Terms & Conditions

About This Program

The DevBrains Innovation Awards 2026 ("the Program", "the Awards") is a national technology recognition initiative organised by JSDEVBRAINS Digital Private Limited (CIN: U62011TZ2025PTC034782), a registered Indian software development and mentoring company founded in 2007, operating under the brand name DevBrains.

The Program is designed to recognise original technology projects built by School Students, College Students, and Working Professionals across India. Participants submit a project idea, which is reviewed before any payment is made. Approved participants develop and submit their project, which is then evaluated by an independent judging panel.

Eligibility

The DevBrains Innovation Awards 2026 is open exclusively to residents of India with a valid Indian mobile number and email address. Participation is divided into three age-based categories:

Additional eligibility conditions:

• Participants must be Indian citizens or permanent residents of India.
• Participants must be at least 10 years of age at the time of registration.
• Employees, contractors, or immediate family members of JSDEVBRAINS Digital Private Limited are not eligible to participate.
• Category is determined by age as on the date of registration. False age declarations will result in immediate disqualification.
• One person may submit only one project entry per edition of the Awards.

Registration & Idea Submission

Registration for the DevBrains Innovation Awards is a two-phase process:

1. Idea Submission (Free): Participants submit a registration form with their personal details and a minimum 50-word description of their project idea. No payment is required at this stage.
2. Idea Review: The DevBrains Review Team evaluates the submitted idea within 2–3 business days. Participants are notified via email with one of the following outcomes: Approved, Requires Clarification, or Declined (with feedback).

By submitting the registration form, participants confirm that:

• All information provided is accurate and truthful.
• The project idea is original and not copied from published work.
• They have read and agree to all terms stated in this document.
• They are the primary creator of the proposed project.

Review & Approval Process

Upon receiving a registration, the DevBrains Review Team evaluates the submitted idea based on:

• Originality — Is the idea sufficiently unique and not a direct copy of existing projects?
• Feasibility — Can the idea be realistically built and demonstrated by the participant?
• Domain Fit — Does the idea align with one of the 9 eligible domains?
• Minimum Detail — Has the participant provided sufficient description (minimum 50 words)?

The review committee's decision on approval or rejection is final and non-negotiable. DevBrains does not provide detailed reasoning for every rejection, though general feedback may be included in the rejection email.

DevBrains reserves the right to decline any idea without explanation if it is found to be inappropriate, plagiarised, offensive, politically sensitive, or outside the scope of the program.

Registration Fees & Payment

Registration fees are applicable only after idea approval. Approved participants will receive a payment link via email. Fees must be paid within the deadline stated in the approval email to retain the approved slot.

• All fees are in Indian Rupees (INR) and are non-transferable.
• Fees are collected via Razorpay, a PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway.
• GST is not applicable at the time of publication of these terms.
• Failure to pay within the stipulated deadline may result in the approved slot being forfeited.
• The fee is exclusively for the expert evaluation team — professional mentors who carefully review your project, validate your work, and prepare personalised written feedback. It is not a prize entry fee and does not guarantee an award.
• Participant data is retained for 5 years from the edition year to support certificate verification and portfolio reference.
• A softcopy (PDF) of your certificate is available on special request by emailing info@jsdevbrains.com.

Project Submission Requirements

Upon payment confirmation, participants receive Project Development Guidelines via email. The final project submission must include the following:

Mandatory:

• Working project (application, model, script, or prototype) — hosted or downloadable
• Source code repository (GitHub, GitLab, or ZIP upload)
• Project report or README (minimum 500 words) describing problem, solution, tech stack, and results
• Short video demo (2–5 minutes) showing the project working

Optional (strengthens evaluation):

• Live hosted link (web apps, APIs)
• Presentation slides (PPT or PDF)
• Test cases or performance benchmarks

Projects must be submitted before the deadline communicated in the Project Guidelines email. Late submissions will not be accepted unless an extension is explicitly granted by DevBrains in writing.

Judging Criteria & Award Selection

Validated project submissions are independently evaluated by a panel of DevBrains mentors and industry professionals. Judging is based on the following weighted criteria:

The top 3 projects in each of the 3 categories receive named award certificates. The judging panel may also issue Special Recognition and Judges' Choice Awards at their discretion.

All judging decisions are final. DevBrains does not enter into correspondence regarding scores, rankings, or award outcomes. No appeals process is available.

Certificates & Recognition

Participation Certificate: Issued to all approved participants who successfully submit a valid project before the deadline. The certificate includes the participant's name, project title, domain, category, certificate number, and digital signature of the Managing Director.

Award Certificate: Issued to the top 3 projects in each category (9 winners total). Named awards by category and rank:

All certificates are:

• Digitally signed by the Managing Director of JSDEVBRAINS Digital Private Limited
• Verifiable online at certificate.jsdevbrains.com via Certificate ID or QR code
• Issued in digital (PDF) format — no physical certificates are issued unless separately announced

DevBrains reserves the right to showcase participant names, project titles, and brief project descriptions on its website, social media, and marketing materials as part of the Innovation Awards program.

Refund Policy

Refund requests must be sent to hello@jsdevbrains.com with the subject line "Innovation Awards Refund Request" and your registered email address and payment reference number.

Intellectual Property

Participants retain full ownership of their project and all intellectual property. Submitting to the DevBrains Innovation Awards does not transfer any IP rights to DevBrains.

By participating, participants grant DevBrains a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to:

• Mention the project title and participant name in award announcements and publicity materials
• Display the project title and a brief description on the DevBrains Innovation Awards Hall of Fame
• Use project details in marketing materials promoting the Innovation Awards program

DevBrains will not reproduce, distribute, or commercialise the source code, model weights, datasets, or full technical implementation of any participant's project without explicit written permission from the participant.

Participants must ensure their project does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. DevBrains takes no responsibility for IP disputes arising from participant-submitted projects.

Code of Conduct & Disqualification

All participants are expected to conduct themselves with integrity and professionalism. The following actions will result in immediate disqualification without refund:

• Providing false personal information (name, age, email, phone, category)
• Submitting a project that is plagiarised, copied, or primarily generated by AI without meaningful participant contribution
• Submitting another person's work as your own
• Attempting to influence the judging process through bribery, coercion, or unfair means
• Abusive, harassing, or threatening behaviour toward DevBrains staff, judges, or other participants
• Submitting a project that contains illegal, offensive, or harmful content
• Violating any applicable law of India in connection with the project or participation

DevBrains reserves the right to disqualify any participant, at any stage, if there is reasonable evidence of misconduct. Disqualified participants will not be eligible for refunds.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• DevBrains does not guarantee that participation in the Awards will result in employment, internship, or business opportunities.
• DevBrains is not responsible for technical failures, internet outages, or system errors that affect the submission process — participants should submit well before deadlines.
• DevBrains' total liability to any participant shall not exceed the registration fee paid by that participant.
• DevBrains is not liable for any indirect, consequential, or incidental loss arising from participation or non-participation in the Awards.

Amendments

DevBrains reserves the right to amend these Terms & Conditions at any time. Material changes will be communicated to registered participants via email and announced on the Innovation Awards page at least 7 days before taking effect.

Continued participation in the program after the effective date of any change constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms & Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with the DevBrains Innovation Awards shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu, India.

In the event of any dispute, participants are encouraged to first contact DevBrains at hello@jsdevbrains.com to seek an amicable resolution before initiating formal legal proceedings.

Contact

For any queries related to the Innovation Awards Terms & Conditions, please contact: