Global Drone Virtual Competition – Submit Your Entry

These terms and conditions govern your participation in the MathWorks Global Drone Student Challenge (the “Competition”), sponsored by The MathWorks, Inc. (“MathWorks”), 3 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, Massachusetts 01760-2098, to take place virtually in 2025.

Participation and Conditions of Entry 

How to Enter 

1. You must currently be an enrolled student at a degree-granting institution. 
2. Teams can enter. The individual that completes the contest entry form will receive the prize should that team win.
3. Teams must have a minimum of two people and a maximum of four people.
4. At least one team member must register on MathWorks’ website at MathWorks Global Drone Student Challenge 2024 registration form
5. MathWorks employees are not eligible to participate in the Competition.
6. Once the registration form is completed and reviewed by MathWorks (within 72 business hours of MathWorks’ receipt), you will receive instructions on how to participate in the Competition
7. Individuals or teams must submit a simulation model by filling out the submission form on the webpage by 5:00 PM EST on March 20, 2025.. Only one entry may be submitted by each team.
8. Participation is free and no purchase is required. 

Judging:

• By submitting their entries , each team agrees that such entries will be shared with MathWorks and, if applicable, any other judges. The Competition will be judged by MathWorks engineers. Teams will need to use their modeling skills to refine a Simulink Model. The most efficient and fastest models will be selected as winners.
• Competition results will be judged solely based on the simulation performance. If two or more entries receive the same winning score, the corresponding submitters will receive the same prize.
• The top three winners will receive prizes as follows: 
  • 1st Prize - $500 USD 
  • 2nd Prize - $300 USD 
  • 3rd Prize - $200 USD
• The names of the top three winning teams and their team members, along with the name of the school/company they are affiliated with, may be announced on the websites, and/or, the social media accounts (which may include without limitation Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn) of MathWorks and/or its affiliates.
• Decisions by the judges are final.
• The names of the winning teams and their team members, along with the name of the school they are affiliated with, may be announced on the websites and/or via the social media accounts (which may include without limitation Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn) of MathWorks and/or its affiliates. 

General

One team member may submit the registration form on behalf of the team, and by doing so, such team member represents and warrants that she/he has been authorized by each of her/his other team members to agree to these Challenge Terms and Conditions, including without limitation any rights granted to MathWorks and any obligations required to be undertaken, on their behalf. 

MathWorks reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or terminate this Competition for any reason, including in the event of any act or occurrence that it believes would corrupt the integrity, administration, or fairness of the Challenge. MathWorks is not responsible for lost, late, stolen, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, undelivered, delayed, or misdirected entries. By participating in the Competition, you agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless MathWorks, its respective affiliates, and any individuals engaged in the development or execution of this Challenge, from any liability, claims, losses, and damages arising out of or related to your participation in this Challenge or the acceptance, use, misuse, or possession of any prize received in this Challenge. All taxes, fees, and surcharges on the prizes won are the sole responsibility of the winner(s). 

MathWorks collects personal information from you when you enter the Challenge. The information collected is subject to the Privacy Policy. Should you be selected as a winner, you hereby authorize MathWorks to identify you as the winner of the contest on websites owned by or affiliated with MathWorks and/or its affiliates, as well as certain third party websites and/or applications. 

You will continue to own any applicable intellectual property rights in your submissions, but by entering a submission, you grant to MathWorks a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to, without limitation, post the textual descriptions of the submissions on any website owned by or affiliated with MathWorks and/or its affiliates. Once you enter a submission, the submission cannot be modified in any way until after the judging period is complete. 

You also agree to provide your submission directly to MathWorks, and grant to MathWorks a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, distribute, and license others to use, copy, modify, and distribute your submission, or any portion thereof, for any and all MathWorks promotional purposes, on any and all media, in any and all formats, and via any and all modes of transmission, distribution, or dissemination, whether now known or hereafter developed. Nothing herein shall obligate MathWorks to exercise these rights. You hereby waive any right of inspection or approval of the uses to which the submission may be put. 

You warrant and represent that: (1) you are of eighteen (18) years of age or older, and have the capacity to enter into this agreement; (2) you are not an employee of MathWorks; (3) you have full right, power, and authority to grant these rights and permissions; and (4) your submission a) is original; b) is solely owned by you so that no other party has any rights or interest in the submission, whether known or unknown; and c) does not violate the intellectual property, common law, or any rights of any third parties. You agree that these Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and MathWorks, and supersedes all prior communications and/or understandings, whether written or oral, pertaining hereto. You agree that this agreement will be governed by and construed under and in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You hereby consent and agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with any lawsuit, action, or proceeding arising out of or related to these terms and/or the contest. This Competition is void where prohibited. This Competition is promoted The MathWorks, Inc., 3 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA 01760-2098. Proof of purchase is not required, and purchase will not improve your chance of winning.

These terms and conditions govern your participation in the MathWorks Global Drone Virtual Competition (the “Competition”), sponsored by The MathWorks, Inc. (“MathWorks”), 3 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, Massachusetts 01760-2098, to take place virtually in 2026.

For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “participant(s)” and “you” refers to entrants, each of which may be an individual or a team.

Participation and Conditions of Entry 

How to Enter 

1.  All participant(s) must be currently enrolled students at a degree-granting institution.
2. Participant(s) may enter the Competition either as individuals or as a team of two to four members. The individual that completes the contest entry form will receive the prize should that entry win.
3. To enter, at least one participant (individual or team representative) must complete the registration form on the MathWorks website at MathWorks Global Drone Virtual Competition 2026 registration form.
4. MathWorks employees are not eligible to participate in the Competition.
5. After MathWorks reviews your registration form (within 72 business hours of receipt), you will receive instructions on how to participate in the Competition.
6. Participant(s) must submit a simulation model by completing the submission form on the competition webpage by 5:00 PM EST on March 6, 2026. Only one entry may be submitted by each participant(s).
7. Participation is free; no purchase is required.

Judging

1. By submitting an entry, participant(s) agree that their submission may be shared with MathWorks and, if applicable, other judges.
2. The Competition will be judged by MathWorks engineers.
3. Participant(s) must use their modelling skills to refine a Simulink Model. Competition results will be judged solely based on the simulation performance. Entries will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
   • Code generation capability of the model.
   • Accuracy of the path traced by the drone with respect to the track including soft landing on the circular marker and the number of track sections completed at various stages by the drone.
4. The entry with the highest total score will be declared the winner. If two or more entries receive the same winning score, the corresponding participant(s) will receive the same prize.
5. The top three winners will receive prizes as follows:
   • 1st Prize: $750 USD
   • 2nd Prize: $300 USD
   • 3rd Prize: $200 USD
6. The names of the top three winning participant(s), and their affiliated school, may be announced on the websites and social media accounts (including, without limitation, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn) of MathWorks and/or its affiliates.
7. All decisions by the judges are final and binding.
8. In addition to the monetary prize, the first prize-winning participant(s) may be offered an opportunity for direct entry as a finalist in an in-person Minidrone competition. This may be the finals of a regional Minidrone competition, or a competition held at a conference in the country where the winning participant(s) is based. This opportunity is optional and subject to MathWorks’ discretion, availability, and other conditions including without limitation:
   • Event Location and Availability: Regional or conference-based competitions must be scheduled and operational in 2026.
   • Organizer’s Decision: MathWorks reserves the right to select the most suitable event for the participant(s)’ direct entry.
   • Participation Rules: The winner must comply with all eligibility and participation requirements of the selected competition. If the first-place winner is an individual and the selected competition requires team participation, the individual will need to form a team in accordance with the competition’s rules.
   • Non-Transferable: This opportunity cannot be transferred to another participant(s) and has no cash equivalent.
   • Additional Requirements: The participant(s) may need to fulfill any additional conditions (e.g., registration, travel, documentation) as specified by MathWorks. Travel, accommodation, and related costs for attending the in-person event are the responsibility of the winner unless otherwise stated.
   • Event Changes: MathWorks is not liable for cancellation, postponement, or modification of the in-person Minidrone competition where the direct entry opportunity is offered. If such an event does not occur or is materially changed, this opportunity may be withdrawn.

General

One team member may submit the registration form on behalf of the team, and by doing so, such team member represents and warrants that she/he has been authorized by each of her/his other team members to agree to these Competition Terms and Conditions, including without limitation any rights granted to MathWorks and any obligations required to be undertaken, on their behalf. 

MathWorks reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or terminate this Competition for any reason, including in the event of any act or occurrence that it believes would corrupt the integrity, administration, or fairness of the Competition. MathWorks is not responsible for lost, late, stolen, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, undelivered, delayed, or misdirected entries. By participating in the Competition, you agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless MathWorks, its respective affiliates, and any individuals engaged in the development or execution of this Competition, from any liability, claims, losses, and damages arising out of or related to your participation in this Competition or the acceptance, use, misuse, or possession of any prize received in this Competition. All taxes, fees, and surcharges on the prizes won are the sole responsibility of the winner(s).

MathWorks collects personal information from you when you enter the Competition. The information collected is subject to the Privacy Policy. Should you be selected as a winner, you hereby authorize MathWorks to identify you as the winner of the contest on websites owned by or affiliated with MathWorks and/or its affiliates, as well as certain third-party websites and/or applications. 

You will continue to own any applicable intellectual property rights in your submissions, but by entering a submission, you grant to MathWorks a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to, without limitation, post the textual descriptions of the submissions on any website owned by or affiliated with MathWorks and/or its affiliates. Once you enter a submission, the submission cannot be modified in any way until after the judging period is complete.

You also agree to provide your submission directly to MathWorks, and grant to MathWorks a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, distribute, and license others to use, copy, modify, and distribute your submission, or any portion thereof, for any and all MathWorks promotional purposes, on any and all media, in any and all formats, and via any and all modes of transmission, distribution, or dissemination, whether now known or hereafter developed. Nothing herein shall obligate MathWorks to exercise these rights. You hereby waive any right of inspection or approval of the uses to which the submission may be put.

You warrant and represent that: (1) you are of eighteen (18) years of age or older, and have the capacity to enter into this agreement; (2) you are not an employee of MathWorks; (3) you have full right, power, and authority to grant these rights and permissions; and (4) your submission a) is original; b) is solely owned by you so that no other party has any rights or interest in the submission, whether known or unknown; and c) does not violate the intellectual property, common law, or any rights of any third parties. You agree that these Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and MathWorks, and supersedes all prior communications and/or understandings, whether written or oral, pertaining hereto. You agree that this agreement will be governed by and construed under and in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You hereby consent and agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with any lawsuit, action, or proceeding arising out of or related to these terms and/or the competition. This Competition is void where prohibited. This Competition is promoted by The MathWorks, Inc., 3 Apple Hill Drive, Natick, MA 01760-2098. Proof of purchase is not required, and purchase will not improve your chance of winning.