The Hackathon starts on November 11, 2022 at 11:00 AM EST and will end on November 13, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST and involves working together as a team to complete a challenge and produce certain deliverables for submission and then presenting said deliverables to the Hackathon judges. There will be two challenges to choose from (the “Contest”).

• Winner will be announced on November 18, 2022 by during a live event held on Zoom.
• The Hackathon is only open to all current freelancers in Toptal’s network that complete the registration form described below.
• Participants will form teams and have the opportunity to complete two challenges.
• Each team may only win one prize, regardless of the number of team members. 
• You may register for the Contest at https://hackathon.toptal.com/. 
• The Official Rules for the Hackathon are found below.

• Registration and team formation period: October 17, 2022 – November 7, 2022
• Preparation Period: November 7, 2022 – November 10, 2022
• Hackathon Event: November 11, 2022 – November 13, 2022
• Challenge #1 – Coding Competition: November 11, 2022 – November 13, 2022
• Challenge #2 – Mini-App Challenge: November 11, 2022 – November 13, 2022
• Judging Period: November 14, 2022 – November 16, 2022
• Live Pitching from Top Three Teams from each challenge: November 18, 2022
• Winner Announcement (Winning Award Pitching and Ceremony): November 18, 2022

The 1st Place winner for each challenge: (1) $10,000.00 USD (to be split equally amongst the entire team), (2) Toptal merchandise Packs for all team members, (3) The opportunity to potentially complete a minimum viable product for the project
2nd Place for each challenge: $2,000.00 USD (to be split amongst the entire team)
3rd Place for each challenge: $1,000.00 USD (to be split amongst the entire team)

Most Innovative Idea: Toptal merchandise pack for all team members

Team Spirit Award: Toptal merchandise pack for all team members

*Limited to one prize per team. If a team qualifies to win more than one prize, the team will receive only the prize with the most value. A team may be awarded one prize plus an additional prize listed above provided such team qualifies for both.

Toptal reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to choose the winners and which place they qualify for.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO REGISTER TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW OR WHERE THIS CONTEST DOES NOT CONFORM OR IS NOT ADMINISTERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW. REGISTRY TO ENTER THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

1. Contest Description

The details of the Toptal Hackathon (the “Contest”) are stated in the introduction above and shall be governed by these rules (“Official Rules”). The Contest will run in accordance with the dates listed in the introduction above (the “Contest Period”) unless otherwise adjusted by Toptal, LLC (“Toptal”). By registering to participate in the Contest, you unconditionally accept and agree to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Toptal, which shall be final and binding in all respects.

Participants may register to participate in the Contest only once, under one (1) account and each participant may only be on one (1) team per challenge in the Contest. Multiple Contest registrations by a single participant on the same challenge or a single participant registering for multiple teams on the same challenge is strictly prohibited and such participant and their team (if applicable) will be disqualified.

During the Contest Period, participants will have the opportunity to access the challenge(s) on the Site (as defined in Section 4 below). Participants will form teams to register for the challenge(s) on the Site. Participants may register for the challenge(s) alone, without a team. Participants may elect to enter only one challenge or may enter both challenges. Both challenges will run simultaneously. The maximum number of individual participants per team will not exceed eight (8). Participants will work alone or together with their designated teams to produce the three (4) deliverables for the challenge that they are registered for. Each challenge will require teams to submit these three (3) deliverables. The specifics of these deliverables will be set out on the Site. In order for the deliverables to be judged, the designated team leader for each team must (1) submit the team’s deliverables to the Google folder assigned to such team by Toptal, and (2) after uploading the deliverables to the Google folder, the designated team leader for each team must complete the submission form so that Toptal may verify that the deliverables were uploaded before the deadline. 

Following the end of the Contest Period, the judges of the Contest, as designated by Toptal, will evaluate the deliverables submitted by the Participants for purposes of identifying potential winners for each challenge. The judges will evaluate the deliverables submitted by each team/individual and will, in the judges sole discretion, select the top three (3) teams from each challenge to move forward. Participants from such top three (3) teams from each challenge will then have an opportunity to pitch their deliverables live online, as set out on the Site. The method and timing of these pitches will be posted on the Site. The judges will then select the appropriate winner(s) from each challenge of the Contest. The judges will determine the first, second, third, and additional prize winners (as set out in the introduction above) and such winners will be announced. The method of winner announcement is at Toptal’s discretion, but includes notification of potential winners by email, live announcements, announcements social media, or announcements via other media (i.e. Slack). If you wish for your name not to be included in the announcement on social media, please reach out to hackathon@toptal.com.

2. Eligibility to Register, Participate, and Win.

NOT ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO WIN.

Only individuals over the age of eighteen (18) years as of the Contest start date who are residing and located in a jurisdiction where the Contest is lawful are eligible to register for, participate in, and win the Contest. The Contest is void where prohibited by law or where this Contest or Official Rules does not conform or is not administered in accordance with applicable law. Except as prohibited elsewhere in these Official Rules, Toptal Community members are eligible to register for, participate in, and win the Contest. 

How to Register to Participate in the Contest.

To register to enter the Contest, participants must be members of Toptal’s freelance network and use their Toptal email addresses to complete the registration from which will be available on the Contest website listed above (the “Site”), between October 17, 2022 at 09:00 AM EST and – November 7, 2022 at 11:00 AM EST and follow the onscreen instructions.

Google is not operated or controlled by Toptal.  The operators of such other websites may collect information about you. The Official Rules will not apply to your use of and activity on those sites. We encourage you to read the legal notices posted on the operator’s websites. Toptal is not responsible for the data collection and use practices of such other websites.

Ineligible Individuals.

Toptal employees and core team members are not eligible to register for, participate in, or win the Contest. Additionally, you cannot register for or participate in the Contest and will be immediately disqualified and forfeit your eligibility to win any prize if you are or become during the Contest Period a resident of:

• or ordinarily resident in, the Donetsky Lukhansk, or Crimea region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, or Syria;
• where such Contest otherwise is prohibited by applicable U.S. export controls and sanctions programs; or
• anywhere that the Contest is prohibited by law or where this Contest or Official Rules does not conform or administered in accordance with applicable local law.

3. Additional Rules Relating to the Contest.

By submitting any information, materials, or code to the Contest, including but not limited to information provided during registration to participate in the Contest or as part of any deliverable submitted in connection with the Contest, (collectively, “Participant Content”), participants hereby assign to Toptal all right, title and interest (including all intellectual property rights of any sort throughout the world) relating to the Participant Content (including but not limited to all inventions, works of authorship, designs, know-how, ideas, and information made or conceived or reduced to practice, in whole or in part, by participants of the Contest). To the extent the foregoing assignments are prohibited by applicable law, or if intellectual property of the participants is necessary to use the Participant Content, participants hereby grant to Toptal an irrevocable, perpetual, sublicensable, and royalty-free right and license to use, reproduce, edit, display, distribute, transfer, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish and otherwise make use of the submitted Participant Content in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter created, throughout the world and for any purpose. The rights granted to Toptal in these Official Rules include but are not limited to the right to censor, compress, edit, feature, caption, affix logos to, and to otherwise alter or make use of the submitted Participant Content for any purpose.

In addition, by submitting any Participant Content, each Participant represents and warrants that the submitted Participant Content does not and will not infringe on any copyright, patent, trade secret, moral rights, or other rights of any third party, and Participant has the right to grant any and all rights and licenses granted to Toptal in these Official Rules, including but not limited to all necessary rights under copyright, free and clear of any claims or encumbrances. Participant will indemnify, defend and hold harmless Toptal and its members, managers, employees, agents and representatives from and against any claims and damages arising, directly or indirectly from Participant’s participation in the Contest, including, but not limited to, any claims that Participant Content infringes on any copyright, patent, trade secret, moral rights or other rights of any third party. Participant acknowledges that Toptal may, but shall have no obligation to, post, display or otherwise make publicly available any Participant Content, and may in its sole and unfettered discretion, remove, edit, modify, or delete any portion of the Participant Content.

4. Privacy

Personal Data (as defined in Toptal’s Privacy Policy) provided by participants during registration to participate in the Contest will not be sold to third parties but may be used as may be necessary for the purposes of administering the Contest, awarding prizes, including through the use of certain vendors and marketing of Toptal’s services and network to Participant. By accepting these Official Rules, you agree that Toptal may send you marketing information by email. Where required by applicable law, Toptal will ask for your consent before or when sending you marketing information by email. When you provide Toptal with your consent to be contacted for marketing purposes, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by following the instructions to “opt-out” of receiving marketing communications in each marketing email we send you or by contact us at privacy@toptal.com. Toptal’s Privacy Policy is located at https://www.toptal.com/privacy.

5. Disqualification

No mechanically reproduced, incomplete, forged, software generated, or automated multiple Contest registrations will be accepted. Participants who, in Toptal’s sole discretion, do not comply with this section or these Official Rules will be disqualified from the Contest. Automated registrations to participate in the Contest are strictly prohibited.

Toptal reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the registration process or the operation of the Contest or the Site, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or against the best interests of Toptal, or who otherwise takes or attempts to take any action that is intended to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest. Toptal also reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any registration to participate in the Contest and any Attempt containing any obscene, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate comments or other matter.

6. Winner Selection

Following the end of the Contest Period, the judges designated by Toptal will evaluate the deliverables submitted by each team/individual and will, in the judge’s sole discretion, select the top three (3) teams from each challenge to move forward. Participants from such top three (3) teams from each challenge will then have an opportunity to pitch their deliverables live online, as set out on the Site. The judges will then determine the first, second, third prize winners for each challenge, and will also determine the additional prize winners (each, a “Winner”, and collectively, “Winners”) and such Winners will be awarded prizes consistent with the introduction above and Section 8 below. (See Section 2 for Winner Eligibility.)

There will be no ties in the Contest, and the judges will determine the first, second, third, and additional prize winners.

Winners are limited to one (1) prize per challenge.

7. Prize Details

Details of the prizes are outlined in the introduction above.

8. General Prize Conditions

LIMIT OF ONE (1) PRIZE PER TEAM AS SET OUT IN THE INTRODUCTION ABOVE. IF AN INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATES IN THE CONTEST WITHOUT A TEAM, THEN SUCH INDIVIDUAL WILL ONLY BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN ONE (1) PRIZE.

If an (eligible) participant or a team qualifies to win more than one prize, then such participant or team will only be awarded the prize with the greatest monetary value and will not be eligible to win any other prize.

Toptal will notify the winners, which may be done via email by Toptal, live announcement, an announcement via social media, or any other form within Toptal’s discretion. Toptal may take any actions necessary to verify Winners’ compliance with these Official Rules before awarding a prize and may require Winners to provide additional information and/or execute additional documentation to facilitate awarding a prize (collectively, the “Prize Claim Documents”). If a Winner fails or refuses to sign and return the Prize Claim Documents within a reasonable time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days after notification by Toptal, the Winner may be disqualified at Toptal’s sole discretion.

Prizes are not transferable and not assignable. No substitutions of prizes will be allowed, except Toptal reserves the right to substitute prize(s) of comparable or greater value in the event a prize or any portion thereof becomes unavailable for any reason, including a conversion of the prize to a cash equivalent.

Winners shall be solely responsible for all taxes, fees, or costs associated with any prize, including but not limited to any federal or state or other income tax, and any other expenses not expressly specified herein. All cash prizes will be paid in United States Dollars (USD) to the eligible participant’s selected payment method on their Toptal account.

9. Limitations of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW: (I) ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, JUDGMENTS AND AWARDS WILL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL THIRD-PARTY, OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED (IF ANY) NOT TO EXCEED TEN DOLLARS (USD $10.00), BUT IN NO EVENT WILL ATTORNEYS’ FEES BE RECOVERABLE; (II) IN NO EVENT WILL THE RELEASED PARTIES (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 11 BELOW) BE RESPONSIBLE OR OTHERWISE LIABLE FOR, AND YOU SPECIFICALLY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO SEEK, ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS) AND ANY OTHER DAMAGES (OTHER THAN ACTUAL OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES NOT TO EXCEED TEN DOLLARS (USD $10.00)), RELATED TO THE CONTEST, INCLUDING ANY ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE, OR ANY DOWNLOADING FROM OR PRINTING MATERIAL FROM THE WEBSITE.

EVERYTHING ON THE SITE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NONINFRINGEMENT. WINNERS AGREE THAT ALL PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, WHETHER NOW KNOWN OR HEREAFTER ENACTED, RELATIVE TO THE USE OR ENJOYMENT OF THE PRIZE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ITS QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

EXCEPT AS STATED HEREIN, TOPTAL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATING OF THE CONTEST AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL OR OTHER ERRORS IN THE OFFER OR ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONTEST INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ERRORS IN THE PRINTING OR DISPLAY OF THE OFFER AND THESE OFFICIAL RULES, SELECTION, NOTIFICATION, AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WINNERS, OR DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRIZES. TOPTAL IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INCORRECT OR INACCURATE INFORMATION, WHETHER CAUSED BY INTERNET USERS OR BY ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT OR PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH OR UTILIZED IN THE CONTEST AND ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMMUNICATIONS LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO ANY SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTEST.

10. Release

A Winner’s acceptance of any prize constitutes consideration and such Winner’s permission for Toptal to use such Winner’s name and likeness for advertising and/or promotional purposes worldwide and in all forms of media in perpetuity without further compensation or authorization.

PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO RELEASE, DISCHARGE, HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNIFY, TOPTAL AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, MANAGERS, MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, AND REPRESENTATIVES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) AGAINST ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, DAMAGES OR CAUSES OF ACTION (HOWEVER NAMED OR DESCRIBED) WITH RESPECT TO OR ARISING OUT OF ANY INJURIES, DAMAGES OR LOSSES TO ANY PERSON (INCLUDING DEATH) OR PROPERTY OF ANY KIND RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR ANY RELATED PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY, OR FROM WINNERS’ ACCEPTANCE, RECEIPT, POSSESSION AND/OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE. PARTICIPANTS ALSO AGREE THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES HAVE NOT MADE AND SHALL NOT IN ANY MANNER BE LIABLE FOR ANY WARRANTY, GUARANTEE, OR REPRESENTATION, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO ANY PRIZE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE PRIZE’S QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

11. General Conditions

Participants waive any right to claim ambiguity in these Official Rules. These Official Rules are the entire understanding between participants and Toptal regarding the Contest. If any term or provision of these Official Rules is invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability shall not affect any other term or provision of these Official Rules or invalidate or render unenforceable such term or provision in any other jurisdiction. If any term of these Official Rules is held to be excessively broad or invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, it shall be reformed and construed by limiting and reducing it so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law in conformance with its original intent. If for any reason this Contest is not capable of running as planned, including, but not limited to, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Toptal which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, then Toptal reserves its right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. All matters concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be governed and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to the choice of law provisions thereof, and the federal or state courts sitting in New York, New York USA will have exclusive jurisdiction. You submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of such federal or state court and irrevocably waive any claim of inconvenient forum.

The Contest is administered by Toptal, LLC with a mailing address at 2810 N. Church St. #36879, Wilmington, DE 19802-4447. Reference to third parties in connection with prizes and/or third party websites or services are for reference and identification purposes only and not intended to suggest endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation with Toptal or the Contest.