Rules & Policies

Eligibility

Anyone may enter. Every gender, every background, every skill level: developers, designers, writers, product people, and strategists are all welcome, whether you join us in person in Vancouver or take part remotely. Participants must be 18 or older on the first day of the event, because taking part means agreeing to these rules yourself. Every participant must complete registration with a valid email address.

What you build is where we ask for focus. True to our theme, “Hack for Her, Build for All,” every project must solve a real problem that women face, and women must be the people it primarily serves. Anyone is welcome to build it; it simply has to be built for them. A project that does not put women at the centre of the problem it solves is not eligible for judging or prizes.

For a sense of the range, six products already built this way. They are not all apps, and none of them are only about how someone feels:

• Medical imagingiSono Health — an FDA cleared wearable scanner that captures a full 3D breast ultrasound in about two minutes, so screening no longer waits on a scarce sonographer.
• Urban dataSafetipin — over six million street safety audits, scored and mapped, which city governments use to decide where lighting, footpaths, and transport money actually goes.
• Platform securityStopNCII.org — hashes an intimate image on the survivor’s own device, so the image itself never leaves it, then blocks that hash across every participating platform.
• Energy and distributionSolar Sister — a supply chain of more than ten thousand women running clean energy businesses across Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania, reaching three million people.
• Labour marketsThe Mom Project — a hiring marketplace that connects women returning from a career break with employers who actually want them.
• Health dataClue — a cycle and symptom tracker that turns years of personal logs into something a person, and her doctor, can act on.

You do not have to build any of these. Build the thing you wish existed, as long as women are the people it serves.

Team Size

Teams may have 5 participants or fewer. Solo entries and smaller teams are welcome. Each person may compete on only one team.

Original Work

Projects must be conceived and built during the event window. You may use open source libraries, public APIs, and AI tools, as long as they are properly licensed and credited. Previously built projects are not eligible.

Project Ownership

Your team retains full ownership of the code, designs, and intellectual property you create. By taking part, you grant ZILIUDI a nonexclusive, royalty free license to display, demo, and promote your project (including its name, screenshots, and pitch) for event and marketing purposes.

Media Release

By registering and attending, every participant consents to being photographed, filmed, and recorded during the event, and to ZILIUDI using that media (including your name, likeness, and project) across our website, social media, and marketing channels at no cost. Please let an organizer know in advance if you have any concerns.

Code of Conduct

We are committed to a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for all. Discrimination, harassment, or abusive behavior toward any participant, mentor, judge, or organizer will not be tolerated and may lead to removal from the event without refund or prize eligibility.

Judging & Awards

A panel of judges evaluates each project on impact, execution, originality, and traction with real users. Teams must complete the required submissions and pitch to be eligible for prizes. The judges’ decisions are final.

Privacy & Data

We collect only the information needed to run Herackthon and handle it in line with our privacy practices. We never sell your personal data.

Once you register, your team name is listed publicly on the Herackthon community page so others can see who is building. Participant names, email addresses, and anything else you give us at registration stay private and are visible only to the organizers.

Liability

Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. ZILIUDI is not responsible for loss of or damage to personal property, or for any injury sustained during the event.

Changes to These Rules

Organizers may update these rules or the schedule as the event requires. We will notify registered participants of any material changes.