Terms and Conditions

01 Introduction

• The organizers: The Hackathon is organized by MUGVN Organization (MongoDB User Group Vietnam).
• Sponsors: MongoDB, Inc. ("MongoDB") and Datadog, Inc. ("Datadog") co-sponsor the cash prizes. Datadog additionally provides gifts for the finalist teams and trial accounts for participants.
• Objective: To help participants build real-time operational systems on MongoDB that can detect, investigate, and resolve incidents using Datadog.
• Amendments: The organizers reserve the right to amend these terms when necessary. All changes will be posted on this page together with the update date, and material changes will be notified to team leaders by email.

02 Eligibility

2.1 General requirements

• Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
• Participants must have the legal capacity to take part in their own jurisdiction.
• Participants need a work email to register a Datadog trial account.
• Participants are responsible for providing their own hardware, software, and Internet connection.

2.2 Exclusions

• Employees, contractors, directors, and officers of the organizers, MongoDB, Datadog, their affiliates, and their immediate family members are not eligible to receive prizes.
• Individuals who have previously violated the rules at prior MUGVN, MongoDB, or Datadog events may be refused participation.

2.3 Team participation

• Each team has from 1 to 3 members. A person may join only one team.
• Each team designates one team leader as the point of contact and the person who receives the prize on behalf of the team.
• Team members may not be changed after registration closes, unless approved in writing by the organizers.

03 Registration and confirmation

• Registration period: from 00:00 on 25/09/2026 to 23:59 on 12/10/2026 (Vietnam time, ICT, UTC+7).
• How to register: the team leader registers on behalf of the whole team via the official registration form with complete and accurate information for all members.
• Confirmation: The organizers will send a confirmation email to eligible teams before the build period begins on 17/10/2026. Only confirmed teams may submit entries.

04 Schedule

The organizers may adjust the schedule for operational reasons and will announce any changes on this website.

05 Originality and code of conduct

5.1 Permitted resources

• Open-source libraries, frameworks, templates, and components may be used, provided that the respective licenses are complied with and declared in the submission.
• Code written before the Hackathon begins may be used if it is clearly declared which parts were pre-existing. The core solution that is scored must be built during the build period from 17/10 to 31/10/2026.
• AI tools for coding assistance and content generation may be used, provided that the tools used are declared. The team must understand and be able to explain its entire solution.
• Public datasets or synthetic data may be used, provided that the source is cited and the dataset's terms of use are complied with.

5.2 Prohibited conduct

• Plagiarism, submitting work not created by the team, or failing to declare reused components.
• Submitting the same project for multiple teams, or submitting a project that has already won an award at another competition without declared significant improvements.
• Discrimination, harassment, abuse, or any disrespectful behavior toward participants, speakers, judges, or the organizers.
• Abusing trial accounts, credits, or resources provided by MongoDB or Datadog, including use for purposes outside the Hackathon.
• Interfering with the judging process or contacting judges to influence the results.

06 Data and privacy

6.1 Data in the project

• Do not upload personal data, confidential data, production data, or regulated data (such as financial, health, or customer information) to the Hackathon environment, including MongoDB Atlas, Datadog, repositories, and demo videos.
• Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the right to use all data in their project.
• Do not include API keys, passwords, or credentials in repositories or demo videos.

6.2 Participant information

• The organizers collect registration information to manage the event, make contact, verify winners, and award prizes.
• To activate Datadog trial accounts, the organizers will share with Datadog the necessary information, including full name and work email. The organizers do not share personal information beyond what is necessary for account activation and event management.
• Use of MongoDB Atlas and Datadog is subject to the terms and privacy policies of each provider.

07 Submission

7.1 Deadline

Submission deadline: 23:59 on 31/10/2026 (ICT, UTC+7). Late or incomplete submissions will not be judged.

7.2 Submission package

1. Project name and problem description
2. Team information and contact details
3. Solution and application architecture
4. Data architecture and data model on MongoDB
5. Observability architecture on Datadog
6. Source code repository link and installation instructions
7. README describing environment requirements, deployment, configuration, and testing steps
8. A working MVP or an accessible demo
9. Demo video
10. Final presentation slides
11. Description of the incident or operational scenario demonstrated
12. Declaration of reused components, external datasets, and AI tools used

7.3 Minimum technical requirements

Entries must meet all mandatory MongoDB and Datadog requirements published on the main page. Entries that do not meet them will not proceed to the judging round.

7.4 Private repository

• The repository may be public or private.
• If private, the team must grant read access to the judge accounts provided by the organizers before the submission deadline, and maintain that access through 22/11/2026.
• The repository may not be modified after the submission deadline. The organizers will judge based on the last commit before the deadline.

7.5 Language

Submissions and presentations may be in Vietnamese or English.

08 Judging

8.1 Criteria

• Problem definition and relevance to real operational scenarios
• MongoDB architecture and implementation
• Observability implementation with Datadog
• A complete incident detection, investigation, and resolution flow
• Solution architecture, reliability, and maintainability
• Creativity and reasonable use of AI, if any
• Business or operational impact
• Quality of the MVP, documentation, demo video, and presentation

Weightings, scoring scale, minimum score thresholds, and tie-breaking handling will be announced on this page before 12/10/2026.

8.2 Process

• Preliminary round (01–04/11/2026, tentative): judges evaluate all eligible entries and select 8 teams for the finals.
• Final round (08/11/2026, online, tentative): each team presents and answers questions from the panel of judges. The exact duration will be announced to the finalist teams.
• The panel of judges comprises representatives of MUGVN, MongoDB, and Datadog.
• A judge with a conflict of interest regarding a team (for example, a direct colleague or a relative) must declare it and must not judge that team.
• The decisions of the panel of judges and the organizers are final.

09 Intellectual property

• Ownership: Participants retain all ownership and intellectual property rights to their projects.
• License to the organizers and sponsors: By submitting an entry, participants grant MUGVN, MongoDB, and Datadog a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to feature, cite, and showcase the project name, description, screenshots, demo video, and presentation slides for purposes related to the Hackathon and community activities.
• Confidentiality: The organizers do not guarantee the confidentiality of submitted content. Submit only what you agree may be shared publicly.

10 Recording and use of imagery

• Workshops and the final round may be recorded. The recordings are owned by the organizers.
• By participating, participants consent to MUGVN, MongoDB, and Datadog using their name, image, voice, and presentation materials in recordings and promotional materials about the Hackathon.
• Participants may turn off their camera during workshops. Finalist teams must appear on camera when presenting.

11 Prizes

11.1 Prize structure

Total prize value: USD 1,500, co-sponsored by MongoDB and Datadog. Of this, 30,000,000 VND is cash awarded to the three winning teams; the remainder covers trophies, gifts, and the costs of awarding and delivery.

Additional benefits from MongoDB — including a chance to earn a MongoDB certification exam voucher for standout teams/individuals (limited quantity) — will be announced on this website.

11.2 Conditions for receiving prizes

• Prizes are awarded to the team and transferred to the team leader. The organizers are not responsible for dividing the prize among members.
• The team leader must provide identification documents and payment details as requested by the organizers for verification and disbursement.
• Winners are responsible for declaring and paying taxes in accordance with the laws of their place of residence. Transfer fees or exchange rate differences (if any) may be deducted from the prize value.
• Prizes are non-transferable and non-convertible.
• Payment timeline: expected within 30 business days from the date the organizers receive a complete and valid set of documents.
• Gifts for finalist teams are delivered to the location each team provides. The organizers will make contact to agree on the delivery method.
• If a winner does not respond within 14 days of being contacted, or is ineligible, the organizers reserve the right to cancel the prize or award it to the next team.

12 Disqualification and discretion

• The organizers reserve the right to disqualify any participant or team that violates these terms, provides false information, or engages in conduct affecting the fairness of the Hackathon.
• A disqualified team forfeits all prizes and benefits, even if the violation is discovered after the results are announced.
• The organizers reserve the right to suspend, change, or cancel the Hackathon in the event of force majeure or for reasons beyond their control.
• Any matter not provided for herein is decided by the organizers. The organizers' decision is final.

13 Governing law and dispute resolution

• Governing law: These terms are governed by the laws of Singapore.
• Jurisdiction: Any dispute relating to these terms or the Hackathon falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Singapore.

14 Contact

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: the Hackathon main page