Team-based, with a clear focus on collaboration and innovation.

• Each team may consist of up to five (5) members and minimum two (2) members.

• Each participant may be part of only one team.

• Teams are final once the hackathon begins. No member swapping is allowed after the start.

• Each team should submit only one idea.

• Each participating team must choose a team name that adheres to ethical standards, including respect and appropriateness.

• Participants must enter the competition as independent teams and should not represent, or act on behalf of, any organization, company or board.

Initial Submission (Idea):

• Abstract proposal for the idea, impact and team structure: Fill in the form here Idea Submission Form...      

• No walk-in registrations will be accepted.

• Deadline:  19 July 2026

• Acceptance/Refusal Result:  30 July 2026 (teams will be notified with the result of acceptance or refusal for their submitted ideas).

• Deadline: All projects must be submitted by the announced deadlines. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Pre-final Evaluation (online):

• Submission format: High Level prototype or Proof of Concept via Live demo in English.

• To ensure consistency for our international judging panel, all oral presentations and supporting slides must be presented in English.

• Evaluation Date: 23 August - 8 September 2026

• Shortlisting Result Announcement:  8 September 2026

Final Presentation & Winners Selection (Physical):

• Working prototype or Beta version of the product /tool via live demo.

• Date: 26 September 2026 – on the day of the DevOpsDays Cairo Conference.

• To ensure consistency for our international judging panel, all oral presentations and supporting slides must be presented in English.

Project Requirements:

• Theme: Projects must be aligned with the theme. Creativity and innovation are encouraged within this context.

• Open Source: Participants are encouraged to use and contribute to open-source software. Proper attributions must be given.

• Bring your Own Device: Participating teams should bring their own laptops with the required environment for their projects.

Ethical Rule(s):

• Participants must confirm that the submitted idea has not previously won in any similar competition.

• Participants must not submit any commercial idea or solution currently available in the market.

• Cheating: Any form of cheating, including plagiarism, or use of prohibited resources, will result in immediate disqualification.

• Behavior: Any participant who violates the code of conduct or disrupts the event may be disqualified.

Code of Conduct:

• Harassment, discrimination, offensive language, or unethical behavior is strictly prohibited.

• Respect: Participants must treat each other, mentors, judges, and organizers with respect and professionalism.

Intellectual Property:

• Ownership: Participants retain ownership of their projects, but by participating, organizers can use the projects’ info for promotional purposes.

• Use of Code: Participants must ensure they have the rights to use any code or resources included in their project.   

Changes to Rules:

• Amendments: The organizers reserve the right to make changes to the rules before or during the event. Any changes will be communicated promptly to all participants.

By participating in the hackathon, all participants agree to abide by these rules. Failure to comply may result in disqualification and forfeiture of any prizes.

Note: Any violation of above rules will result in submission disqualification

Important Dates:

• Deadline for Abstract proposal for the idea, impact and team structure: 19 July 2026

• Acceptance/Refusal Result:  30 July 2026 (teams will be notified with the result of acceptance or refusal for their submitted ideas).

• Pre-final Evaluation Date: 23 August - 8 September 2026

• Shortlisting Result Announcement:  8 September 2026

• Final Presentation & Winners Selection: 26 September 2026 – on the day of DevOpsDays Cairo Conference.

Winners and Prizes

• Three teams per team category will be selected as winners

• Prizes will be announced soon

Where is the Final round of the Hackathon held?

• CREATIVA Giza, Egypt, 29 Al Sokari, Ad Doqi, Dokki, Giza Governorate Google Map📍

Evaluation Criteria

Teams will be required to present their projects (prototype) to the judges in the first phase and final phase of evaluation. Projects will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Innovation and Creativity

• Originality of the solution.

• Creative use of DevOps & AI.

2. Practical Impact and Relevance

• Practical applicability and impact. (If applicable consider demonstrating the impact using DORA metrics)

• Relevance to competition theme.

3. Technical Implementation

• Functionality and completeness of the prototype.

4. Usability and User Experience

• Ease of use and user interface design.

5. Presentation and Demonstration

• Clarity and effectiveness of the presentation.

Challenge tracks

Achieve the Hackathon objectives through one of the following tracks:

1. Automate Deployment & Operations

• Build smart CI/CD pipelines for deploying APIs, apps, or ML models.

• Automate infrastructure management, security, incident management, or monitoring workflows.

• Any other smart application (using AI & DevOps practices) related to the operation part of the pipeline.

2. Accelerate Development with AI & DevOps

• Integrate AI/ML models & DevOps practices into design, development, code review, smart documentation, or continuous testing activities.

• Any other smart application (using AI & DevOps practices) related to the development part of the pipeline.

3. Innovate with AI-powered Solutions for Business

• Simulate / create intelligent automation tools that improve efficiency, predictive project management, or business analysis.

• This may include the following areas (Project Management, Estimation, or Business Analysis)

• Any other smart application (using AI & DevOps practices) related to the Business side of the pipeline.