Competition Regulations

1. General Provisions

1.1. The AITSS 2026 Team Project Competition (the "Competition") is an annual team-based event for participants of the Artificial Intelligence Technologies Summer School (AITSS). It aims to support innovation, practical problem solving, and the development of presentation and project defense skills.

1.2. The Competition focuses on projects that create or have the potential to create measurable economic and/or social value. A project may be a working prototype or a well-developed idea with a clear implementation plan.

1.3. These Regulations define registration, deliverables, presentation format, evaluation criteria, selection of winners, and integrity requirements.

2. Purpose and Objectives

2.1. The purpose of the Competition is to foster teamwork and the creation of innovative solutions based on modern technologies (including AI) that can deliver real benefits to society or business.

2.2. Objectives:

• encourage problem-oriented project ideas and convert them into implementation roadmaps;
• develop skills in user/market needs analysis, competitive analysis, and impact assessment;
• improve technical execution (when a prototype exists) and result documentation;
• strengthen public speaking and project defense skills before an expert jury.

3. Eligibility and Team Requirements

3.1. Eligible participants are officially enrolled in the AITSS 2026.

3.2. Each team must consist of 2 to 5 members and define roles (recommended: lead/coordinator, technical lead, data/research, product/market, presentation/demo).

3.3. Teams may have an optional mentor who is not counted as a team member and is listed in materials.

3.4. A participant may be a member of only one team.

4. Organization, Stages, and Timeline

4.1. The Competition is held ONLINE on the last day of the Summer School conference program (Friday). The detailed schedule and connection link are announced by the organizing committee.

4.2. If the number of teams is high, the organizers may introduce sections/tracks (e.g., AI, Software, IoT) and/or an additional pre-selection stage.

4.3. Recommended stages:

1. Stage 1 – Team registration and initial project abstract submission.
2. Stage 2 – Preparation meetings/briefings and thematic classes (presentation guidelines, teamwork, defense format).
3. Stage 3 – Optional pre-review of slides and written feedback from organizers.
4. Stage 4 – Pre-selection to the final (if needed).
5. Stage 5 – Final public defense before the jury and winner selection.

4.4. The organizing committee may adjust stages, timing, and the number of finalists depending on logistics and the number of submissions.

4.5. All dates and times communicated by the organizers are in Kyiv time.

5. Registration and Deliverables

5.1. Teams must register via the official registration form.

5.2. Teams must submit a presentation file (PDF/PPTX) in advance to: igor.kolych@lnu.edu.ua.

5.3. Deadlines:

• Registration deadline: 72 hours before the Competition.
• Slide submission deadline: no later than 48 hours before the defense.

5.4. By registering, the team/participants confirm they have read and agree to all terms of these Regulations.

6. Project and Slide Requirements

6.1. A project must be a well-developed idea with an implementation plan and, where possible, full implementation. It should include processes/methodology and a comparison with competitors/alternatives.

6.2. The presentation should include (recommended):

• Project title and short description.
• Team members, roles, and mentor (if any).
• Relevance/problem statement and why it matters.
• Market/competitive analysis and differentiation.
• Approach and architecture/pipeline (diagram) and technologies used.
• Results (if available): prototype/demo, experiments, metrics, examples.
• Value and impact: social and/or commercial benefit.
• Implementation plan: milestones, resources, risks, timeline, next steps.

6.3. Idea-stage projects are allowed; the team must provide a detailed, realistic implementation roadmap with resource and risk estimation and a feasibility argument.

7. Communication and Preparation Activities

7.1. Organizers may offer mentors when needed and may conduct preparation lectures/workshops on presentation skills and teamwork.

7.2. Official communication channels may include Discord, email, and the website.

7.3. Teams may optionally submit slides for pre-review and receive written feedback and improvement suggestions.

8. Finalist Selection (If Needed)

8.1. If submissions exceed the program capacity, organizers may run a pre-selection based on a project abstract and/or slide materials.

8.2. The number of finalists is determined by organizers.

8.3. Teams that confirm participation in the final must comply with timing and rules. No-show without prior notice may lead to removal from the Competition.

9. Presentation and Defense Format

9.1. Each team has up to 20 minutes total:

• 10 minutes – main presentation;
• up to 5 minutes – contributions by other team member(s) (recommended);
• up to 5 minutes – Q&A with the jury.

9.2. At least two team members are strongly recommended to present. Each member should be ready to answer questions about their contribution.

9.3. While one team is in Q&A, the next team should prepare to start immediately.

9.4. The Competition is conducted online. The working language is English. Teams must ensure a stable internet connection and have camera and microphone enabled during presentation and Q&A. A pre-recorded video is allowed only with prior organizer approval; the team should be online for Q&A when possible. Video deadline: no later than 48 hours before the defense.

9.5. Organizers may record the online session for documentation, reporting, and/or promotional purposes of AITSS. By participating, teams consent to such recording.

10. Jury and Evaluation Criteria

10.1. Winners are determined by a jury appointed by the organizing committee. Jury decisions are final except for procedural appeals (see Section 15).

10.2. Evaluation emphasizes real-world value (business/society), meaningful use of AI/technology, quality of implementation, quality of materials and defense, and next steps.

11. Awards

11.1. Award categories, prizes, and the prize-giving ceremony details are announced separately by the organizing committee.

12. Integrity, Ethics, and Data Use

12.1. Participants must follow academic integrity standards. Plagiarism, falsification, misattributed authorship, or unethical data use may result in disqualification.

12.2. If a project uses personal or sensitive data, the team must describe data sources and measures for privacy and security. Illegal or non-consensual data use is prohibited.

12.3. Teams must disclose the use of third-party tools, APIs, models, and services and comply with licensing terms.

13. Intellectual Property and Use of Materials

13.1. Project intellectual property remains with the team unless otherwise agreed.

13.2. By participating, teams grant organizers a non-exclusive right to use the project title, short description, presentation materials (or excerpts), and photo/video/audio recordings for reporting and promotion of AITSS.

14. Confidentiality (If Applicable)

14.1. If a project includes confidential information (e.g., unpublished research or trade secrets), teams should notify organizers in advance and, if needed, prepare a public version of materials without critical details.

15. Violations, Sanctions, and Appeals

15.1. Grounds for sanctions/disqualification include: team size violations, missed deadlines without approval, plagiarism/falsification, rule violations, unsafe demos, or ethics violations.

15.2. Appeals are accepted only for procedural issues and must be submitted in writing within 24 hours after results are announced. Jury scoring is not subject to appeal.