Code of Conduct
Fair, respectful, and honest participation keeps competitions meaningful for everyone. These are the standards we ask every participant to uphold.
Principles of Participation
Integrity
Submit only your own original work. No plagiarism or unauthorised AI generation.
Respect
Treat fellow participants, mentors, and evaluators with courtesy.
Fair Play
Compete honestly; do not attempt to manipulate results or evaluation.
Safety
Follow guidelines that keep participation safe for all ages.
Responsibility
Meet deadlines and follow each competition’s stated rules.
Honesty
Provide accurate information during registration and participation.
Consequences of Breaches
We apply these standards consistently and fairly.
- Confirmed plagiarism or cheating leads to disqualification
- Misrepresentation may invalidate certificates and results
- Serious or repeated breaches can result in removal from the platform
- Concerns can be raised with us for a fair, timely review
A Shared Standard Protects Everyone
A code of conduct is not red tape — it is what makes a fair result possible.
A competition only means something if everyone in it plays by the same rules. When one participant cheats, they do not just bend a rule — they take a place, a rank, or a certificate that belonged to someone who earned it honestly. That is why the standards on this page exist: not to police students, but to protect the honest majority, so that the recognition they receive is real and the effort they invested is respected.
These standards apply equally to everyone — every student, in every category, regardless of school or background — and they connect directly to how results are decided. The safeguards described in our judging process can only deliver a fair outcome if entries are honest to begin with. The code of conduct is the participant’s half of that promise: we commit to judging fairly, and you commit to competing honestly.
Your Own Work, and the Use of AI Tools
Where the line falls between help and dishonesty — explained plainly.
The core rule is simple: what you submit must be genuinely your own work, in your own voice, produced by you. Copying another person’s writing, ideas, code, or design and presenting it as yours is plagiarism, and submitting work produced by someone else — a parent, a tutor, a friend, or a paid service — is not honest participation. Ordinary guidance and encouragement are fine; substituting another person’s effort for your own is not.
The same principle governs AI tools. Passing off text, images, or code generated by an AI system as your own original work is not permitted, because it is not your work — and it defeats the entire purpose of a competition designed to recognise your ability. Some competitions may allow AI as a limited aid (for example, to check spelling or explore ideas) while still requiring the final work to be genuinely yours; others may prohibit it entirely. Each competition’s page states its own rules, and those rules apply.
When you are unsure, the safe course is to ask before you submit, and to keep your own drafts and working notes — they are the natural evidence that the work grew from your own effort. But the deeper reassurance is this: a sincere, imperfect piece that is truly yours is worth more, and is judged more kindly by a fair process, than a polished piece that is not. Doing your own work is not only the honest choice; on a level field, it is also the winning one.
How Breaches Are Handled — Fairly
Consequences are real, but they are applied with care, proportion, and honesty.
Enforcing standards fairly is as important as having them. We do not act on rumour or a single reviewer’s hunch. Where a possible breach is identified, it is looked at properly against the evidence and against the specific rules that applied to that competition, so that a genuine mistake is never treated as if it were deliberate cheating. The aim is an accurate, fair judgement — not a quick punishment.
Consequences are proportionate to what actually happened. A minor, honest error — a formatting mistake, a misunderstood instruction — is not treated like deliberate plagiarism. Serious, confirmed breaches such as plagiarism, impersonation, or the substitution of someone else’s work lead to disqualification, and can invalidate a resulting certificate; serious or repeated breaches can lead to removal from the platform. The response fits the conduct, every time.
And the process runs both ways. If you believe a decision about your participation was mistaken, you can contact us with the specifics, and we will review it honestly against the same rules applied to everyone. We cannot change a result simply to favour someone — that would be unfair to every other participant — but we will always correct a genuine error. Fairness, not face-saving, is the goal.
If you ever see conduct that undermines a fair competition — plagiarism, impersonation, or attempts to manipulate results — you can report it to us in confidence. Protecting honest participants is a responsibility we share.
Guidance for Parents, Teachers & Coordinators
The adults around a student play a real part in keeping participation honest.
The most valuable thing a parent or teacher can do is to help without taking over. Encourage a student, talk through ideas, explain a brief, and support them in managing their time — but let the work itself be theirs. A child who is guided toward doing their own best work gains far more, and stands on far firmer ground, than one whose entry was quietly improved by an adult. Modelling honesty here is itself a lesson worth more than any certificate.
School coordinators who bring many students in have a particular role in upholding these standards across a cohort — making sure students understand the rules, submit their own work, and register with accurate information. Our Teachers and Schools pages explain how to coordinate participation, and our Safety Guidelines set out how we keep the experience safe and respectful for every young person taking part.
Conduct, Answered
The questions students, parents, and teachers ask most about the rules of participation.
Can I use AI tools to help with my entry?
Only within each competition’s stated rules, and never to pass off AI-generated work as your own. The final work must be genuinely yours. Some competitions may allow AI as a limited aid while still requiring original work; others prohibit it entirely. Check the competition’s page, and if in doubt, ask before you submit.
Can my parent or teacher help me?
Yes — guidance, encouragement, and talking through ideas are all fine and welcome. What is not allowed is another person producing the work for you. Support the effort; do not substitute it.
What counts as plagiarism?
Presenting someone else’s words, ideas, code, or design as your own — whether copied from a person, a website, or an AI system — without it being genuinely your own work. Doing your own work in your own voice is the simplest way to stay well clear of it.
What happens if someone breaks the rules?
Possible breaches are reviewed against the evidence and the competition’s rules, and consequences are proportionate: honest mistakes are treated differently from deliberate cheating, while confirmed serious breaches lead to disqualification and can invalidate certificates. Serious or repeated breaches can lead to removal from the platform.
I think a decision about me was a mistake. What can I do?
Contact us with the specifics. We will review it honestly against the same rules applied to everyone and correct any genuine error. We cannot change a result simply to favour anyone, but a real mistake will always be put right.