Participation Rules | Prodigy Ideathon Cohort 1

These rules summarise how Prodigy Ideathon is run and judged. Participating schools also receive the detailed rulebook, the pitch-deck template and the expert catalogue. Where this page and the rulebook differ, the rulebook shared with the school applies.

Eligibility

Open to students in Classes 9–12, participating through a registered school.
Students cannot register individually; the school coordinates registration.
Teams consist of 2–4 students.
A school fields a minimum of 30 teams to be eligible to host its School Round. A minimum participation threshold also applies under the School Onboarding MoU.

Themes and submissions

Each team selects one of six challenge themes at registration, including Open Impact.
A theme sets the territory; the team chooses the specific problem within it.
Each team develops a solution concept and a pitch deck in the prescribed Prodigy Ideathon format.
A physical prototype is not required unless specifically stated for a particular challenge by the organisers.
Teams present within the allotted time and must be available for Q&A.

Rounds and timings

School Pitching Round — all registered teams; 3-minute pitch, 2-minute Q&A.
School Finale — top 3 teams per panel; 5-minute pitch, 2-minute Q&A; decides School Champion, Runner-Up and Third Place.
Grand Finale — top 3 teams from every participating school; 5-minute pitch, 3-minute Q&A; decides Champion, Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up.

Judging panels

School Round: 1 school-nominated judge + 1 Tera Compute judge. One or more panels operate in parallel depending on the number of registered teams.
School Finale: Combined judging panel. Coordinated by Tera Compute. Shortlisted teams are evaluated together using the same rubric.
Grand Finale: Grand Jury panel. Coordinated by Tera Compute. Determines the Champion, Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up.

Scoring

Every judge scores independently. Teams are scored out of 50:

Problem — 10 marks: How clearly does the team understand the problem, the users affected and its significance?
Innovation — 10 marks: How original, creative or differentiated is the proposed approach?
Solution — 10 marks: How effectively and feasibly does the proposed solution address the problem?
Impact — 10 marks: What meaningful and scalable impact could the solution create?
Presentation — 10 marks: How clearly, logically and confidently does the team communicate and defend the idea?

Tie-break order: Higher Solution score → Higher Impact score → Jury deliberation.

Integrity

Eligibility: Classes 9–12, participating through their school.
Team size: 2–4 students.
A school fields a minimum of 30 teams to be eligible to host its School Round.
Every team submits its solution deck in the prescribed Prodigy Ideathon format.
Teams present within the allotted time and must be available for Q&A.
Ideas must be original and appropriately attributed.
AI tools may be used as permitted by the official rules; teams remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and understanding of their submission.
Plagiarism or deliberate misrepresentation may lead to disqualification.
Every judge scores independently. Judges’ decisions are final.

The Code of Conduct applies to all participants and personnel. Breaches may lead to score penalties or disqualification. Organisers’ and judges’ decisions are final.

Changes

Operational details (dates, room allocation, batch scheduling) are coordinated with each school. Material changes to the rules will be communicated to participating schools and reflected here. Questions: teracompute@gmail.com.