Legal
Terms of Service
Last updated: August 2026
1. The competition
The International AI Startup Challenge (IASC) is a global entrepreneurship competition for students aged 13–18, run entirely online. By registering you agree to these terms and to the rules published on the How It Works page.
2. Eligibility
Open to students aged 13 to 18 during the 2026–27 cycle. All participants under 18 must confirm parent or guardian permission at registration and provide a guardian email address. Teams may have up to five members. Entry is free.
3. Your work stays yours
You retain full ownership of your startup, code, designs, and all materials you create. IASC claims no licence to publish, display, or commercialise your project. We do not publish submissions, and we do not publish winners' projects. If we ever wish to feature a project publicly, we will ask that team for written permission first, and declining costs you nothing.
4. What you submit
Submissions require a pitch video of three minutes or less, hosted on a third-party service and shared with us as a link, plus a timed founder Q&A completed on this site. A pitch deck and prototype are optional. You may resubmit as often as you like before the deadline; the most recent submission is the one scored. Video links must remain accessible until scoring concludes.
5. AI use and integrity
AI tools are permitted and encouraged at every stage. Your team must understand and be able to explain every part of your project. The founder Q&A is timed and pasting is disabled, and answers are scored for understanding. Plagiarising another team's work, submitting a project you cannot explain, or misrepresenting your team is grounds for disqualification.
6. How submissions are scored
Each submission is scored against the six weighted criteria published before the build phase opens, using an AI evaluation system built for this competition and given that same rubric. Each entry is scored in multiple independent passes and the results averaged. The organising team reviews every top-tier submission by hand before finalists are named. You may request a human re-review within 14 days of receiving your scores.
7. Awards
Awards are signed digital certificates and shareable badges, delivered by email directly to recipients. No physical items are shipped. IASC does not offer cash prizes or startup grants in the 2026–27 cycle. All awards listed on the Awards page are funded. Any additional awards secured through sponsorship will be announced publicly before the finals. Scoring outcomes are final except where a re-review is granted under section 6.
8. Conduct
Attempting to interfere with the submission system, circumvent the founder Q&A, submit on behalf of another team, or abuse the organising team may result in disqualification and removal from future cycles.
9. Changes
IASC may update the schedule, rules, or these terms. Material changes will be emailed to registered participants and published here. If a change materially disadvantages you, you may withdraw and request deletion of your data.
10. Contact
Questions about these terms can be sent to the address on our Contact page. We reply to everything, usually within two or three business days.