rd Place: US$3,000

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”.
• Become a member of the Xilinx Hackster.io hub.

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.

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 15, 2020 11:59 PM PT by clicking “review and submit project” on the contest page.

Contest winners will be announced on December 17, 2020. The list of winners will be visible on the main page (Contest brief).

By registering with Hackster.io for the Xilinx Adaptive Compute Acceleration Contest, you hereby agree to Xilinx’s Official Contest Rules in addition to all rules outlined below.

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

• You are at least 13 years of age
  If you are 12 years or younger, you must receive a 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.
• You are not a resident of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Myanmar, Mongolia, Macao, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, or Yemen. These countries are Xilinx restricted countries or 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, Xilinx or Avnet employee.

Yes, the Alveo U50 has minimum system requirements, including a PCI Express® 3.0-compliant with one x16 slot Motherboard. For the full list of system requirements, please reference Page 7 of the Alveo U50 Installation Guide.  

Applicants may only apply for one hardware category and one piece of hardware within the category. Teams are also only eligible for one piece of hardware, regardless of the number of members on their team.

Yes. If you want to change the category or hardware you'd like to apply for, please email contests@hackster.io. '

As a reminder, participants are only eligible to win in one category. 

Absolutely! You can still enter if you already have one of the types of hardware, or would like to purchase your own.

Yes, the Loaner/Export Control Form on Xilinx.com requires you to create a Xilinx.com account. Xilinx will not be able to contact you for marketing purposes unless you opt in on the site or through the contest registration page. The email you use for Xilinx.com does not have to match your Hackster.io account so long as your provide your Hackster.io user profile URL on the form, when asked. 

You must fill out a hardware application, watch the mandatory training resources, and pass the quiz with a minimum 80% grade. Applications must be in English. The hardware giveaway and loaner program is also subject to the same eligibility requirements as the contest. Please refer to all contest rules here.

Yes! Please email contests@hackster.io with any questions you may have. We are here to help.

Once selected for loaner hardware, recipients will receive full instructions on how to return the hardware to Xilinx. Xilinx will cover the cost of shipping the board to a designated address. Return shipments to Xilinx must be postmarked by December 4, 2020.

Participants must use the Ultra96-V2 board for this contest.

No. This is not a requirement. Depending on your design you may find it necessary to use this accessory, but it is not mandatory.

That contest is separate from the Adaptive Compute Developer Contest on Hackster.io. To participate in the startup contest, you must register on Xilinx.com and read the contest terms and conditions. 

The Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZCU104 Evaluation Kit and Alveo U50 Accelerator Card are considered high-cost, commercial products and will ship from the Xilinx warehouse. As such, Xilinx is responsible for export compliance and must collect recipient information for this purpose. By filling out the “Loaner/Export Control Form” on Xilinx.com, you are also giving Xilinx permission to use this information for the purpose of sending you the hardware, and also agreeing to the terms and conditions of the loan program.  

You can still use a non-business email, but it may prevent access from some of Xilinx.com's resources or site pages (which you will not need for the purposes of this contest). 

Using a non-business email will not disqualify you from the contest. Having a business email will not proivde any advantage, and will not be a factor in judging.