1. ELIGIBILITY

Age & Residency:

• Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
• Participants must reside in Canada or in the United States and be one of the following:
  • Canadian or US citizen
  • Permanent resident
  • Valid student or work visa holder

Regional & International Participation:

• International participants may apply but must join a team primarily based in Canada or in the US to ensure adequate support.

Language Requirement:

• Participants must be able to speak and write in English.

Ineligibility:

• Employees of organizers and sponsors, along with their immediate family and household members, cannot participate.
• Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Holders, and professors (including associate professors) may only act as team advisors.
• Incorporated companies/organizations are not eligible.
• Participants cannot compete in multiple AquaHacking Challenge editions simultaneously.
• Former AquaHacking finalists cannot register for this challenge, even with a new solution.

Registration:

• All participants must register individually or as part of a team on the official platform.
• Registration requires a full name, a location and a valid email address. Incomplete or incorrect entries will be invalid.

Equipment & Participation:

• Participants must use their own computer and materials for workshops, virtual events, and project development.
• The Challenge begins on July 7, 2025, with access to the AquaHacking Challenge Curriculum.
• Teams eliminated at the semi-final exit the Challenge on October 4, 2025 and are welcomed into the AquaNation
• Finalists continue until the Final event on February 6, 2026.

Project & Startup Eligibility:

• Solutions submitted must be original and not previously entered in other competitions.
• Startups established within 18 months before the Challenge, with no sales and no revenue, may participate.
• Startups with already commercialized solutions are not eligible and are recommended to join AquaNation instead.

2. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• AquaHacking teams own the results of their work in relation to the solution developed during the Challenge.
• However, if laboratory or academic materials or research have been used to develop the solutions, the team takes the responsibility to consult the college, university, laboratory, or institution in question to resolve the intellectual property issues and reach an agreement.

3. PARTICIPATION AND REQUIREMENTS

• Registrants must update their full profile on the registration platform.
• AquaHacking participants must commit to dedicating 3-5 hours minimum per week to the development of their solution, with an understanding that in Phase 2 of the Challenge, they can expect to attend 1–2-hour meetings which may take place during regular business hours Monday to Friday between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM or on weekends.
• To be eligible for both the Semi-Final and Final all teams must abide by the directions provided to them in advance of each judging milestone.
• Solutions cannot be previously developed products that have received funding to be developed, including but not limited to startups.
• All proprietary code used in the proposed solutions must be developed during the Challenge period, though we allow teams who have previously started work on design, wireframes, or mock-ups.
• Teams' solutions must address one of the issues/problem statements available on the website to be eligible.
• Teams are limited to presenting a single project.
• Teams are eligible to work on their solutions as soon as they are registered for the Challenge.
• Participants will need to submit a pre-recorded pitch and a PowerPoint presentation of their pitch for the Semi-Final.
• Finalist teams- those successful during the Semi-Final and proceeding on to Phase 2 of the Challenge - will have until one week before the Final event, to complete their business plan and PowerPoint presentation
• To be eligible for the Final, the teams must participate in the Semi-Final, for a chance to qualify.
• Teams must deliver all documentation supporting their project and all presentations (pitch) in English.
• Two sets of evaluation criteria will be used by the judging: one for the semi-final, one for the final; both will be made available for you.

The AquaHacking Challenge Curriculum

• All registered participants must follow the AquaHacking Challenge Curriculum.
• The curriculum is accessible on-line as of April 6, 2026.
• All registered participants will have access to Phase 1 of the Curriculum.
• Only those teams successful at the semi-final will have access to Phase 2 of the Curriculum
• Participants who complete both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the AquaHacking Challenge Curriculum and pitch at the final, will receive an official AquaHacking certificate (Freshwater Innovation & the Blue Economy) that validates their competencies in freshwater, innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship. This may be valid for job-related opportunities in the water and clean-tech markets.
• Participants who complete only Phase 1 of the curriculum and pitch at the semi-final, will also receive a certificate and a digital badge.

Water Issue Leaders

• At least 2 meetings with your Water Issue leaders are mandatory during Phase 1 of the Challenge. They are committed to help and support you in understanding the scope of the water issues so that you may align your solution and project with the reality.
• Once you team as chosen a water issue, you must inform the AquaHAcking Coordinator, who will upate your team's profil and connect your team with the water issue leaders.

Semi-Final (Virtual): October 4, 2025

• The semi-final will take place in two parts:
  • The pitches and judging process are scheduled as an online process. Teams must submit their pre-recorded pitch and PPT by July 3rd, 2026
  • the live announcement of the top 20 teams moving on to the final will take place on July 11, 2026.
• Teams must confirm their participation in the semi-final at least 10 days before their official submission, i.e. by June 19, 2026 at the latest.
• Teams must prepare a digital presentation (e.g. PowerPoint) along with a prerecording of the full pitch and submit these materials by July 3rd, 2026 4:00pm EST.
• The pitches will be evaluated by at least two judge panels over the course of the judging period and their aggregate scores will be used to determine the top twenty teams moving on to the Finals.
• All semi-finalists are eligible to become a member of the AquaNation Community to receive support beyond the Challenge.
• The top 20 teams will advance to the Final on November 5, 2026.
• After the semi-finals, all finalist teams will receive $1,000 as financial support to help the development of their solution and their business plan until the end.
  • For each team, all the team members must nominate a member who will receive the funds.
  • The nominee must sign an attestation letter that they will use the funds only for the purpose of the development of the solution.
  • No funds can be sent if the letters are not completed and not signed.
  • The teams will have to report on their expenses and share their receipts with the co-hosts before the Finals.

Water Leadership Bootcamp a.k.a. Expedition (in person): August 13 – 16, 2026

• The Expedition will take place in Canada, probably in the province of Quebec during the weekend of August 13 – 16, 2026.
• The Expedition is free of charge and mandatory for all the finalists' teams.
  • For those teams of multiple participants, a maximum of 2 representatives per team can attend.
  • Depending on where you are traveling from, the organizers will book your transportation or reimburse your expenses. A reimbursement form will be provided.
  • Please, save the date in advance and communicate with your colleagues, professors, supervisors, or employer that if successful, you might need to take a day off on Thursday August 13 (for travel) and Friday, August 14, and plan to be away the whole weekend to ensure your participation.
  • If you need a letter from the organizers, to attest to your participation in the AquaHacking Challenge, please reach out directly to AquaHacking@aquaaction.org
• During the bootcamp, all participants will take part in a variety of workshops and activities designed to advance their professional skills and enhance their understanding of freshwater issues, meet with key stakeholders in the region, Water Issue Leaders and understand the context of freshwater in the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River. More details will be provided during the Challenge.

Final (Hybrid): November 5, 2026| Dragon's Den-Style Pitches + Prizes

• The final will be held on November 5, 2026, in person in Detroit MI. More details will be provided closer to the event.
• Finalist teams must prepare:
  • a document describing their project and business plan and send it by November 26, 2026, by midnight at the latest to: AquaHacking@aquaaction.org
  • a digital presentation (e.g. PowerPoint) of the full pitch must be submitted to AquaHacking@aquaaction.org by Nov 3 by 4 pm EST.
• Your travel and accommodation costs will be covered.
• The order in which the teams will pitch will be randomly determined by a draw that will be filmed and shared with the teams in advance.
• Teams must have at least one representative pitching their project at the Final.
• Each team will have 5 minutes to pitch, followed by 5 mins of Q&A with the judges. Each team will pitch only once.
• Judging criteria will be provided to the finalist teams before the Final.

The Awards & Seed funding:

• Cash prizes are awarded to the top 3 winning teams with the specific purpose of supporting the development of their solution and business plan. Please note that additional prizes MAY be added to the final competition.
  • TOP 3 teams will receive the following funds:
    • 1st place: $25,000
    • 2ᵉ place: $15,000
    • 3rd place: $10,000
  • All the teams are eligible to receive the public choice award, $2,500.
• A spot in a local incubator will be secured for all the finalist teams.
• Release of the seed funding will be conditional to the finalist's team's acceptance into a local startup/venture incubator or upon the presentation of a clear plan to invest their time and seed money in developing their solution and startup for the next year following the Challenge Finale.
  • Seed money will be disbursed upon receipt of the plan or a letter of support either from an incubator (for example, an invitation to be in their cohort) or another external partner describing how they will work in the team in the future.
  • If no plan has been submitted within 6 months after the Finals, the funds will no longer be available.
  • Team members will also have to sign a letter stating that they will use the funds for the sole purpose of developing their solutions and establishing their venture.
• A Prize must be accepted as described in these Rules and cannot be transferred to another person or substituted for another prize. Any substitution of a Prize, in whole or in part, is at the sole discretion of The Organizers.

4. GENERAL CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY

• The Organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant if there exists reasonable doubt that the entrant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the Challenge by cheating, deception, or other unfair practices. The same applies for all threats or harassment of other participants, staff members or jury members.
• Participants represent and warrant that they are the sole authors and copyright owners of the developed solution and that the solutions is an original work of the participants, or if the solution is a work based on an existing application, that the participants have acquired sufficient rights to use; and that the solution does not infringe upon any copyright or upon any other third party rights of which the Participants are aware, and that the solution is free of malware.
• Participants agree that personal data entered during the registration, including name, address, phone number and email address may be processed, stored and used as part of the 2026 Binational AquaHacking Challenge.
• The Organizers are committed to maintaining the participants' privacy and never sell or share their information.
• Participants agree to be photographed and filmed, and consent to their images being used for promotional purposes by the Organizers.
• The Organizers are not responsible for lost or stolen items. Participants are encouraged to check with their insurance company or employer for coverage in case of theft.
• The Organizers will not be liable for: (i) any failure of the website before, during or after the AquaHacking Challenge; (ii) for any technical malfunction or other problems relating to the telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment or software; (iii) the failure of any entry to be received for any reason, including, but not limited to, technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or for any entry to be deemed inadmissible during Phase 1; (iv) any injury or damage to a participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading any material in the AquaHacking Challenge; (v) any illness, injury, sleep deprivation, stress related illness/injury or any other illness/injury of any kind claimed to be caused by or related to a participant's entry or participation in this AquaHacking Challenge; and/or (vi) any combination of the above.
• The Organizers reserve the right, in their sole and absolute discretion, and without prior notice, to adjust any of the dates and/or time frames stipulated in these Rules, to the extent necessary, for purposes of verifying compliance by any participant or Submission with these Rules, or as a result of technical problems, or in light of any other circumstances which, in the opinion of the Organizers, in their sole and absolute discretion, affect the proper administration of the Challenge as contemplated in these Rules.