Dates

All times are Hanoi time (ICT, UTC+7).

The submission deadline is firm. Devpost closes submissions automatically, and we can't reopen it for individual entries, so submit something early. You can edit it until the deadline.

Eligibility

You can enter if you:

• are aged 13 to 18 on 20 March 2027
• can attend in person in Hanoi, Vietnam on the day
• have a signed consent form from a parent or guardian (18-year-olds sign their own)
• have a Devpost account
• agree to the Checkpoint code of conduct

Any school is welcome, and so is anyone who isn't at school. Beginners are the point.

You cannot enter if you are an organiser, judge, mentor or chaperone, or immediate family of any of them.

A note for parents and guardians. Checkpoint is a free, non-commercial event run by students. Parents or guardians are on site all day as chaperones. Every participant has a signed consent form, emergency contacts and a pickup plan, and everyone signs in and wears a badge. Photos are taken and shared only with consent. All mentoring and communication happens in the open, and there is no private contact between adults and participants. Questions can go to [email protected].

Places. There are about 30 places. They're given first come, first served once the consent form is received, with a waiting list. Registrations without a consent form by 13 March may be released to the waiting list.

Prizes. Some prizes may be provided by sponsors and may have their own age or regional requirements. Where a prize can't be issued to a winner because of those restrictions, we'll substitute something of comparable value if we can.

Project and submission requirements

What must be new

All code and assets must be created during the day, between kickoff and the submission deadline.

Allowed before kickoff:

• Ideas, planning, sketches and design notes
• Research into your topic, including talking to the people who know about it
• Learning your tools
• Forming a team
• Installing software and setting up your laptop

Allowed during the event:

• Open-source libraries, frameworks and game engines
• Free or licensed asset packs, fonts, music and sound effects, provided you have the right to use them and you credit the source
• Code, art, audio and writing made with AI tools, which you must disclose
• Tutorials and documentation

Not allowed:

• Code, art or builds you made before kickoff
• Submitting an existing project with changes
• Work by someone who isn't a listed team member
• Anything you don't have the right to use
• Copying someone else's work and presenting it as yours

We run this on an honour system. Every submission asks what existed before the start, so answer honestly and you'll be fine.

Stories, people and sources

Because the theme is about preserving things, many projects will involve other people's stories, photos or recordings.

• Ask for permission before you record, photograph or share what someone tells you. If they're under 18, ask a parent or guardian too.
• Credit the people and sources you used.
• Don't include anyone's personal information, such as a home address, phone number or ID number.
• Be respectful of traditions, beliefs and communities. Represent them accurately and with care.

Content standards

Submissions must be appropriate for an audience aged 13 and up. Nothing sexual, nothing gratuitously violent, and nothing that harasses or demeans a group of people. Serious and difficult subjects are welcome, and that's part of the theme, but handle them with care. Projects must not collect data from users beyond what they need to run.

Ownership

You keep everything you make. Checkpoint claims no ownership of your project and no rights to your code, art, writing or ideas.

By submitting, you give us permission to show your project (screenshots, video clips and a link) in our recap post, on our site and on social media, with credit to you and your team. If you'd rather we didn't, say so in your submission and we won't. This covers your project only. Photos and video of people are covered separately, below.

Photos and video

Photos and video are taken and shared only with the consent of the person in them, or their parent or guardian if they're under 18. The consent form includes a choice about this. We never publish a minor's name or face without it. If you don't want to be photographed, tell a chaperone, and we'll make sure you aren't.

Teams

• 1 to 4 people
• Team size does not affect judging
• You may only be on one team
• Every team member must register on Devpost and be listed on the submission
• Prizes go to the team lead listed on the submission, who is responsible for sharing them with the team

Prizes

Prize details will be announced before the event. Checkpoint doesn't give cash prizes.

Winners will be chosen in six categories:

Best Beginner Project is for people who've never finished a project before. It's judged by a different standard: ambition, effort and what you learned matter more than polish. Tick the beginner box when you submit and you'll be considered for both this and the overall categories.

A submission can win more than one category.

Judging criteria and winner selection

Every submission is scored by at least two judges against five criteria.

On Art & Design specifically: we are scoring coherence and intent, not budget or realism. A few flat colours and a single font, chosen well and used consistently, will score higher than a pile of mismatched assets. Plain shapes, pixel art, hand-drawn scribbles and pure text can all earn full marks. We're looking at whether someone made deliberate choices and carried them through, including whether a person can read the text, tell what's interactive and follow what's happening.

What we are not scoring: asset budget, graphical fidelity, team size, how much you spent, technical complexity that doesn't serve the project, or how much AI you did or didn't use.

Process:

1. Submissions close on Saturday 20 March at 15:30 Hanoi time.
2. Organisers check that every entry meets the submission requirements. Entries missing a way to try them, a description or an AI disclosure may be disqualified, and we'll try to contact you first if there's time.
3. Teams demo for two minutes each at 15:45.
4. Judges score independently, then compare notes.
5. Scores are averaged. Ties are broken by the Impact score, then by Creativity.
6. Winners are announced on the day, at about 17:00.

Code of conduct

We take participant safety seriously, and that matters most at an event for 13 to 18-year-olds. Everyone at Journeys: Hanoi agrees to this code, including participants, chaperones, organisers, judges, mentors, sponsors and guests.

The short version. Be kind. Assume good faith. If someone asks you to stop, stop. Anyone should be able to turn up, ask a beginner question and build something without being made to feel stupid or unsafe.

What we expect

• Be welcoming. Beginners are the point of this event, not an inconvenience.
• Be respectful when you disagree. You can think an idea is wrong without being unpleasant about it.
• Give credit to the tools, sources and people you used.
• Look out for each other. If you see someone being treated badly, say something or tell a chaperone.
• Respect the space. Look after the room and the equipment. Follow the venue's rules and the instructions of the chaperones and staff.

What is not okay

• Harassment of any kind, including insults, slurs, bullying or demeaning comments about race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, appearance or background
• Unwanted physical contact, or photographing or recording anyone without asking
• Sexual language or imagery, and gratuitous violence
• Sharing someone's personal information without their consent
• Bringing alcohol, drugs, weapons or anything else dangerous or illegal
• Cheating, or submitting work that isn't yours

Safeguarding

• Everything happens in the open. All work and conversation happens in the shared room, where chaperones can see. Nobody works alone out of sight.
• No private contact from adults. Judges, mentors, sponsors, volunteers and guests never have private contact with participants, in person or online. If an adult asks you to move somewhere private, say no and tell a chaperone.
• Pickup. Participants leave only as their pickup plan says.
• Sign in and badges. Everyone signs in and wears a badge, and the list of who's attending is shared with the venue's security in advance.
• Guests. Sponsors and guests are invited, sign in, stay in the shared spaces and follow this code.

Reporting. Tell a chaperone or a staff member straight away. You can also report afterwards, including anonymously: https://forms.gle/TN9XNC3JpHVn6czn9 or [email protected]. You will not get in trouble for reporting something in good faith.

Consequences. Chaperones and organisers may warn anyone, ask them to stop, move them or ask them to leave, and may tell their parents or guardians. For anything serious, we will contact parents and, where needed, the authorities.

Full code of conduct: https://bit.ly/3TarGqw