⚠️ Please review the natIgnite 2025 Rules in its entirety before participating. 

Important participant eligibility rules:

• Participants residing in Edmonton must be at least sixteen (16) years of age. Participants under the age of eighteen (18) will only be accepted if they reside in Edmonton and can return home overnight. NAT will not accept participants under eighteen (18) from outside Edmonton if overnight accommodation would be required.

• If individuals sign up to participate in natHacks from outside of Edmonton, they must be at least eighteen (18) and the age of majority under the laws of the jurisdiction in which they reside, unless otherwise authorized by NAT.
• Participants must be current high school or postsecondary students or recent graduates who have graduated from high school or postsecondary within the past thirty-six (36) months, unless otherwise authorized by NAT
• Participants must be eligible to receive prizes in competitions such as the Hackathon under the laws of the jurisdiction in which they reside.
• Teams must consist of at least 50% Alberta residents in order to be eligible to receive Prizes.

• NAT reserves the right to declare any other individual or organization ineligible, whose participation in the Hackathon would create a real or apparent conflict of interest, in their sole discretion.

Important team formation rules:

• Each team must consist of at least 50% Alberta residents to be eligible for prizes.

• Teams will be formed by NeurAlbertaTech Organizers

Eligibility 

Participants may be undergraduates, graduates, and early-career professionals from diverse fields. These fields may include computer science, neuroscience, engineering, design, business, and health sciences.

Project and Submission Requirements

Teams will be determined by NAT organizers on Pitch Day, after individuals rank their interest in problem provider pitches. Each team will have access to one Problem Provider and includes members from both technical and non-technical backgrounds.

Teams will be responsible for submitting:

• Code repository (GitHub or similar)

• A 90-second video presentation showcasing your project

• A written summary (max 250 words) outlining your project and impact

• Live presentation/demo to judges during the event

Prizes

First team - $3,000 CAD seed funding + $3,000 CAD in-kind services

Second team - $1,500 CAD seed funding + $1,500 CAD in-kind services

Third team - $500 CAD seed funding + $500 CAD in-kind services

Judging Criteria

• Technical Rigor (10 pts)

• Functionality (10 pts)

• Creativity & Innovation (10 pts)

• Commercial viability (5 pts)

• Delivery (5 pts)

• Demo quality (5 pts)

• Impact (5 pts)

• Written summary (5 pts)

• Development reports (5 pts)

Winner Selection

• Preliminary review of submissions by judges

• Shortlisted teams present live demos and pitches (5–10 mins)

• Q&A session follows each presentation

• Diverse expert panel scores and provides feedback

All teams receive detailed feedback and scores via email or natPortal after the event.