• Contestants are divided into two divisions: Primary School Division and Secondary School Division. For the final competition, contestants are not further divided into School Division and Open Division.
• Contestants should note that photos and videos may be taken during the competition and publicized for future promotional purposes.
• Contestants should bring their Hong Kong Identity Card／Student ID Card / other photo ID for identification on the final competition day (if a photo ID is not available, please bring along student handbook / student octopus card for identity verification).

Before Proceeding to the Competition Venue:

• Contestants with the following conditions MUST NOT go to the competition venue:
  • Having symptoms of COVID-19, such as having a fever (oral temperature 37.5°C, tympanic temperature 38°C or above), symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection (such as a cough or shortness of breath) or sudden loss of sense of taste or smell, etc.
  • Undergoing mandatory quarantine or still awaiting test results of COVID-19 compulsory testing today, i.e. the day of test.

Before the Competition:

• Contestants must check their body temperature, wear a surgical mask (with the nose, mouth and chin fully covered, masks with valves are not acceptable) and complete a Health Declaration Form upon arrival at the entrance of the competition venue. 
• Contestants who make false, incomplete or misleading declarations will be disqualified from the competition.
• Registration will start at 12:00 noon. Contestants should avoid arriving earlier than registration time nor gathering near the entrance.
• After going through the temperature screening, contestants may proceed to the competition venue. Contestants will be asked to present their photo ID, and remove the mask temporarily for identity verification.
• The above process will be strictly enforced.
• Contestants will be led by staff to the seat assigned directly. They should remain seated with their masks on at all times.

During the Competition:

• Contestants are required to put on a surgical mask properly and should not remove it. Those who refuse to put on their surgical mask will be regarded as having breached the competition rules.
• Contestants may only drink water with invigilators’ permission.
• Invigilators are authorized to disqualify contestants who are sneezing, coughing or showing other symptoms. They will be asked to leave the venue.

After the Competition

• At the end of the competition, contestants should follow the instructions of the invigilators to leave the competition venue in batches.
• Contestants must not gather near the exits.

• If there are further local outbreaks of COVID-19 that the EDB announces the suspension of in-person classes:

1. 1. on/before 7 May, the competition will be held online on the scheduled date (i.e. 15 May)
   2. after 7 May, the competition will be rescheduled and held online

• In the Online Final Event, contestants will be required to stream their computer screen to the invigilators via Zoom and the streams will be recorded. Eligible finalists can choose to compete online or withdraw from the competition at their discretion. Schools and teachers should respect contestants’ decisions on whether to compete in the online Final Event.

• Contestants should use the same username and password they used at the screening round to access the final competition coding arena.
• The contestants may modify their codes during the competition time. (i.e. 13:00 – 15:30)
• Final competition coding arena will be available in both English and Traditional Chinese. The competition format is similar to the screening round, and the difficulty level is between Computer Science 3 and Computer Science 4 modules of the CodeCombat learning platform.
• Contestants will be allowed to code in Python, JavaScript, C++, Lua, or CoffeeScript. Please note that Python and JavaScript are strongly preferred. The other languages are still in beta version and may not be stable.

• During the competition, contestants are only allowed to open the final competition coding area on their computer. All communication tools are strictly forbidden.
• Contestants are not allowed to enter the competition venue 30 minutes after the competition starts.

• Each contestant should use their own computer (Client Computer) to connect to the coding arena provided by the organiser. Each contestant will also be provided with 2 A4 papers (both sides can be used), and a maximum of 5 A4 papers upon request, while they will have to bring their own stationery. Contestants are not allowed to use any other written or electronic resources in the competition.
• Contestants may input or amend their code in an offline word document (such as Microsoft Word or Text file) before submitting onto the CodeCombat platform.
• During the competition, contestants are allowed to seek clarification on the wordings of the coding arena from the Adjudicators. Should the condition deem necessary, the clarifications will be announced to all contestants. Clarification related to specific codes will not be entertained.
• Client computer: 
  • A laptop which can connect to a Wifi network 
  • RAM: at least 4 GB
  • Operating system: Windows/ MacOS
  • Browser: Chrome is recommended
  • Display: each contestant may only use one display, external display is not allowed
  • Input devices: Keyboard, mouse/ trackpad. Please note that external mouses are allowed, while external keyboards will only be allowed under below circumstances:
    • The built-in keyboard of the laptop is malfunctioned
    • A tablet e.g. SurfacePro is used for the competition

A contestant may be disqualified from the competition or suffer a penalty if the contestant:

• cheats, attempts to cheat or helps other to cheat
• does not meet the eligibility for the school division
• improperly obtains or attempts to obtain knowledge of the final competition coding arena prior to the competition
• has unauthorised physical or electronic article(s) within reach during the competition, whether or not the article(s) could be used for cheating
• communicates or attempts to communicate with any persons during the competition in an attempt to gain unfair advantage
• leaves their assigned seat without invigilator’s permission
• tampers with the competition arena, other contestants’ work, system network and/or other systems
• starts to read or work on the competition arena before being instructed to do so or continues to hold any stationery or work on the competition arena after being told to stop working at the end of the competition
• disobeys the reasonable instructions of an invigilator
• Serious offenders may be banned from all future ICE Challenge-related activities

Q: Is the contestant allowed to use mobile phones during the competition? 

A: No, mobile phones and any other communication devices/ tools are strictly prohibited. Any violation will result in disqualification or penalty.

Q: Are parents allowed to stay at the venue?

A: Due to social distancing policy, we are sorry that parents are not allowed to stay at the venue.

Q: Can the contestant use a tablet instead of a laptop?

A: Laptop is strongly recommended as contestants will need to type their codes.

Q: Can the contestant use the restroom during the competition?

A: Yes. However, the contestant must seek permission from an invigilator. Besides, the contestant is not allowed to communicate with others while using the restroom.

Q: Are contestants required to stay till the end? 

A: Certificates of achievement will be presented to all the finalists at the awards presentation ceremony. Contestants are required to stay until the end of the event.