MIT Reality Hack Meta Tracks
Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS HACKATHON. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. PARTICIPATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO BUY META PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THESE OFFICIAL RULES, WHICH ARE A CONTRACT, CAREFULLY. WITHOUT LIMITATION, THIS CONTRACT INCLUDES INDEMNITIES TO THE SPONSOR FROM YOU AND A LIMITATION OF YOUR RIGHTS AND REMEDIES. BY PARTICIPATING, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND REPRESENT THAT YOU SATISFY ALL OF THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
(1) OVERVIEW: The 2025 MIT Reality Hack ("Hackathon") is sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc. 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA ("Sponsor") and will take place on 23-27 January 2024 in Cambridge, MA. Selected applicants will be required to travel to Cambridge, MA to attend the Hackathon in-person. Eligible individuals with technical experience are invited to apply online ("Hackathon Site"). These Official Rules ("Official Rules") govern the participation in the Meta Hackathon tracks. This is only a high-level summary of the Meta Hackathon tracks; read through these entire Official Rules to make sure you understand the details.
(2) ELIGIBILITY: This Hackathon is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the Territory (as defined below) who are: (i) at least eighteen (18) years of age and the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence; (ii) receive an email invitation from Sponsor to attend; and (iii) are willing and able and willing travel to Cambridge, MA to attend the Hackathon for the duration of the entire event. Travel expenses are not covered by Sponsor.
For purposes of eligibility , a person is a resident of the "Territory" if they reside in any country that is not: (i) the target of U.S., EU, United Nations, or UK comprehensive trade sanctions (e.g., Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Russia and Syria, as such list may be amended); (ii) the individual is not target of any trade sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S., EU, United Nations, or UK; and (iii) not acting on behalf of entities that are the target of any of the foregoing trade sanctions.
Employees, officers, directors, members, managers, agents, and representatives of Sponsor, and its parent and subsidiary companies, affiliates, divisions, representatives, consultants, sub-contractors, suppliers, distributors, legal counsel, prize providers, administrators, advertising, public relations, promotional, fulfillment and marketing agencies (collectively, the "Released Parties") and members of their immediate families (defined for these purposes as including spouse, domestic partner, parents, legal guardian, legal ward, children, and siblings and each of their respective spouses) and individuals living in the same household as such individuals, are not eligible.
Each Hackathon participant who meets the Eligibility criteria set forth herein shall be referred to as a “Participant”. Participation in this Hackathon constitutes Participant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor.
(3) HACKATHON: Any and all aspects of participation in the Hackathon, including without limitation, any Hackathon-related material or information submitted in the Hackathon (collectively, "Content") must meet all of the following requirements, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, or the associated participation may be disqualified:
Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify you from the Hackathon if in Sponsor's sole discretion your Content does not comply with these Content requirements or if you do not comply with any other requirement of these Official Rules.
(5) WINNER SELECTION/NOTIFICATION: During the Hackathon, Teams will participate in a challenge from a list of themes disclosed at the hackathon that will be judged by Sponsor , according to the following criteria:
Concept Innovation |
Experience Design |
Technical Implementation |
Social |
1-5 points |
1-5 points |
1-5 points |
1-5 points |
Concept innovation relates to how relevant and creative the idea is, and the extent to which it creates a uniquely better experience on Meta Quest or Meta Horizon Worlds vs. other devices or platforms. To score highly in concept innovation, the theme of the application or world should align with a relevant subvertical within the identified content category. The idea should be original, and immersive or interactive. It should be better supported by Meta Quest or Meta Horizon Worlds vs. other devices or platforms, and drive repeat usage by players. |
Experience design is the use of application, world, or game design and mechanics to deliver an enjoyable and rewarding experience to the intended audience. To score highly in experience design, the world should consider the essence of the player’s experience from the moment they arrive in the world. Great experience design will lead the player to quickly grasp where to go and what to do, to find the fun easily and receive a fulfilling experience. Players should be able to complete a loop of the experience in 2-5 minutes, and find reasons to return from their first visit. |
Technical implementation is the overall level of technical expertise demonstrated by the application or world. To score highly in technical implementation, the application or world should offer rich and interesting interactivity or functionality. The experience should feel solid and reliable, with minimal bugs and no gameplay blocking issues across intended player devices. Experiences should implement Meta tools and features. |
The social criteria is concerned with how well the application or world drives social interaction and strengthens connections between users or players. To score highly in social, the application or world should offer ways for people to connect and find shared moments together. This may be related to a central mechanic, but can also be related to the use of social features such as Quests and Leaderboards, selfie-spots, or shareable moments. Applications or worlds can also score highly by considering the context of experience beyond the app ecosystem, such as its presence on social media or the web. |
Entries will be ranked according to total points awarded by Sponsor , up to twenty (20) points. The two (2) entries with the highest total score for each track theme will be the winners, subject to verification. The two (2) track themes will be announced at the Hackathon.
In the event of a tie in totaled points, it will be resolved between or among the tying entries (and the winner determined) based on the entry with Sponsor’s highest point score under the "Concept Innovation" Criterion. If there is still a tie, Sponsor will vote on the winner. Sponsor is not required to test the software submitted as part of any entry and may evaluate entries and determine winners based solely on the text description, images, and videos submitted for entry. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Hackathon.
Each team must designate a team member who will be responsible for receiving communications from Sponsor or Sponsor’s agent (the “Team Member”). The designated Team Member of the team of potential winners will be required to complete, sign and return a form presented by Sponsor and other documents (if necessary, which largely affirm the rights granted and obligations contained in these Official Rules) (collectively, the "Winner Documents") according to Sponsor's instructions during the Hackathon. Failure to comply with these requirements, Sponsor's or its representative's instructions, or these Official Rules may, in Sponsor's sole discretion - having due regard to the interests of the potential winner, result in disqualification from the Hackathon and forfeiture of any prize potentially won. The Winner Documents, if required, are each subject to verification by Sponsor and may require Participants to provide a copy of government-issued identification card or number therefrom. If any prize, prize notification, or other Hackathon-related communication is returned as undeliverable or if the designated Team Member from a selected potential winner cannot be reached or does not respond as instructed after Sponsor has attempted to notify that potential winner, that selected winner may - after the sponsor has taken reasonable efforts to reach the selected winner - be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected (time permitting and in Sponsor's sole discretion). The prize claim and Prize Winner Documents are subject to verification by Sponsor. The prizes, if legitimately claimed, will be awarded. Sponsor will not be obligated to pursue more than two (2) alternate winners (time permitting) for any reason.
(6) PRIZES, QUANTITY, & APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUE ("ARV''): The following prizes will be awarded to the Team Member of the winning team. Prizes will be payable to the Team Member in USD. Prizes are payable via any means of the Sponsor's choosing, whether electronic or not, and are payable only after receipt of the Winner Documents and any other required forms.
Themed experience built for Meta Quest |
$1,500 USD |
Themed experience built for Meta Horizon Worlds |
$1,500 USD |
The Released Parties are not responsible for, and Winner will not receive, the difference between the actual value of the prize at the time of award and the stated ARV in these Official Rules or in any Hackathon-related correspondence or materials. Sponsor is not responsible for a potential winner's inability to accept or use the prize for any reason.
Total ARV of all prizes: $3,000 USD.
Sponsor is not responsible for a potential winner's inability to accept or use the prize for any reason. Prize details will be decided at Sponsor's sole discretion. Prizes are distributed based on participation in the Hackathon and are not limited to or conditioned upon the purchase of Meta's products or services.
Any taxes and other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance or use and not specified in these Official Rules as being part of the prize will be the sole responsibility of the designated Team Member, as applicable. The designated Team Member will be issued a tax form for the actual value of any prize won. No more than the stated prizes will be awarded. Sponsor will not replace any lost, mutilated, or stolen prizes or prize elements or any prizes that are undeliverable or do not reach the winner because of an incorrect or changed contact information. If the designated Team Member does not accept or use the entire prize, the unaccepted or unused part of the prize will be forfeited, and Sponsor will have no further obligation with respect to that prize or portion of the prize. No transfers, prize substitutions, or cash redemptions will be made, except at Sponsor's sole discretion. The designated Team Member is strictly prohibited from selling, auctioning, trading, or otherwise transferring any part of the prize, to anyone who is not a Participant on the winning team, except with Sponsor's permission, which may be granted or withheld for any reason in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize or portion thereof with another prize or portion thereof of equal or greater value for any reason, including unavailability of the stated prize. Each Participant waives the right to assert as a cost of winning any prize any and all costs of verification and redemption or and any liability and publicity which might arise from claiming or seeking to claim said prize.
(7) LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Each Participant hereby acknowledges and agrees that the relationship between the Participant and each of the Released Parties is not a confidential, fiduciary, or other special relationship, and that each Participant's decision to participate for purposes of the Hackathon does not place any of the Released Parties in a position that is any different from the position held by members of the general public with regard to elements of the Hackathon, other than as set forth in these Official Rules. Each Participant understands and acknowledges that the Released Parties have wide access to ideas, text, images, code, applications, software, and other creative materials. Each Participant also acknowledges that many ideas for products, services, and advertising may be competitive with, similar to, or identical to their content and/or each other in idea, function, components, format, or other respects. Each Participant acknowledges and agrees that such Participant will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of any Released Party's use of any such similar or identical material that has or may come to such Released Party from other sources. Each Participant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsor does not now and will not have in the future any duty or liability (direct or indirect; vicarious, contributory, or otherwise) with respect to the infringement or protection of the Participant's or any third party's patent, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to their Content.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH PARTICIPANT AGREES TO RELEASE, HOLD HARMLESS, AND INDEMNIFY EACH OF THE RELEASED PARTIES FROM AND AGAINST ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR INJURIES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND SUSTAINED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ACCEPTANCE, USE, MISUSE, OR AWARDING OF A PRIZE OR WHILE PREPARING FOR, OR PARTICIPATING IN ANY PRIZE- OR HACKATHON-RELATED ACTIVITY INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY INJURY, DAMAGE, LOSS, DEATH OR ACCIDENT TO OR OF PERSON OR PROPERTY. THE PRIOR LIMITATION ON DAMAGES IS NOT INTENDED TO LIMIT THE RELEASED PARTIES' OBLIGATION (IF ANY) TO PAY PREVAILING PARTY COSTS OR FEES IF RECOVERABLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW. THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION WILL NOT LIMIT OR EXCLUDE THE RELEASED PARTIES' LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR TANGIBLE PROPERTY DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE RELEASED PARTIES, OR FOR THE RELEASED PARTIES' GROSS NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD, OR INTENTIONAL, WILLFUL, MALICIOUS, OR RECKLESS MISCONDUCT. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EACH WINNER AGREES THAT THE PRIZES ARE PROVIDED AS-IS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, WHETHER NOW KNOWN OR HEREINAFTER ENACTED, RELATIVE TO THE USE OR ENJOYMENT OF THE PRIZE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THEIR QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
(8) DISPUTES/GOVERNING LAW: Except where prohibited, as a condition of participating in this Hackathon, each Participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the Participant and any Released Party, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Hackathon, or the prize awarded, or the determination of a winner must be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will a Participant be permitted or entitled to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, other than Participant's actual out-pocket expenses (if any), not to exceed ten U.S. dollars ($10.00) or the equivalent in local currency), and Participant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
THIS HACKATHON, THESE OFFICIAL RULES, AND ANY DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED THERETO (WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS CONDUCT OR OTHERWISE) WILL BE GOVERNED, CONSTRUED, AND INTERPRETED UNDER THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., AND IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE, THE LAWS OF THE PARTICIPANT'S COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE, WITHOUT REFERENCE OR GIVING EFFECT TO ITS CONFLICTS OF LAW PRINCIPLES OR RULES THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF THE LAWS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. ANY LEGAL ACTIONS, SUITS, OR PROCEEDINGS RELATED TO THIS HACKATHON (WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS CONDUCT, OR OTHERWISE) WILL BE BROUGHT EXCLUSIVELY IN A COURT IN THE PARTICIPANT'S COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE OR IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA OR A STATE COURT LOCATED IN OR HAVING JURISDICTION OVER SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA AND EACH PARTICIPANT IRREVOCABLY ACCEPTS, SUBMITS, AND CONSENTS TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION AND VENUE OF THESE COURTS WITH RESPECT TO ANY LEGAL ACTIONS, SUITS, OR PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS HACKATHON. YOU WAIVE ANY AND ALL OBJECTIONS TO JURISDICTION AND VENUE IN THESE COURTS AND HEREBY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THOSE COURTS.
(9) ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMERS: The Released Parties are not responsible and/or liable for any of the following, whether caused by a Released Party, the Participant, or by human error: participation by illegitimate means (such as, without limitation, by an automated computer program) or participation in excess of any stated limit; any lost, late, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible, garbled, mutilated, or misdirected participation, email, or Hackathon-related correspondence or materials; any error, omission, interruption, defect or delay in transmission or communication; viruses or technical or mechanical malfunctions; interrupted or unavailable cable or satellite systems; errors, typos, or misprints in these Official Rules, any Hackathon-related advertisements, or other materials; failures of electronic equipment, computer hardware, or software; lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications or participation information. Released Parties are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable or do not reach the Participant as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind or insufficient space in a potential winner's email inbox to receive email messages. Released Parties are not responsible, and may disqualify you, if your email address or other contact information does not work or is changed without prior written notice to Sponsor. Without limiting any other provision in these Official Rules, the Released Parties are not responsible or liable to any Participant or winner (or any person claiming through such Participant or winner) for failure to supply the prize or any part thereof in the event that any of the Hackathon activities or Released Parties' operations or activities are affected by any cause or event beyond the sole and reasonable control of the applicable Released Party (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion), including, without limitation, by reason of any force majeure event, equipment failure, threatened or actual terrorist acts, air raid, act of public enemy, war (declared or undeclared), civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, epidemic, pandemic, fire, explosion, earthquake, flood, hurricane, unusually severe weather, blackout, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, any law, rule, regulation, action, order, or request adopted, taken, or made by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not such governmental act proves to be invalid), or any other cause, whether or not specifically mentioned above.
(10) GENERAL RULES: By entering the Hackathon (except where prohibited by law), each Participant grants the Released Parties the irrevocable, sublicensable, free-of-charge, absolute right and permission to use, publish, post or display their name, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, any quotes attributable to them, and any other indicia of persona (regardless of whether altered, changed, modified, edited, used alone, or used with other material in the Released Parties' sole discretion) for advertising, trade, promotional and publicity purposes without further obligation or compensation of any kind to them, anywhere worldwide, in any medium now known or hereafter discovered or devised (including, without limitation, on the Internet) without any limitation of time and without notice, review or approval, and each such person releases all Released Parties from any and all liability related to such authorized uses. Nothing contained in these Official Rules obligates Sponsor to make use of any of the rights granted herein and each natural person granting publicity rights under this provision waives any right to inspect or approve any such use.
By entering the Hackathon, each Participant agrees to maintain their behavior in accordance with all applicable laws and generally accepted social practices in connection with participation in any Hackathon- or prize- related activity. Each Participant hereby agrees that the Released Parties have the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify and remove any Participant from any activity at any time if their behavior is disruptive or may, or does, cause damage to any person, property or the reputation of the Released Parties or otherwise interrupts the orchestration of the Hackathon.
Sponsor's decisions will be final in all matters relating to this Hackathon, including interpretation of these Official Rules, selection of the winners, and awarding of the prizes. All Participants, as a condition of participating, agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor. Participants further agree to not damage or cause interruption of the Hackathon and/or prevent others from participating in or engaging with the Hackathon. Sponsor reserves the right to restrict or void participation from any IP address or other identifiable source if any suspicious participation is detected. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to void the participation of any Participant who Sponsor believes has attempted to tamper with or impair the administration, security, fairness, or proper play of this Hackathon. Sponsor's failure or decision not to enforce any provision in these Official Rules will not constitute a waiver of that or any other provision. In the event there is an alleged or actual ambiguity, discrepancy, or inconsistency between disclosures or other statements contained in any Hackathon-related materials and/or these Official Rules (including any alleged ambiguity, discrepancy, or inconsistency within these Official Rules), it will be resolved by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Participants waive any right to claim ambiguity in these Official Rules. If Sponsor determines at any time in its sole discretion that a winner or potential winner is disqualified, ineligible, in violation of these Official Rules, or engaging in behavior that Sponsor deems obnoxious, inappropriate, threatening, illegal or that is intended to annoy, abuse, or harass any other person, Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify that winner or potential winner, even if the disqualified winner or potential winner may have been notified or displayed or announced anywhere. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. If any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules will otherwise remain in effect and will be construed in accordance with their teams as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein. If the Hackathon is not capable of running as planned for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, modify, or suspend the Hackathon and award the prizes from eligible, non-suspect participation prior to cancellation, modification, or suspension or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor. If any person supplies false information, participates by fraudulent means, or is otherwise determined to be in violation of these Official Rules in an attempt to obtain a prize, Sponsor may disqualify that person and seek damages from them, and that person may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In the event of a dispute concerning the identity of a Participant, the dispute must be resolved to Sponsor's satisfaction or the related participation will be disqualified. Any Participant may be required to provide Sponsor with proof of eligibility in the form requested. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DAMAGE ANY ONLINE SERVICE OR WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE HACKATHON MAY VIOLATE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. IF SUCH AN ATTEMPT IS MADE, SPONSOR MAY DISQUALIFY ANY PARTICIPANT MAKING SUCH ATTEMPT AND MAY SEEK DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
(11) PRIVACY: By participating in the Hackathon, you agree to the collection, storage, processing, and transmission of your submitted personal data by Meta Platforms, Inc. and its affiliated companies for the purposes of conducting this Hackathon. The personal data collected is subject to applicable data protection laws and Sponsor's Data Policy (https://www.meta.com/legal/privacy-policy/ ).
(12) WINNERS' LIST/OFFICIAL RULES: To find out who won, send an email to startpilotprograms@meta.com and in the Subject Line write: 2025 MIT Reality Hack Meta Tracks Hackathon Winners. Only one (1) request per person per entity will be fulfilled. Requests for winner information must be received no later than three (3) months following the end of the Hackathon. For a copy of these Official Rules, print out these pages or send an email during the Hackathon to xrevents@meta.com and in the Subject Line write: 2025 MIT Reality Hack Meta Tracks Hackathon Rules Request.
(13) SPONSOR: Meta Platforms, Inc. 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA