Eligibility

You are only eligible to enter if you have Hackster PRO member status.

Submission requirements

PRO agrees to deliver high-quality Content by the deadlines set by Hackster and to communicate proactively about progress or issues affecting deadlines. PRO agrees that the Content they create or prepare will be original, will not infringe upon the rights of any third party, and will not have been previously assigned, licensed or otherwise encumbered. Late submissions may result in reduced or no payment. Multiple missed deadlines may result in termination of the specific Statement of Work or this Agreement, at Hackster’s discretion.

• If a delay is anticipated, PRO must notify Hackster in writing no later than 3 days prior to the deadline.
• Hackster reserves the right to approve or deny extensions at its sole discretion.
• Repeated or unapproved delays may result in termination of a particular Statement of Work, or termination of this Agreement.
• Any changes to the deliverables, timeline, or other terms must be mutually agreed upon in writing. Changes requested verbally will not be accepted or considered binding.

Judging criteria

Your project will be required to be deliver with the following minimum requirements.

• Project Documentation
  Including images, screenshots, and/or a video demonstration of your solution working as intended.
• Complete BOM
  Detail the hardware, software and/or tools used.
• Schematics
  Draw your circuit diagrams using software like Fritzing.org and/or take detailed photographs.
• Code & Contribution
  Include working code with helpful comments.

How to enter

Step 1: Register for the Challenge

• Register for the contest by clicking “Register as a participant”.

Step 2: Create a Hackster project

• Write a project abstract according to the submission requirements.
• Document your project build using Hackster’s project template. To create a new project, click “create new project” on the contest page or the “+” symbol in the top right corner of your Hackster page.

Step 3: Submit a Proposal

• Review your project and make sure it meets all the proposal requirements.
• Submit your proposal by clicking “submit a proposal” tab on the challenge page.

Full rules

Common terms used in these rules

These are the full rules that govern how the contest will operate. In these rules, “we,” “our”, and “us” refer to Hackster and/or the contest host. “You” and “yourself” refer to an eligible contest participant. The full rules also include all above eligibility, requirements, and judging criteria recorded in the “rules” tab of this contest page.

What are the start and end dates?

Contest starts at Jun 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM PT and ends at Sep 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM PTand will consist of the following periods:.

• Contest projects submission period: Jun 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM PT through Sep 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM PT
• Free hardware application deadline is Jul 29, 2025 at 9:00 PM PT
• Contest winners will be announced on Oct 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM PT.

Note: Contest end dates are at the sole discretion of Hackster and/or the contest sponsor and may be subject to change.

Content Guideline

If your participation violates ANY of the following, you may be disqualified.

• Your entry must be your own original work.
• Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other Hackster contest.
• You must have obtained any consents, approvals or licenses required for you to submit your entry.
• Your entry may not include any third party trademarks (logos, names) or copyrighted materials (music, images, video, recognizable people, code, schematics etc...) unless you have obtained permission to use the materials.
• Your entry must comply with your employer’s gift policies.

Your content creation may NOT contain ANY of the following content:

• Content that is sexually explicit.
• Content that is unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, religious, professional or age group.
• Content that is profane or pornographic.
• Content that promotes illegal drugs, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda.
• Content that is obscene or offensive.
• Content that defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about other people or companies.
• Content that communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or good will to which we wish to associate.
• Content that violates any law.

We reserve the right to reject an entry, in our sole and absolute discretion, that we determine contains any of the above content.

Important note about Copyright: Your entire entry must only include material (including hardware, source code – both open source and third party sourced, user interface, music, video or images) that you own or that you have permission from the copyright/trademark owner to use. Your and/or your team’s entry may not include copyrighted materials (such as source code, user interface, background music, images or video) unless you own or have permission to use the materials. Ownership is not defined as purchasing a CD at a music store for replay, if playing a copyrighted recording on your guitar or repurposing an application’s user interface – your entry may be disqualified if copyrighted materials, including but not limited to these examples, are a part of your entry without appropriate licensing or permissions. If you do use permissible copyrighted materials, you must include the permissions information by citing the artist/creator and license information. Note that even material released under sites such as Creative Commons, common open source code licenses, and other similar licensing may need permission or acknowledgement as per the specific license.

Can I enter this challenge as a team?

You can enter as a team of no more than five members.

The following requirements must be satisfied to participate in this contest as a team:

• One individual PRO member (the “representative”) to speak for, act, and enter a project submission on behalf of your team.
• Each individual team member must meet ALL of the eligibility and contest requirements outlined in the full rules.

How will my entry be potentially used?

Other than what is set forth below, we are not claiming any ownership rights to your entry. However, by submitting your entry, you agree to ALL of the following statements:

• You grant us an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test and otherwise analyze your entry and all its content in connection with this contest; and (ii) feature your entry and all content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of this contest (including but not limited to internal and external sales meetings, conference presentations, tradeshows, and screen shots of this contest entry in press releases) in all media (now known or later developed).
• You agree to sign any necessary documentation that may be required for us and our designees to make use of the rights you granted above.
• You understand that after the submission deadline has passed, any project that has been submitted to the contest cannot be deleted or made private and will remain on the contest page after the contest has concluded.
• You understand and acknowledge that the sponsor(s) may have developed or commissioned materials similar or identical to your submission and you waive any claims you may have resulting from any similarities to your entry.
• You understand that you will not receive any compensation or credit for use of your entry, other than what is described in these full rules.

Please note that following the end of this contest your entry may be posted on a website selected by us for viewing by visitors to that website. We are not responsible for any unauthorized use of your entry by visitors to this website. While we reserve these rights, we are not obligated to use your entry for any purpose, even if it has been selected as a winning entry. If you do not want to grant us these rights to your solution, please do not enter this challenge.

How is free hardware awarded?

Limit one (1) allocation per person or team. The decisions of Hackster and our sponsors are final and binding. Hackster and/or the contest host hold the right to award less hardware than displayed if there are not a sufficient number of eligible hardware applications received. To be eligible for free hardware you must be a Hackster PRO member and agree to all requirements in the general PRO agreement and SOW.

You will be solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, and local taxes related to accepting the hardware. By accepting the free hardware, you are entering into a contract with Hackster stating that you will build, document, and submit a project according to the deadline. If, for any reason, you cannot complete a project with the hardware you have received, you must inform us at contests@hackster.io and may be asked to return the hardware.

Once the hardware leaves our warehouse, there is very little we can do to help locate lost or delayed shipments. Hackster and contest hosts cannot be held liable for any shipments that do not arrive or are delayed, and are under no obligation to replace lost shipments or missing or broken parts. If you have questions regarding your shipment, please contact us at contests@hackster.io. Unless otherwise noted, all hardware giveaways are subject to their manufacturer’s warranty and/or terms and conditions.

What other conditions am I agreeing to by entering?

By entering this contest you are agreeing to the following statements:

• You agree to abide by these full rules.
• You agree to abide by the policies outlined on Hackster’s website, including our Terms of Service, Code of Conduct and Privacy Policy.
• You agree to release and hold harmless Hackster, Nordic Semiconductor and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this contest, or any prize won.
• You agree that your personal data including your name, email address, personal address, phone number, and any other personal information disclosed during the duration of this contest may be shared with and used by Hackster and [sponsor name] in order to facilitate the execution of this contest.
• You agree that Hackster’s decisions will be final and binding on all matters related to this contest.
• You agree that, by accepting the contender position, Hackster may use your proper name and state of residence online and in print, or in any other media, in connection with this contest, without payment or compensation to you, except where prohibited by law.

What laws govern the way this challenge is executed and administered?

This contest will be governed by the laws of the State of California, and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of the State of Washington for any disputes arising out of this contest.

Who do I contact about this challenge?

If you have any questions or comments regarding this contest, please email us at contests@hackster.io.