
Topic: UN SDGs; tech and non-tech solutions. Worldwide school/undergraduate event.
Format and location: Online; Online
Period: 07.08.2026 — 09.08.2026
Registration or submission deadline: 09.08.2026
Current status: Open
Admission for Kazakhstan: Yes — direct
Target audience: School students and undergraduate students
Age and other criteria: 14–24 years old
Team: Solo or up to 4
Main language: EN
Fee: not published in verified materials
Awards: $1,005 cash
OurPlanet.Rocks 2026 is an event in the field of "applied technologies and open innovations". The recorded thematic formulation is: UN SDGs; tech and non-tech solutions. Worldwide school/undergraduate event.. The practical value of participation should be assessed not only by the size of the prize, but also by the quality of the task, access to experts, the suitability of the result for a portfolio, the cost of preparation, and the probability of completing a strong submission in the available time. The status in the catalog is Open, and the editorial priority is A — for youth. This helps to determine the order of work, but is not a rating of the organizer and does not guarantee selection or victory.
For this topic, the central product question is: what specific problem of the chosen user does the project solve and what observable result can prove it. A strong team will be able to answer it in one sentence and then prove the answer with a working result. The most appropriate type of final artifact: a working vertical prototype, a brief architecture, a verifiable user scenario, test results, and honestly described limitations. This is an editorial recommendation derived from the topic; the official mandatory format should only be taken from the event website.
In the card, admission is marked as Yes — direct. The basis that was successfully recorded: Worldwide school/undergraduate event.. These two lines must be read together. The wording "Kazakhstan is not excluded" is weaker than a direct invitation to participants from all over the world, and the word "international" does not always mean the absence of restrictions on citizenship, residency, place of study, age, or sanctions compliance. If the meaning contains "conditionally", if the evidence is indirect, or if the legal rules have not yet been published, it is worth getting a written response from the organizer before spending time.
The recommended request to the organizer should state the country of residence and citizenship, the intended team composition, age or student status, the method of receiving the prize, and the chosen format of participation. It is better to save the response together with a snapshot of the version of the rules. Separately, check whether the platform applies its own restrictions, whether a Kazakhstani bank can receive the payment, whether a tax form is required, and whether it is allowed to participate on behalf of a company. These are not additional rules for this hackathon, but a standard risk check for an international application.
Stated audience: School students and undergraduate students. Recorded criteria: 14–24 years old. Information about team composition: Solo or up to 4. Before registration, each participant must independently confirm compliance with age, student status, residency, and other personal conditions. If permission for solo participation is not stated directly, it should not be considered permitted. If the maximum team size is unknown, do not register extra people until you get an answer from the organizer.
For a task in the field of "applied technologies and open innovations," the rational distribution of roles is as follows: product lead, developer, designer or subject researcher, and the person responsible for testing and submission. One person can combine several functions, but there must be clear owners for the product, technical result, quality assurance, and final submission. It is useful to agree in writing in advance on contributions, the right to present the project, repository access, use of the result after the event, and the distribution of a potential prize. Such an internal agreement is a recommendation and does not replace the platform's terms.
The working language is specified as EN. Even if team communication is in Russian or Kazakh, prepare a unified glossary of terms in advance and designate a person capable of confidently answering jury questions in the required language. For an English-language submission, it is better to use short sentences, labels on diagrams, and subtitles for the demonstration. The goal is accuracy, not a complex style.
The confirmed format is Online, location is Online. Start: 07.08.2026; end: 09.08.2026; deadline: 09.08.2026. Transport information: Not required. Presence of an online component per card: yes; signs of mandatory in-person presence: no. These signs are derived only from the field text and do not override event-specific rules.
For an online format, it is important for a team from Kazakhstan to convert the deadline to their time zone, check the time of mandatory sessions, the upload speed for large videos, and the availability of all APIs. Create a technical buffer of at least a few hours and do not leave registration until the moment of submission. For an in-person or hybrid format, first calculate the full budget: visa, flights, accommodation, insurance, local transport, food, and refundable deposits. The wording "travel support" does not mean automatic coverage of all expenses. The value recorded for this event: Not required.
The participation cost is recorded as not published in verified materials. Prize information: $1,005 cash. Before making a decision, separate cash payments, grants, cloud platform credits, subscriptions, equipment, mentorship, and marketing wording about total value. Clarify the number of winning teams, currency, deadlines, taxes, receipt restrictions, and the need to attend the ceremony. If TBA, page discrepancies, or a re-verification requirement appear in the field, the amount cannot be used as guaranteed income.
Even without a cash prize, an event can be useful if it provides a strong case, public demonstration, feedback, or access to a community. However, paid services, travel, and several weeks of work have an opportunity cost. It is better to make the decision to participate based on three questions: can the mandatory requirements be met; can a convincing result be assembled on time; will the created artifact be useful after the winners are announced?
For this direction, the following sequence is useful:
This strategy is not an official evaluation criterion. Its purpose is to help turn the broad topic of UN SDGs; tech and non-tech solutions. Worldwide school/undergraduate event. into an honest, verifiable, and completed prototype.
Recorded risk: Clarify deadline local time and payout/KYC.. Recommended next step: Submit a short SDG project within the 48-hour window.
The current card does not sufficiently confirm: participation cost and mandatory fees. These points should be considered open questions, not permission to act on the most convenient assumption.
Practical go/no-go criterion: you should apply if the team documentarily meets eligibility, has access to the mandatory stack, has time to complete a verifiable scenario, and accepts financial and logistical risks. Participation should be paused if the admission of Kazakhstan, submission rights, mandatory in-person presence, cost of critical services, or the procedure for paying out a significant prize is unclear.