“VN1 Forecasting - Accuracy Challenge” Official Rules

PLEASE READ THESE OFFICIAL RULES CAREFULLY. ENTRY INTO THIS CHALLENGE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ANY PART OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES, PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THIS CHALLENGE.

1. Organizer This Challenge is organized by a consortium consisting of Flieber, Inc., Syrup Tech Inc., and SupChains, an organization represented by Nicolas Vandeput, hereinafter referred to as “the Organizer.”

2. Challenge Description The “VN1 Forecasting - Accuracy Challenge” is a data forecasting competition aimed at developing predictive models to accurately forecast future sales using historical sales, inventory, and pricing data. The Challenge is not a game of chance within the meaning of any applicable laws.

3. Challenge Structure The Challenge is organized in two phases:

• Phase 1: Participants will use provided Phase 0 data to predict sales for Phase 1. This phase lasts three weeks, with live leaderboard updates.
• Phase 2: Participants will use Phase 0 and Phase 1 data to predict sales for Phase 2. This phase lasts two weeks, with no leaderboard updates until the end of the competition.

4. Timeline

Phase 1 – Starts on Thursday, the 12th of September (08:00 AM UTC)
Phase 2 – Starts on Thursday, the 3rd of October (08:00 AM UTC) and ends on Thursday, the 17th of October (18:00 PM UTC)
Winner announcement – Last week of October (Week of 28th of October)
Online conference for winners to present their solutions & insights – November

5. Participation Eligibility Requirements Participants must meet all the following requirements as of the time and date of entry:

• Be private individuals; registered companies; or legal entities.
• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Have internet access, an email account, and access to a personal computer.
• Residents of the following regions are not eligible for prize money: Crimea region of Ukraine, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Belarus.

6. Submission Requirements Participants must:

• Submit forecasts in a .csv file with no missing values.
• Forecast for all products and warehouses for 13 weeks.
• Include reproducible code with Phase 2 submissions. 
• Use open-source tools and methods only.

7. Scoring Criteria Submissions will be assessed in accordance with the scoring metrics outlined on the competition page of our platform. For comprehensive details, please refer to the Evaluation/ scoring metrics available on the Datasource platform in the evaluation tab here https://www.datasource.ai/en/%20vn1-forecasting-accuracy 

8. Prizes

• Winner: $10,000
• 2nd - 5th Place: $2,250 each
• Most Discussed/ Used Notebook: $1,000 (the exact methodology is not disclosed to safeguard the competition from sybil attacks)

Prizes will be awarded to valid submissions only, which include reproducible code and use open-source tools. The Organizer reserves the right to assess the validity of votes and dismiss notebooks if necessary.

9. Intellectual Property By submitting an entry, the Participant grants the Organizer a temporary, exclusive, and unlimited right to use the submitted software for the duration of the contest and one year after the contest ends. Any participant who accepts a prize agree to assign all exclusive and unlimited rights of use to the Organizer in perpetuity. This includes the right to use the intellectual property for commercial purposes without any restriction or additional compensation aside from acknowledgment of the author.

10. Code of Conduct and Confidentiality Participants must:

• Use provided resources strictly for the Challenge.
• Adhere to the Organizer’s terms of service and privacy policy.

11. Limitation of Liability The Organizer is not responsible for any miscommunication or technical failures that may occur during the Challenge. The Organizer reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Challenge due to technical difficulties.

12. Disqualification Violation of any rules may result in disqualification. The Organizer reserves the right to verify eligibility and adjudicate any eligibility dispute at any time.

13. Personal Data and Privacy The Organizer may use cookies and collect IP addresses for the purpose of implementing or exercising its rights under the Rules. The Organizer may use the personal data provided by Participants to contact them, confirm entry details, administer and execute the Challenge, and credit winners.

14. Reservation of Rights The Organizer reserves the right to:

• Modify the start date and end date of the Challenge.
• Add or remove additional deadlines related to the Challenge.
• Modify or add data to the Challenge website.

15. Due Diligence and Audits The Organizer may contact Participants for due diligence purposes. Additionally, the first 20 top-ranked Participants will be subject to an audit to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations of the Challenge.

16. Grant of Unrestricted Commercial IP Rights Participants who are granted a monetary prize must assign unrestricted commercial intellectual property rights to the Organizer. This grant allows the Organizer to use the intellectual property without any fee or other commitment. The Organizer will acknowledge the author but will have full commercial rights to integrate the intellectual property into their business models as they see fit.

17. Communication and Outreach: The Organizers reserve the right to contact Participants via email or other communication mediums during the course of the Challenge and after its conclusion. This outreach may include, but is not limited to, communications for educational, informational, marketing, or other material purposes related to the Participant's involvement in the Challenge or the Organizer’s product offerings. By participating in the Challenge, Participants consent to receiving such communications from the Organizer during and after the Challenge.

Acceptance of Terms By participating in the VN1 Forecasting - Accuracy Challenge, Participants agree to comply with and be bound by the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.