HUAWEI 2024 France Tech Arena 

(the “Challenge”)

CHALLENGE RULES

(the “Rules”)

This Challenge is sponsored by Huawei International Pte Limited ( hereinafter called the “Sponsor” and / or “Huawei” which expression shall where the context so admits or requires, include all Subsidiary Companies, all Associated Companies and all Business Units which are part of the group owned by the Parent Company, Huawei Technologies Co., Limited and all Servants, Agents, Contractors, Service Providers and Advisors operating at the request of Huawei).

The aim of these Rules is to set out the terms and conditions governing your participation in the Challenge.

By registering for and participating in this Challenge, you are deemed to have (i) read and fully understood these Rules; and (ii) fully and unconditionally agreed to comply with these Rules. Participants provide their agreement to these Rules by checking a box on the Challenge website (as defined below) while enrolling for the Challenge on the Challenge website. If you do not agree with any of these Rules, do not register for this Challenge and do not submit an entry.

1. TERM
2. AGREEING TO THE RULES
3. REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CHALLENGE
4. ELIGIBILITY
5. PURPOSE OF THE CHALLENGE AND PARTICIPATION
6. SUBMISSIONS
7. CHALLENGE PROCESS
8. PRIZES
9. AUTHORIZATION TO USE OF IMAGE
10. CONFIDENTIALITY
11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
12. MODIFICATION OF RULES, SUSPENSION AND CANCELLATION OF THE CHALLENGE
13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
14. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
15. ETHICS – ANTI BRIBERY
16. APPLICABLE LAW AND DISPUTES RESOLUTION

1. TERM

The Challenge consists of 2 events.
You can choose to participate in one or both:

a) This year’s online Challenge registration for Optical Networks problem begins on August 20, 2024, and registration ends on October 18, 2024, at 23:59 Central European Time (UTC+2).

b) This year’s online Challenge registration for Data Communications problem begins on August 20, 2024, and registration ends on October 25, 2024, at 23:59 Central European Time (UTC+2).

The Challenge involves Round 1 of online Challenge and Round 2 of On-site Challenge. The Challenge will be accessible 24 hours a day on the dedicated Challenge website operated by AGORIZE (“Agorize”) at https://huawei.agorize.com/en/challenges/2024-francetecharena (the “Challenge website”), subject to possible IT maintenance operations. Dates and times in these Rules refer to Central European Time (UTC+2).

2. AGREEING TO THE RULES

Any eligible person, who is registered on the Challenge website and enrolls to participate in the Challenge (“Participant” or “you”), is required to review and accept these Rules. By accessing and accepting these Rules, you:

- Enter into a valid and enforceable contractual relationship with the Sponsor regarding participation in the Challenge. The registration and enrollment in the Challenge does not set up any subordination relationship between the Sponsor and the Participant, and

- Agree to comply with these Rules. Participants express their consent by checking an online box while enrolling for the Challenge on the Challenge website.

Upon the breach of any provisions in these Rules by a Participant, the Participant will be immediately disqualified from the Challenge and no prize will be awarded to that Participant or his/her team.

3. REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CHALLENGE

To take part in the Challenge, we must receive your completed registration by:

a) October 18, 2024, at 23:59 CET, for the Optical Networks Challenge;

OR

b) October 25, 2024, at 23:59 CET for the Data Communications Challenge.

To register, the Participant must first have created a user account on the Challenge website, and must have truthfully and accurately completed required information, such as full name, email address, etc.

Any registration based on inaccurate, false or incomplete information will result in the Participant’s disqualification.

Refusing collection, recording, use and/or disclosure of a Participant’s personal data that is strictly necessary in relation to the Challenge will result in the Participant’s disqualification. The Participant is solely responsible for the information he/she provides when registering. Any intentional or unintentional mistake, anomaly or inconsistency, regarding this information, may result in the Participant’s disqualification. The Sponsor reserves the right to conduct all necessary verifications regarding the information submitted during registration on the Challenge website, including but not limited to the Participant’s identity, postal and/or email address.

Deletion of a Participant’s user account on the Challenge website will be deemed as a withdrawal from the Challenge. In this case, the Participant, regardless of whether the deletion results from the Participant’s personal action or not, will not participate in the Challenge, and will not obtain any compensation.

Apart from accepting and agreeing to these Rules during your registration to the Challenge, you must also have accepted the Terms and Conditions of Use and the Privacy Policy, during the creation of your user account and your registration to the Challenge.

Registration for and participation in the Challenge is free, with no purchase or payment obligation.

4. ELIGIBILITY

This Challenge is open and offered to any fulltime students (Bachelor, Master, or PhD) enrolled in a university course in the field of IT, computer science, mathematics, engineering, physics or similar areas, or fresh graduates (up to 3 years),  aged at least eighteen (18) years and with full legal capacity. Each eligible individual can only participate in the Challenge as part of one (1) team.

Any documents confirming the Participant’s eligibility (including but not limited to identification documents) may be required prior to awarding any prizes.

This Challenge is not open to employees and representatives of the Sponsor and Agorize, nor the family members of such employees and representatives.

This Challenge is void in countries where it is prohibited or restricted by law.

5. PURPOSE OF THE CHALLENGE AND PARTICIPATION

Participation in the Challenge must be as a team.

Participants shall form a team (“Team”) of 1 to 3  members maximum.

Each Team member must accept these Rules, as stated above. The Sponsor may disqualify any Team (and all its members) if one or more Team members has not accepted or breaches these Rules.

The goal of the Challenge is for Participants to submit contributions (or projects) meeting the requirements determined by the Sponsor in the Challenge brief, and that are formalized by Submissions. The brief includes information regarding various deadlines, details of the prizes, Sponsor’s requirements etc. (the “Brief”). The Brief is accessible through the Challenge website.

6. SUBMISSIONS

Round 1 and Round 2 Submissions

During both Round 1 and Round 2 participants will be asked to provide their codebase (allowed language in C, C++, Python or Java). The codebase will need to be uploaded in specific formats that are mentioned in the program FAQ and on the participation form. The code needs to produce the expected output as described in the problem description/challenge brief for each challenge.

30 submissions per day from 00:00 to 24:00 are accepted for Round 1.
No restrictions are applied on the number of submissions for Round 2.

A Submission shall satisfy the following requirements:

• The Submission shall only consist of and incorporate original work / contributions from a Team;
• Where necessary, if content from a third party has been used in the development of the Submission, all rights, authorizations and agreements necessary to submit the Submission, and any grants/ licenses in respect thereof, have been obtained. A Submission in breach of the foregoing will result in the disqualification of the Submission and the related Participants;
• No other individual and/or entity is entitled to claim any rights from the use of the Submission;
• The content of the Submission does not and will not infringe or violate any rights of any third party or entity, including, without limitation, intellectual property rights, privacy, competition law, confidentiality, any contractual right, or any other right under applicable laws. All Submissions suspected of the foregoing infringements or violations will be ineligible.

Participants are responsible for and shall bear all costs and expenses associated with preparing and submitting Submissions. Participants assume all risks for damaged, lost, late, incomplete, invalid, incorrect or misdirected Submissions.

7. CHALLENGE PROCESS

Challenge Phases. The Challenge consists of two Rounds:

Round 1. Online Challenge
Registrations will be accepted:

a) from August 20, 2024 until October 18, 2024, at 23:59 CET for Optical Networks challenge

OR  

b) from August 20, 2024 until  October 25, 2024,  at 23:59 CET for Data Communications challenge.

The Online Challenge will take place between:

a) October 7 to 21, 2024, 23:59 CET, for Optical Networks challenge,

OR  

b) October 14 to 28, 2024,  23:59 CET for Data Communications challenge

The duration for each Online Challenge is 15 days. The leaderboard is released to Participants and the leaderboard is updated in near real time.

Round 2: The On-site Hackathon.
The top performing teams from Round 1, up to a total of 24 participants per challenge, will be invited to attend an on-site final Hackathon in the Paris region, France on:

a) November 15, 2024 for Optical Networks challenge,

OR  

b) November 22, 2024 for Data Communications challenge.

The final event. Top 4 teams at the end of Round 2 will be asked to present their work (short presentation up to 3 minutes).

SUBMISSIONS

If a Participant does not upload any Submission results on the Challenge website before the deadline, this will be deemed a withdrawal from the Challenge. The Participant shall be withdrawn from the Challenge.

• SELECTION CRITERIA

Submissions will be judged according to the Selection Criteria, described below. The source codes in your Submissions (where applicable) may be uploaded to third-party platforms to be assessed by the Sponsor. You agree and acknowledge that the Challenge relies on your creativity, capacity, ability, and ingenuity to solve difficult problems. The Challenge does not depend, even partially, on chance or luck, and therefore should not be considered as a lottery. Under no circumstances are factors such as appearance, religion, membership in a trade union, political opinions or sexual orientation considered.

• NOTIFICATION TO PARTICIPANTS

Once selection has been completed, Participants will be notified by email, phone, or by other means of the results of each Round. The Sponsor will be free to alter the dates on which results are released should this become necessary due to the number of projects to be assessed.

 Round 2. The On-site Hackathon

Participants who are selected to attend Round 2 of the on-site Hackathon and to attend the final event will be directly notified by email to the address provided during registration. In the event a Participant does not confirm his/her attendance at the final event, the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify this Participant. This disqualification shall not entitle the Participant to claim any compensation from the Sponsor.

The Sponsor may assist in travel costs if requested by the Participants, in particular those living outside the Paris region.

The Final event consists of a 2-day on-site event in Paris, France on:

a) November 15 - 16, 2024 for Optical Networks challenge

OR  

b) November 22 - 23, 2024 for Data Communications challenge.

During this On-site Final Round, participants will have the opportunity to work in person with their teams at the venue. Food and drinks will be provided. Mentors will also be present during the event to support the participating teams.

At the end of the On-site Final Round, an oral presentation of the project will be made by the top 4 teams. Participants are required to upload Submissions to the Challenge website before the end of the Final Round.

Participants must prepare and present a Submission in the Final Round which meets the specifications set out in Section 6 and which include:

A finalized project shall be presented by the top 4 teams in the Final Round during the oral presentation stage (3 minutes max. each team).

At the end of the Final Round, the mentors will choose the winning project and will rank the finalists.

• SELECTION CRITERIA

The Teams that present a solution that responds best to the Challenge brief, in the required format and within the stated timelines, will be selected by the panel of experts nominated by the Sponsor. Team submissions are ranked automatically by score. If two submissions have the same score, the earlier one will be ranked first.

The ranking at the end of Round 1 and Round 2 remains preliminary. The panel of experts will review code submissions to disqualify Submissions that try to cheat or otherwise break the rules, to produce the final ranking.

The maximum number of Participants selected during Round 1 is 24.

The maximum number of Teams selected during Round 2 is 4.

Final round Presentation: The top 4 teams at the end of Round 2 will make a short presentation (3 minutes each) to clearly present their solution design, algorithm, and possible business impact of the solution.

8. PRIZES

The prizes are awarded to the winners of the Challenge and are subject to compliance with all the following conditions:

• The Submissions comply with Section 6;
• Each Participant of a winning project complies with Sections 9 and 11; and
• The winning Participants fulfill the conditions of eligibility of Section 4.
• No prize will be awarded to winners who do not fulfill the above conditions.

Subject to these Rules, once confirmed by Sponsor, the Team winner(s) will receive the following:

• A total of EUR €14,000 in the prize pool:
• Grand Prize cash reward of EUR 6,000 for the best Team.
• Second Place Prize cash reward of EUR 4,000 for the second-best Team.
• Third Place Prizes cash reward of EUR 2,000 for two Teams placed third.
• Certificates of Participation: : All winners will receive an electronic copy of the winning certificate.
• Huawei souvenirs: All Participants will have the opportunity to receive great and unique souvenirs.

In addition to the Challenge Team Prizes, the Sponsor may at its sole discretion,  offer one or more Participants or Teams, a special invitation to visit the Huawei Head Office Campus, based in Shenzhen, China, travel and lodging provided. This is subject to availability of travel visa and confirmation of travel dates, and any other terms and conditions which Huawei may stipulate, as part of the special invitation.

Each winning Team may at its own discretion decide how to apportion  the prize(s) awarded to it among the members of that Team.

No assignment or transfer of prizes is allowed by a winning Team or its members. If a winning Team cannot be contacted, is unable to accept the prize or any portion of the prize for any reason, the Sponsor shall have no further obligation to such winning Team or its members. The Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen prizes after being awarded to the winning Participants. The Sponsor expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the Prizes.

In the event a winning Participant cannot be contacted, by email or by phone, for more than three (3) months after the first attempt to contact them was made, he/she will be deemed as having waived their right to claim the prize and will not be entitled to any prize or compensation.

In the event that a prize is awarded to a Participant who does not meet the conditions when registering or throughout the duration of the Challenge, Sponsor reserves the right to require the Participant to return the awarded prize.

9. AUTHORIZATION TO USE OF IMAGE

Each Participant acknowledges and consents that the Sponsor may, in Europe for the duration of the Challenge and for a period of three (3) years following the Final Round, use the Challenge and his/her respective Submissions (including any personal data relating thereto) for publicity, including for the Sponsor’s advertising or other marketing purposes, by any means and through any format (whether via website, advertising banners, social networks, newsletter, press release or otherwise) now known or unknown to date, free of charge.

At registration, we will request that you consent to the use of your personal data and image for the purposes of the Challenge event. Please read our Privacy Policy carefully.

In particular, you consent to the use, collection, and/or disclosure, by the Sponsor and/or by Agorize, of your details and personal data submitted or obtained during registration or thereafter for the Challenge, including but not limited to your name and surname, your city and region of residence, the name of the institution in which you studied or in which you obtained your diplomas/degrees and other biographical information, your image, your bank details for the Prize (if you are a winner), and any other personal data that you submit with your Submissions as well as the content of your Submissions relating to the Challenge, for the purposes relating to the organization, operation, communication and implementation of the Challenge by the Sponsor, its officers, employees, and/or agents, and Agorize.

As a non-exhaustive example, each Participant authorizes the Sponsor and/or Agorize to use the photographs or video recordings taken during the Final Phase to disseminate them via any communication medium.

Such use does not entitle each winning Participant to any other payment apart from the Prize he/she received. The Sponsor and Agorize will cease the use of the  Participant(s)’ personal data and materials at the end of the period mentioned above.

10. CONFIDENTIALITY

The Sponsor has no obligation and owes no obligation to any Participant to keep the information contained in the Submissions confidential. When submitting any Submissions, the Participants understand, agree and accept that any information contained therein may be publicly disclosed by the Sponsor.

Each Participant acknowledges that the Sponsor may currently or in the future be developing information internally, or receiving information from other parties, that is similar to the information contained in the projects submitted by the Participants. Accordingly, nothing herein shall prohibit the Sponsor from independently acquiring, developing, or having developed for it, products, concepts, systems, services, or techniques that are similar to or compete with the products, concepts, systems or techniques contemplated by or embodied in any Submissions submitted by the Participants.

11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Definitions. For the purposes of this section:

"Intellectual Property Rights" means any and all copyright or other rights over a brand, a design or a model, a patent, an industrial design and more generally, any element, (including trade secrets and knowhow), trademarks, trade names, domain names, all of which may be protected by national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property.

“Previous Rights” means any Intellectual Property Rights which is created or held by the Participants before the start date of the Challenge and which is not related in any way to, or not created or held for the purpose of, the Challenge.

“Creations” means any software (including source and object code software), database, technical specifications, text, design, model, information, knowledge, method, process or product, as well as any resulting elements and/or processes which are, or are likely to be, protected according to national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property developed by any Participant as a part of any Submissions throughout the Challenge.

Warranty of non-infringement. When submitting any Submission, at any stage of the Challenge, each Participant warrants and guarantees to Sponsor that he/she is the owner/co-owner and/or holder/co-holder of the Intellectual Property Rights regarding all or part of the Creations contained in the Submissions submitted at any stage of the Challenge, and that he/she has obtained all rights, permissions and/or licenses regarding all pre-existing Creations and any elements of the Submissions used for the purpose of submission of project in the Challenge, for which he/she does not hold the relevant rights.

Each Participant further warrants and guarantees that (i) his/her contribution is original and unprecedented and to the extent his/her Submission incorporates the Intellectual Property Rights of third parties, the relevant rights, permissions and/or licenses have been obtained in accordance with the foregoing paragraph; (ii) the Submission does not infringe upon the copyright or any Intellectual Property Rights of any third party; (iii) all the elements of which his/her Submissions in the Challenge are formed, as well as all pieces of contributions and information communicated in the Submission presentation documents are accurate, reliable and complete; and (iv) the submission of the relevant Submissions does not constitute an act of unfair competition of any kind.

It is compulsory for all Participants to indicate the source of any pre-existing Creations of whichever nature and on whichever support that are included in any submitted Submission. Any Submission involving several Participants constitutes a collaborative work and it should be treated as such in accordance with the applicable regulation in force.

Liability. The Sponsor shall not be held liable for any infringement of the above provisions by any of the Participants. Each Participant shall indemnify the Sponsor against any disturbance, action, claim, opposition and demand or eviction attempt from any third party in connection with any Creation in the Submissions (Intellectual Property Rights included), whether in relation to any infringement or otherwise.

Use of Intellectual Property Rights in Submissions/Creations. Subject to Sections 9 and 10 above and the immediately subsequent paragraph, by submitting a Submission and participating in this Challenge, you are not granting the Sponsor any rights to any Intellectual Property Rights held or owned by you, which relate to all of part of the Submission and the Sponsor makes no claim to the ownership of your Submission or any Intellectual Property Rights that it may contain. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing paragraph, by taking part in the Challenge, each Participant expressly agrees to grant the Sponsor a license in respect of the Intellectual Property Rights in the Creations and the Submission for a period of three (3) years following the Final Round of the Challenge, on the following terms:

The license is non-exclusive, worldwide, transferable within the Sponsor’s group of entities and royalty free.

This license shall include the right to reproduce (wholly or in part), display (wholly or in part), analyse, adapt, modify, disseminate, translate and use any elements which are part of the Creations and Submissions, as well as any Previous Rights, which may be necessary for the purposes of (i) the assessment and selection process as described in Section 7 above; and (ii) the Sponsor’s publicity, advertising and marketing as described in Section 9 above, including for future challenges and events organised by the Sponsor.

12. MODIFICATION OF RULES, SUSPENSION AND CANCELLATION OF THE CHALLENGE

Update of the Rules. The Sponsor reserves the right to amend these Rules at any time, including during the Challenge for operational reasons. Participants are encouraged to consult these Rules regularly. Participants expressly waive all claims or disputes related to any amendment to these Rules by the Sponsor.

Challenge Cancellation or Suspension. The Sponsor reserves the right in its discretion to (i) cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge and these Rules, for any reason, at any time and without any liability; and (ii) to limit or restrict participation in the Challenge. The Sponsor will not be held liable for the modification, cancellation or suspension of the Challenge and no compensation or remuneration will be payable by the Sponsor.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

The Sponsor shall in no way be held liable in the event of breakdown or failure, regardless of the cause, of any telecommunications network used that causes Participants difficulty in or prevents Participants from identifying themselves on or gaining access to the Challenge website.

To the extent permitted by applicable laws, Participants agree that the Sponsor, its affiliates and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, representatives and agents  will have no liability whatsoever for any claims, liabilities, or causes of action of any kind or nature for any injury, loss or damages of any kind including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages,.

Participation in the Challenge requires use of the internet and related technologies, that may affect performance, response time, security of software and computer equipment, such as viruses, logic bombs or Trojans, and loss or misuse of data. The Sponsor shall not be held liable in any way for any damage incurred by Participants arising from their use of the internet and related technologies, which Participants accept by registering and taking part in the Challenge.

The Sponsor shall not in any case be held liable for damages resulting from any action in relation to the submission of Submissions by Participants, including refusal to accept the Submissions outside the timelines set out in the Rules, in relation to emails by the Participants sent during the Challenge, or from any alterations made to the Submissions independently of the Sponsor.

The Sponsor shall not be held liable for the consequences of a Participant’s disqualification from the Challenge as a result of his/her violation of these Rules.

14. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

Please read carefully our Privacy Policy that is posted on the Challenge website before giving your consent. https://huawei.agorize.com/en/privacy

15. ETHICS – ANTI BRIBERY

Huawei has a “zero-tolerance” policy as regards bribery and trading in influence. Huawei will comply in all respects with all applicable anti-bribery and trading in influence laws and regulations, in each of the countries in which Huawei trades, operates or undertakes any other activity. You agree to:

- comply with Applicable Law and other rules relating to fair trade, trade of influence, and anti-corruption (which shall include without limitation, not making any offer of any form of payment, gift or other form of inducement, reward or advantage, charitable donations, facilitation payments, and/or political contributions (whether of money or anything of value to Huawei, any of Huawei’s agents, representatives, Affiliates or persons employed by or acting on behalf of Huawei, any customers or potential customers of Huawei, any public or government officials or employees, public international organizations, political parties, or private individuals or other entities);

- ensure that all the files, information, data, written and oral representation or promise provided by yourself shall be true, accurate, complete and not misleading;

- support Huawei in the building of trust and integrity, reject any solicitation for bribes during daily business cooperation and make a complaint to Huawei’s Business Control Department if there is any related misbehavior (via Complaint channel: E-mail: alertehuaweifrance@huawei.com

Huawei’s Business Code of Conduct in French and English can be found here: ÉTHIQUE ET CONFORMITÉ - Huawei France

16. APPLICABLE LAW AND DISPUTES RESOLUTION

The Challenge, these Rules and any action related thereto shall be governed by the laws of France.

In the event of any disputes arising from the Challenge or under these Rules, the Sponsor and the Participant undertake to submit their dispute to an amicable discussion/conciliation prior to any legal proceedings. The party wishing to initiate discussion/conciliation shall inform the other party by means of a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt in which it will state its intentions and will explain the cause. If no agreement is reached between the parties within thirty (30) days after receipt of the registered letter, either party may choose to proceed with further legal actions.

In the absence of an amicable resolution following the discussion/conciliation, the parties hereby agree to submit all disputes arising from the Challenge or under these Rules to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts (“tribunaux judiciaires”) of Nanterre, France.