Build Challenge — Official Rules

These are the official rules governing the It's Today Media Build Challenge (the "Contest"). Read them carefully. By registering, you agree to be bound by them.

1. Sponsor

The Contest is sponsored by It's Today Media (the "Company," "we," or "us"), an affiliate marketing company based in the United States.

2. Eligibility

The Contest is open to individuals who, at the time of registration:

• Are eighteen (18) years of age or older.
• Are US-based (US citizen, permanent resident, or holder of valid work authorization) OR believe they are uniquely qualified for this role and willing to be considered as a non-US applicant. US-based applicants are strongly preferred. Non-US applicants will be considered at It's Today Media's sole discretion based on the strength of their submission and overall fit.
• Are available to begin full-time employment (40+ hours per week, with East Coast business hours overlap) if selected.
• Are not current employees, contractors, immediate family members, or household members of anyone employed by It's Today Media or its affiliates.

Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

3. How to Enter

To enter the Contest, complete the registration form at today-media-contest.vercel.app/register, including all required fields and acknowledgments. Registration must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on July 1, 2026.

After registering, you will receive a unique submission link. Use that link to submit your completed entry before the submission deadline of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on July 1, 2026.

A complete entry consists of (a) a working demo of your tool (live URL or recorded walkthrough), (b) a code repository (public or private GitHub repository), and (c) a README answering the three questions specified in the contest brief.

Limit: one (1) entry per person. Solo entries only — no teams.

4. Use of AI Tools

You may use any AI tools, frameworks, or code-generation systems to build your entry. We care what you build, not how you build it.

5. Judging

Entries will be judged by It's Today Media leadership using the criteria published at today-media-contest.vercel.app under the "How We Judge" section.

Judges will select a small number of finalists (typically 2–5) who will be invited to a finalist interview. The winner will be selected from among the finalists based on a combined evaluation of the submitted build and the finalist interview.

Judging is at the sole discretion of It's Today Media. All decisions are final.

6. Prizes

Winner Prize:Five Thousand U.S. Dollars ($5,000 USD), payable upon the winner's acceptance of a full-time employment offer from It's Today Media.

Finalist Honorarium: Two Hundred Fifty U.S. Dollars ($250 USD), paid to each finalist who completes the finalist interview, regardless of whether an employment offer is extended or accepted.

If No Offer Is Extended to the Winner:If the judges select a winner but It's Today Media chooses, in its sole discretion, not to extend a full-time employment offer to the winner, the $5,000 prize will convert to the $250 finalist honorarium. In that case, no winner will be designated and no additional prize will be paid.

If the Winner Declines the Offer: If a winner is selected, an employment offer is extended, and the winner declines the offer, no prize will be paid. The winner will receive the $250 finalist honorarium for completing the finalist interview.

Prizes are non-transferable. No prize substitution.

7. Taxes

All winners and honorarium recipients are solely responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes owed on prizes received. It's Today Media will require a completed IRS Form W-9 before issuing payment. A Form 1099-MISC will be issued for any payment of $600 or more in accordance with U.S. tax law.

8. Intellectual Property

You retain all ownership rights in the code, designs, and materials you submit as your Contest entry. It's Today Media claims no intellectual property interest in submissions unless and until the winner accepts a full-time employment offer and signs a standard employment intellectual property assignment agreement, at which point standard employment terms will govern work performed during employment.

By submitting an entry, you grant It's Today Media a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to review, evaluate, and reference the entry for purposes of judging the Contest and for non-commercial communications about the Contest (e.g., announcing the winner). This license terminates upon Contest conclusion except with respect to public Contest announcements and the winner's entry as part of any announcement of the winner.

You represent and warrant that your entry is your own original work, does not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights, and does not include code subject to any copyleft license obligation (such as GPL or AGPL) that would require disclosure of integrated proprietary code.

9. Employment Decisions

Winning the Contest entitles you to a guaranteed finalist interview. It does not entitle you to a guaranteed employment offer. Any employment relationship with It's Today Media remains at-will and subject to standard employment terms and conditions, including verification of work authorization and any required background checks.

10. Disqualification

It's Today Media reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who (a) violates these rules, (b) submits an entry that infringes third-party intellectual property rights, (c) submits multiple entries, (d) engages in fraudulent or deceptive conduct, or (e) cannot verify eligibility as required by these rules.

11. Privacy

Information collected during registration will be used solely for the purposes of administering the Contest, evaluating entries, communicating with entrants, and (for the winner) evaluating a potential employment relationship. Information will not be sold or shared with third parties except as required by law.

12. Modification or Termination

It's Today Media reserves the right to modify these rules or terminate the Contest at any time, including for reasons of technical failure, fraud, or other circumstances that compromise the integrity of the Contest. Material changes to these rules will be communicated to registered entrants by email.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, It's Today Media's total liability to any entrant arising from or related to the Contest is limited to the amount of the prize the entrant would have received under these rules. Entrants waive any claim for indirect, consequential, special, or punitive damages.

14. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These rules are governed by the laws of the United States, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising from or related to the Contest will be resolved through binding individual arbitration. Entrants waive any right to participate in a class action.

15. Contact

Questions about the Contest or these rules may be directed to the Contest administrator via the contact information provided in the registration confirmation email.

By registering, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these official rules.