Eligibility

• Any number of entries can be applied for "TRON Programming Contest" (hereinafter referred to as the "Contest") by any party (individuals, groups and corporations). There is no restriction on nationality, age, resident area, etc.
• Minor applicants shall obtain the permission of guardian. If you are a minor who will enter as part of school society activities, please obtain permission from the society advisor in addition to the permission of your guardian.
• It is possible for one entrant (including groups and corporations) to make multiple entries. Furthermore, entrants may belong to multiple groups.
• In the Contest, the term "student" means a person enrolled in a regular course of study at a school stipulated in Article 1 of the School Education Act (Act No. 26 of 1947) of Japan.
• There are three submission categories in the Contest; "RTOS Application category," "RTOS Middleware category" and "Development Environment/Development Tool category." It is possible for one entrant (including groups and corporations) to make entries in multiple categories. There are "Student category" and "General category" in the "RTOS Application category." Student applicants can apply in the "Student category," and all other applicants can apply in the "General category." There is no distinction of Student category and General category in the "RTOS Middleware category" and "Development Environment/Development Tool category."
• Entrants who submit their works in the Student category must provide the Contest secretariat with proof of student status in PDF format, such as a student ID card, student handbook, or other document that proves that the entrants are students.
• If an entrant submits a work in the "Student category" but is not a student on the last day of the Program submission period of the Contest, such an entrant’s work will automatically be entered in the "General category."
• If a "group" of applicants submits a work in the "Student Category," all members of the group must be "students." If, on the last day of the program submission period of the Contest, any member of the group does not have student status, the work submitted by that group will automatically be entered in the "General category."
• Entrants will not be eligible for the Contest once the program submission deadline to the Contest has passed, and the Program has not been submitted by then.
• Parties related to the organizer and those concerned in the implementation of the Contest are not eligible for the Contest.

Entry and initial screening

• If you wish to participate in the "Contest," you must apply for entry by filling out the prescribed entry form. The organizer will inform you about the program plan submission, and applicants are requested to submit the plan for the Program by the deadline.
• The organizer and judges will examine the plans as the initial screening, and if the organizer and judges decide to lend a microprocessor board, etc. to an entrant after the review, the entrant will be lent a microprocessor board, etc.
• Entrants may submit the Program by obtaining a microprocessor board by themselves, which is the same type of the board to be lent in the TRON Programming Contest 2025.

Programs to be submitted

• The program submitted to the Contest by the entrant (hereinafter referred to as the “Program”) must be original and unpublished. (Entries that have already been entered, are being entered or are scheduled to be entered into another contest, or entries that have won an award in any contest in the past are not eligible for the Contest.) However, the Programs that have been improved based on the Programs that have been entered in the TRON Programming Contest 2024 may be entered even if they have won prizes in the Contest in 2024.
• Entrants are prohibited from entering the Program developed for the Contest in other contests.
• The Program must be invented and developed by the entrant, and the entrant must hold the copyright. However, it is permitted to combine with other programs or data that does not cause copyright problems.
• If the Program for which the copyright is held by a third party (e.g., open source library used in the development of the entry) is used, the entrant must guarantee to the organizer of the Contest that the rights to use the applicable work have been obtained in advance so that there will be no interference with the entry into the Contest.
• The intellectual property rights of the Program, etc. are held by the entrants. However, entrants shall provide, for free, the perpetual right for the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest, and news media that have obtained permission from the organizer and cooperating companies to interview entrants to use the Programs, Program names and names and appearance of entrants in paper and electronic media for publicity, advertising and announcements in and outside of Japan in the future.
• Entrants may publicize their application to the Contest on their own websites, social media, etc. However, entrants must not make false claims as though the applicable entry was developed by the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest at that time.

Microprocessor boards to be lent to the entrants

• Microprocessor boards will be lent to those selected after the initial screening.
•  Entrants will not be eligible for the Contest once the program submission deadline to the Contest has passed, and the Program has not been submitted by then. Entrants may cancel the entry before the program submission deadline. In that case, all equipment lent to the entrant, such as microprocessor boards, must be returned at the entrant's expense.
• If the entrant submits a program that is in line with the content of the plan submitted during the initial screening, the microprocessor board and other equipment will be donated to the entrant.

Cash prize, expenses, etc.

• The cash prize will be paid to the prize winner’s designated account if the winner is an individual, to the contact person’s designated account if the winner is a group, and to the corporation’s designated account if the winner is a corporation.
• In principle, cash prize will be paid in Japanese yen.
• Entrants must pay the various expenses concerning entry into the Contest. This includes but not limited to the construction of the entry development/implementation environment and Internet communication/connection fees.
• In principle, the winners will attend the awards ceremony and give a presentation on their programs. In addition, the winners shall respond to the media covering the awards ceremony to the extent possible. Basically, prize winners are responsible for the expenses related to the trip to the awards ceremony.
• If falsehoods are contained in an entry registration, the applicable entry will not be eligible for any award.
• If it is not possible to notify the winning of an award to an entrant due to lack of communication or similar, the right to receive the award may be invalidated.

Liability and Disclaimer

• The organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest will provide absolutely no guarantees about the accuracy, comprehensiveness or compatibility with specific purposes of the content and/or operation of the hardware and software lent by the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest. Additionally, the organizer and cooperating companies will accept absolutely no responsibility for the damage caused by the use of, or a failure to use the content and/or operation of the hardware and software lent by the organizer and cooperating companies.
• In the event a problem arises concerning copyright, moral rights of authors, neighboring rights, design rights, trademark rights, utility model rights, patent rights or other rights (hereinafter "Intellectual Property Rights"), the entrant will solve this at his/her/its own responsibility and cost. If the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest or a third party suffers damage for which the entrants bear the blame, the entrants shall be responsible for the compensation for the damage.
• The contest may be subject to suspension or termination for certain reasons without prior notice. Moreover, the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest will have no obligation to compensate entrants for the applicable expenses, even if the expenses were incurred to enter in the event of cancellation.

Miscellaneous

• Inquiries on the judging process, etc. will not be answered.
• The lending of the hardware, software and similar may be canceled and the content of the hardware, software and similar may be changed according to the circumstances of the organizer and cooperating companies of the Contest.
• The Programs that are, or may be, contrary to public order/morals and the Programs judged by the organizer not to meet the intent of the Contest will not be judged.
• We will only use the information (e.g., name and contact details) described at the time of the entry to contact award winners, to announce award-winning programs and to make contact related to the Programs among the organizer, special cooperation, cooperation and managing contractor of the Contest. However, this will not apply when using the Program, Program names and names and appearance of entrants in paper and electronic media for publicity, advertising and announcements in and outside of Japan in the future.
• Organized crime groups as defined in Article 2 (2) of the Act on Prevention of Unjust Acts by Organized Crime Group Members (Act No. 77 (1991)) of Japan, organized crime group members as defined in Article 2 (6) of the same act, associate members of organized crime groups, companies related to organized crime groups, stock holder meeting extortionists, political racketeers, organized special intellectual crime groups, or other groups or individuals who pursue economic interests by making use of violence, intimidation and fraudulent methods, or those equivalent to these (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Anti-social Forces”), or those deemed by the organizer to have some kind of interaction or involvement with Anti-social Forces such as those cooperating or being involved in the maintenance, operation or management of Anti-social Forces through fund provision or otherwise are not allowed to enter this contest.
• Entrants shall develop the Program upon agreeing to these Application Rules and the rules of each submission category.

Established on December 11, 2023, effective the same date.
This agreement was revised on and is effective as of January 21, 2025.