Dates
- Nov. 27, 2025: Team registration ends
via link: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6As11EterMTyHnE
- Dec 29, 2025: Stage 1 submission ends
- Jan 12, 2026: Selected teams announcement
- Jan 19, 2026: Finalists announcement & Stage 2 begins
- Jan - Mar 2026: Prototype development phase
- Mar 27, 2026: Innovation Day at 📍DKU campus & 📍NYUSH campus
Eligibility
- Each team consists of up to 4 participants; multidisciplinary team composition is strongly recommended.
- After advancing through the announcement stage, each qualified team can expand to 8-10 participants to facilitate the completion of large-scale projects.
Stage One Submission Requirements
- Proposal (in PDF format)
- Presentation Video (3-5 minutes, within 100MB)
- Project Prototype (optional, only for reference)
- After the submission window opens, DIC will release the official GitHub account, and contestants need to set it as a collaborator so the DIC committee can access the repo.
- Notice: Contestants in Finance Track MUST submit all their materials BOTH in Devpost via your own GitHub Repository URL and the official GitHub account.
Judging Criteria
Feasibility and Impact
Solutions must align with the theme "AI Agents Unlock Finance for Sustainability," addressing real-world financial problems tied to sustainability and SDGs, with clear societal or environmental benefits.
Innovation
Judges will assess originality and creativity in leveraging AI agents and FinTech, focusing on unique approaches that surpass conventional solutions in finance and sustainability.
Technical Implementation
Submissions should demonstrate a robust, functional prototype with scalable AI models and algorithms, showcasing feasibility in practical, real-world applications.
Ethical Design
Solutions must prioritize fairness, inclusivity, and privacy, addressing ethical risks, accessibility, bias mitigation, and safeguarding user data effectively.