# Platform Jam Rules

Note: This document is currently subject to change without warning or notification. It is a work-in-progress draft.

Welcome to Platform Jam! This document outlines the official competition rules, eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, and evaluation criteria.

# 1. Overview

Platform Jam is a build competition focused on creating real, deployable software platforms. Unlike traditional hackathons that prioritize demos and prototypes, Platform Jam challenges teams to build production-grade infrastructure that others can actually use.

The competition emphasizes:

• Engineering quality over flashy demos
• Operational excellence over feature count
• Documentation and usability over novelty
• Open source contributions over proprietary solutions

# 2. Eligibility

# 2.1 Who Can Participate

• Teams of 1-5 members
• Participants must be 18 years or older
• Open to all skill levels, from students to professionals
• International participants welcome (subject to applicable laws)

# 2.2 Team Formation

• Teams may be formed before or during the competition
• All team members must be registered individually
• Teams must designate a team lead for communications
• Team composition cannot change after the submission deadline

# 2.3 Restrictions

• Employees of sponsoring organizations may participate but are not eligible for prizes
• Previous work may be used as a foundation, but must be clearly disclosed
• AI-assisted development is permitted and encouraged

# 3. Timeline

# 3.1 Phase 1: Registration

Registration opens 4 weeks before the build period. Teams must:

1. Register all team members
2. Submit a brief project proposal (1-2 paragraphs)
3. Acknowledge the rules and code of conduct

# 3.2 Phase 2: Build Period

The build period lasts 168 hours (7 days). During this time:

• Teams work on their platforms
• Office hours and mentorship sessions are available
• Progress updates are encouraged but not required
• Live streaming of development is welcome

# 3.3 Phase 3: Submission

Submissions are due at the end of the build period. Required materials:

1. Source code repository (must be public or made public at submission)
2. Deployment documentation
3. A working deployment URL or clear deployment instructions
4. A 5-minute video walkthrough
5. Written summary (500-1000 words)

# 3.4 Phase 4: Evaluation

Evaluation takes place over 3 days following submissions:

• Judges review all submissions
• Teams may be contacted for clarification
• Scores are compiled and verified
• Winners are announced during a live stream event

# 4. Project Requirements

# 4.1 What Counts as a Platform

A "platform" is defined as software infrastructure that provides foundational capabilities for other applications or services. Examples include:

• Container orchestration tools
• Database management systems
• API gateways
• Observability platforms
• CI/CD systems
• Authentication/authorization services
• Message queues and event systems
• Development environment tooling
• Infrastructure-as-code frameworks

# 4.2 Minimum Requirements

All submissions must meet these minimum requirements:

1. Deployable: The platform must be deployable by someone other than the creators
2. Documented: Clear documentation for setup, configuration, and basic usage
3. Functional: Core functionality must work as described
4. Open Source: Code must be available under an OSI-approved license

# 4.3 Encouraged Characteristics

While not required, judges will look favorably on:

• Comprehensive test coverage
• Monitoring and observability built-in
• Security considerations documented
• Multi-environment support (dev, staging, prod)
• Infrastructure-as-code for deployment
• Contribution guidelines for future maintainers

# 5. Evaluation Criteria

Submissions are evaluated on the following criteria, weighted as shown:

# 5.1 Engineering Quality (30%)

• Code organization and clarity
• Appropriate use of design patterns
• Error handling and edge cases
• Performance considerations
• Test coverage and quality

# 5.2 Operational Excellence (25%)

• Deployment simplicity and reliability
• Monitoring and logging capabilities
• Configuration management
• Scalability considerations
• Disaster recovery and backup strategies

# 5.3 Documentation (20%)

• Setup and installation guides
• API or interface documentation
• Architecture explanations
• Troubleshooting guides
• Contribution guidelines

# 5.4 Innovation (15%)

• Novel approaches to common problems
• Creative use of technologies
• Unique value proposition
• Potential impact on the community

# 5.5 Presentation (10%)

• Clarity of video walkthrough
• Quality of written summary
• Demo effectiveness
• Communication of technical concepts

# 6. Prizes

# 6.1 Grand Prize

TODO

# 6.2 Category Winners

Category prizes are awarded for excellence in specific areas:

Best Operations Platform

• Platforms focused on deployment, monitoring, or infrastructure management

Best Developer Experience

• Tools that significantly improve developer workflows

Best Documentation

• Exceptional documentation quality and completeness

Community Choice

• Selected by public vote during the evaluation period

# 6.3 Honorable Mentions

Up to 5 honorable mentions will be recognized with:

• Recognition during the closing ceremony
• Feature in the Platform Jam showcase

# 7. Code of Conduct

# 7.1 Expected Behavior

All participants must:

• Be respectful in all interactions
• Provide constructive feedback when engaging with other teams
• Follow the spirit, not just the letter, of the rules
• Credit all contributors, libraries, and resources used
• Maintain honesty about capabilities and limitations

# 7.2 Prohibited Behavior

The following will result in disqualification:

• Plagiarism or misrepresentation of work
• Harassment of any kind
• Intentional sabotage of other teams
• Violation of intellectual property rights
• Submission of malicious code

# 7.3 Reporting Issues

If you witness or experience any violations, please report them to:

• Email: [email protected]
• Discord: Direct message to any moderator
• Anonymous form: Available on the Platform Jam website

# 8. Technical Resources

# 8.1 Infrastructure Support

Participants have access to:

• Cloud credits from sponsoring providers
• Managed Kubernetes clusters for testing
• Shared observability platforms
• CI/CD pipeline templates

# 8.2 Mentorship

Throughout the competition:

• Office hours with industry experts
• Discord channels for technical questions
• Recorded workshops on common platform patterns
• Architecture review sessions (by request)

# 8.3 Development Tools

Recommended but not required:

• Version control: Git (GitHub, GitLab, or equivalent)
• Containerization: Docker, Podman
• Orchestration: Kubernetes, Nomad
• IaC: Terraform, Pulumi, OpenTofu
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.

# 9. Intellectual Property

# 9.1 Ownership

• Teams retain full ownership of their submissions
• Platform Jam claims no rights to submitted code or materials

# 9.2 Licensing

• Teams may choose any approved license that fits their goals
• License must be clearly stated in the repository

# 9.3 Attribution

• Platform Jam may use project names, screenshots, and descriptions for promotional purposes
• Video walkthroughs may be shared publicly
• Teams will be credited in all promotional materials

# 10. Amendments and Clarifications

# 10.1 Rule Changes

• Rules may be updated for clarification at any time
• Material changes will be announced at least 7 days before the build period
• All registered participants will be notified of changes via email

# 10.2 Questions

For questions about rules or eligibility:

• Email: [email protected]
• Discord: #rules-questions channel
• FAQ: Available on the Platform Jam website

# 10.3 Final Decisions

• Judges' decisions are final
• Disputes will be resolved by the Platform Jam organizing committee
• The organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify submissions that violate the spirit of the competition

Last updated: March 2026

Version: 1.0

These rules are subject to change. Please check back regularly for updates.