Ad Astra Contest Rules

Rules & Conditions

1. Sponsor This contest ("Contest") is sponsored by TechArena, headquartered in Portland, Oregon ("Sponsor").

2. Eligibility The Contest is open to companies with at least one employee registered to attend the AI Infra Summit in person at the Santa Clara Convention Center, September 15-17. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and authorized to submit on behalf of their company. Entering the Contest does not constitute registration for the AI Infra Summit. To register for the event, visit https://www.ai-infra-summit.com/.  

3. No Purchase Necessary No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this Contest. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

4. Contest Period The Contest will be conducted entirely online. Submissions will be accepted beginning June 25, 2026, and closing July 22, 5 PM PDT.

5. How to Enter To enter, complete the online submission form in full, including First Name, Last Name, Company Email, Job Title, Company Name, and a written submission of no more than 200 words. Incomplete submissions will be disqualified. One entry per company.

6. Submission Requirements Submissions must be original work, written in English, and no more than 200 words. Submissions must not contain confidential information, obscene or offensive content, or material that infringes on third-party intellectual property rights. By submitting, the entrant grants TechArena a non-exclusive right to use, publish, and reproduce the submission for promotional purposes.

7. Judging Eligible submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges selected by TechArena. Submissions will be scored on the following criteria:

  • Focus Area Alignment: The extent to which the submission identifies the summit’s relevant focus area — Compute, AI Data Center, Data Movement, Data & Models, or Physical AI — and makes a focused, well-supported case for the technology's role and significance within it.
  • Real-World Impact: The degree to which the submission substantiates its claims with measurable outcomes, such as with performance gains, cost reduction, energy efficiency, scalability improvements, or deployment results.
  • Clarity: The effectiveness with which the submission communicates complex innovation in language accessible to a senior technical or business decision maker. Submissions are expected to demonstrate technical depth without relying on jargon.

8. Tie In the event of a tie, TechArena reserves the right to determine the winner at its sole discretion. TechArena's decisions are final and binding.

9. Prize One (1) winning company will receive the following:

  • Pre-event: Featured spot as the content winner on the TechArena AI Infra Contest showcase page, with the company logo and written submission included on the page, and an announcement as the contest winner via the TechArena LinkedIn handle.
  • Pre-event: 5 Fast Facts Interview Blog - A Q&A published on the TechArena platform focused on AI infrastructure requirements with select answers featured in TechArena's 2026 AI Infrastructure Requirements Report
  • Pre-event: Solution Brief Development – a two-page digital solution brief developed for use at the show
  • During event: Mention in a TechArena recap blog
  • Post-event: Contributed Blog recap – A blog written by the winning company post-show and published on the TechArena platform that captures its insights on the innovations showcased

The winning prize has no cash value and is non-transferable. No substitution of prizes is permitted except at TechArena's sole discretion.

In addition, three (3) additional companies receive honorable mentions as contest runners-up. Each runner up will receive the following:

  • Pre-event: A mention on the TechArena AI Infra Contest Showcase page, including the company logo and written submission.
  • Pre-event: 1 social media post via the TechArena LinkedIn handle highlighting the company as an honorable mention in the contest.

The runner-up prize has no cash value and is non-transferable. No substitution of prizes is permitted except at TechArena's sole discretion.

10. Notification The winner will be notified via the company email address provided in the submission form within 10 business days of the close of the Contest. If a winner does not respond within five business days of notification, TechArena reserves the right to select an alternate winner.

11. General Conditions TechArena reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest at any time for any reason. TechArena is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, or misdirected submissions. By entering, participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of TechArena.

12. Privacy Personal information collected through Contest entry will be used for the administration of this Contest and for TechArena marketing purposes. Personal information not be shared with third parties and will be handled in accordance with TechArena's Privacy Policy.