Eligibility

  • Age Requirement: Open to participants 18+
  • Location Requirement: Since the Buildathon is an in‑person event in Detroit, MI, participants must be able to attend the kickoff (Sept 19) and finale (Sept 25) physically in Detroit.
  • Team Size: Teams may consist of 1–5 people.
  • Organizations: Employees of sponsor organizations may participate but are not eligible to win prizes from their own employer.
  • Multiple Submissions: Contestants may not submit more than one entry as team lead, but they may contribute as collaborators on multiple projects.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Judges, mentors, and organizers are ineligible to compete. Anyone with a conflict of interest with a contest judge is ineligible for prizes.
  • Michigan Residents & Detroit Businesses: This competition is open to residents of the state of Michigan. Specific grants may be restricted to businesses within the city of Detroit or state of Michigan, based on specific grant criteria.
  • Standard Exceptions for Global Eligibility: Based on where you reside, laws of the United States or your local laws, you might be prohibited from participating or receiving a prize in a competition. As hackathons are competitions, we need to abide by these laws and need to exclude individuals who are residents from Countries designated by the United States Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control

Project Requirements

  • New Work Only: All submissions must be created during hackathon week. Pre‑existing projects are not permitted unless they are substantially modified and clearly documented.
  • Functioning Prototype: Submissions must be a working MVP, prototype, or deployed app — "functioning" means:
    • Demonstrates end‑to‑end functionality in a recorded demo video.
    • Must not be solely mockups or slide decks without interactive components.
  • Required Tools: Teams are free to use whatever AI assisted development tools they are comfortable with. Learning content & mentors will officially support Lovable & Cursor.
  • Platforms: Projects may be a website, desktop website, or mobile app. Desktop applications or anything requiring the installation on a computer will not be eligible.
  • Deployment Requirements: Submissions needs to be easily accessible by judges through a public URL with given credentials. Apps must be downloadable and installable by judges and on iOS.

 

Prizes & Winner Selection

Prizes

Up to $17,500 in grants and prizes.

Grant Eligibility

Grants come from TechTown Detroit. In order to be eligible for a business grant, you and your team must meet the following:

  • Have a Detroit based location (verified through an active Detroit, Michigan mailing address)
  • Grants must be focused on engineering, development, marketing, and R&D. Operational expenses, wages, or other expenses not directly tied to the development of a product or service offering.
  • Existing businesses are eligible, given they meet all requirements and have raised less than $1M in outside investment

 

Judging & Winner Selection

Entries that meet all submission requirements will be evaluated by a panel of judges from Detroit's tech and venture community. Projects will be judged across the following criteria:

  • 🧩 Solving a User Need (50%) — Clear pain/need, evidence or insight, solution addresses the need, tight problem‑solution fit.
  • 🎨 Design & Usability (20%) — Intuitive UX, accessibility, visual design quality, ease of task completion.
  • 🛠️ Technical Prowess (20%) — Appropriate AI/ML use, stability/performance, code quality and basic security/privacy.
  • 📈 Market & Viability (10%) — Market potential, feasibility, go‑to‑market clarity, differentiation.

 

Code of Conduct

The Venture 313 AI Buildathon is a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful environment for all participants. By participating, you agree to uphold the following Code of Conduct:

Our Commitment

We are dedicated to providing a harassment‑free hackathon experience for everyone, regardless of:

  • Gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression
  • Disability, physical appearance, body size
  • Race, ethnicity, national origin, religion
  • Education level, technical background, or hackathon experience

We will not tolerate harassment of hackathon participants in any form — whether in person at Michigan Central, online (Devpost, Slack/Discord), or across any other official channel of the event.

Expected Behavior

All participants agree to:

  • Be Respectful: Communicate professionally and constructively. Respect differing opinions and ideas.
  • Be Inclusive: Support and encourage newcomers. Recognize that attendees come from varied backgrounds and experience levels.
  • Collaborate in Good Faith: Share knowledge generously and work toward the collective spirit of SkyMarket development.
  • Maintain Integrity: Submit original work created during the hackathon timeframe and properly attribute any third‑party or open‑source resources.
  • Follow the Rules: Comply with all hackathon rules, U.S. laws and regulations, and venue policies.
Reporting

If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns:

  • Contact an organizer immediately through Slack, in person at the event, or by email at help-2025-v313-aib@wncp.ai
  • All concerns will be handled confidentially and with respect for the reporter's privacy.
  • Organizers will take all complaints seriously, investigate promptly, and take appropriate corrective action.
License & Attribution

This Code of Conduct is based on the Hack Code of Conduct and adapted for Venture 313 AI Buildathon. By registering and participating in this hackathon, all attendees acknowledge and agree to abide by this Code of Conduct.