Dates

Based on the Devpost schedule you pasted:

SUBMISSIONS OPEN
June 24, 2026

PUBLIC VOTING
June 25 – October 9, 2026

SUBMISSION DEADLINE
October 8, 2026

JUDGING
October 8 – October 9, 2026

RESULTS / PRIZES
October 9, 2026

After judging, selected projects can move into the PROOF Aviation Futures™ review and opportunity pipeline for potential technology showcases, business matching, founder development, commercialization support, and pilot-readiness evaluation.

CHALLENGE → PROOF → MATCH → PILOT-READY

All dates are subject to change. Participation or selection does not guarantee funding, investment, a pilot, procurement, or commercial partnership.

Eligibility

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

PROOF Aviation Futures™ is open to builders who want to solve real problems across aviation, aerospace, advanced mobility, technology, infrastructure, and the future aviation workforce.

Eligible participants may include:

Founders • Entrepreneurs • Developers • Engineers • Designers • Researchers • Students • Aviation Professionals • Pilots • Technicians • Product Builders • AI/ML Teams • Robotics Teams • Hardware Teams • Business Builders • Multidisciplinary Teams

Participants may enter individually or as a team.

You do not need to currently work in aviation. Teams from adjacent industries are encouraged to participate when their technology or expertise can be applied to a meaningful aviation problem.

Submissions may include:

New projects created for the challenge.

Existing projects that are substantially developed, adapted, or demonstrated for an aviation-related application during the challenge.

Software, hardware, AI, robotics, research prototypes, platforms, simulations, infrastructure concepts, marketplaces, services, or business solutions.

Projects should address a legitimate problem or opportunity related to aviation, aerospace, airports, AAM/eVTOL, drones/UAS, logistics, cybersecurity, passenger experience, accessibility, workforce, infrastructure, or related technologies.

Participants must have the right to submit the materials included in their entry.

You retain ownership of your project and intellectual property.

Submitting to the challenge does not automatically transfer ownership or equity to Hack the Concrete Jungle, PROOF™, Devpost, judges, sponsors, or participating organizations.

Any future incubation, licensing, investment, pilot, partnership, equity, or commercial relationship would require a separate written agreement between the applicable parties.

Participants must comply with the challenge rules, Devpost requirements, applicable laws, and any third-party licenses associated with technologies, datasets, APIs, software, or other materials used in their project.

Projects involving aircraft, drones, autonomous systems, airport operations, safety-critical systems, or regulated activities must not conduct unauthorized real-world operations as part of the challenge.

A prototype or simulation is acceptable where real-world testing would require regulatory approval, certification, controlled facilities, or specialized authorization.

The challenge is designed to welcome participants from different backgrounds and markets, subject to Devpost eligibility requirements, applicable laws, sanctions/export-control restrictions, and any jurisdictional limitations stated in the official rules.

Participation in PROOF Aviation Futures™ does not guarantee selection for HTCJ programming, incubation, investment, funding, a pilot, procurement opportunity, employment, partnership, customer introduction, or commercial agreement.

COME WITH A PROBLEM.
BUILD THE SOLUTION.
SHOW THE PROOF.

Project and Submission Requirements

Project and Submission Requirements

BUILD IT. SHOW IT. PROVE IT.

Every PROOF Aviation Futures™ submission should demonstrate a clear aviation-related problem, a credible solution, and evidence showing how the project works or could work in a real-world environment.

Your project must:

Solve a Real Problem
Address a clearly defined challenge or opportunity within aviation, aerospace, airports, AAM/eVTOL, drones/UAS, autonomous systems, AI, cybersecurity, logistics, passenger experience, accessibility, infrastructure, workforce, or aviation-related business.

Present a Clear Solution
Explain what you built, how it works, and why your approach is valuable.

Demonstrate PROOF
Provide evidence of the project through a prototype, MVP, working application, AI model, hardware prototype, simulation, technical architecture, service workflow, research demonstration, or other credible implementation.

Identify the User or Customer
Clearly identify who would use, purchase, deploy, integrate, or benefit from the solution.

Show a Path Forward
Explain what would be required to move the project toward additional validation, testing, a demonstration, pilot-readiness, commercialization, or deployment.

1. Project Name

2. Project Description

3. Problem Statement — What problem are you solving and for whom?

4. Solution — What did you build and how does it address the problem?

5. How It Works — Describe the technology, product, service, system, or business model.

6. Project Stage — Identify your current stage:

Concept → Prototype → MVP → Demo Ready → Pilot Ready → Commercial

7. Technology Used — Include relevant AI models, APIs, software, programming languages, cloud services, hardware, sensors, robotics, datasets, development platforms, or other technology.

8. Target User / Customer — Identify the organization, industry, professional, consumer, or community that could use the solution.

9. Visual Evidence — Upload screenshots, product images, diagrams, prototype photos, system architecture, or other visuals that help reviewers understand the project.

10. Demo — A working demo or short demonstration video is strongly encouraged whenever practical.

11. Team Information — Identify team members and their primary roles or expertise.

12. What You Need Next — Tell us what could help move the project forward: industry expertise, customers, data, technology, mentorship, pilot partners, commercialization support, infrastructure, or capital readiness.

You may submit an existing startup, technology, prototype, research project, or business solution.

However, your submission should clearly identify what existed before the challenge and what you developed, improved, validated, or adapted during the challenge period.

Where applicable, provide a working application, prototype, repository, API demonstration, model output, technical architecture, or video demonstrating functionality.

Clearly identify significant third-party AI models, APIs, datasets, open-source software, or development platforms used.

Hardware, robotics, drone, aerospace, and infrastructure teams may submit prototypes, simulations, CAD/design work, system architecture, test results, technical demonstrations, or video evidence when physical deployment is impractical or requires regulatory authorization.

Do not conduct unauthorized aircraft, drone, airport, airspace, or safety-critical testing for the purpose of this challenge.

Participants must have the necessary rights to submit their project and associated materials.

Third-party software, APIs, datasets, models, hardware, and open-source components may be used when permitted by their applicable licenses and terms.

Participants remain responsible for complying with those requirements.

Participants retain ownership of their submitted projects and intellectual property.

Submission does not automatically grant HTCJ, PROOF™, judges, sponsors, partners, or other participants ownership, equity, licensing rights, or commercial rights in a project beyond permissions necessary to administer and showcase the challenge as provided by the official challenge rules and Devpost terms.

Any future pilot, investment, incubation, licensing, equity, procurement, or commercial arrangement requires a separate written agreement.

Before submitting, your team should be able to answer:

WHAT PROBLEM ARE YOU SOLVING?

WHAT DID YOU BUILD?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

WHO NEEDS IT?

WHAT CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE?

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO TEST IT IN THE REAL WORLD?

The strongest submission is not necessarily the biggest company or most complicated technology.

It is the project that can most clearly demonstrate:

REAL PROBLEM → REAL SOLUTION → REAL PROOF → REAL PATH FORWARD.

Prizes

Projects must address a real challenge within aviation, aerospace, mobility, logistics, workforce development, sustainability, or artificial intelligence.
 
Each submission should include:
 
 
- Project title
 
- Team member information
 
- Problem statement
 
- Solution overview
 
- Working prototype or proof of concept
 
- Demo video (3–5 minutes)
 
- Presentation deck (optional but recommended)
 
- GitHub repository (if applicable)
 
- Future roadmap and potential impact
 

 
Projects must be original work created during the challenge unless otherwise noted.
  

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

DON’T JUST PITCH IT. PROVE IT.

PROOF Aviation Futures™ submissions will be evaluated on the strength of the problem, solution, execution, evidence, and potential pathway toward real-world aviation use.

Projects do not need to be fully commercial or production-ready. Judges should evaluate what the team has accomplished relative to the project’s current stage.

1. PROBLEM + AVIATION RELEVANCE — 20%
Does the project address a meaningful, clearly defined problem within aviation, aerospace, airports, AAM/eVTOL, drones/UAS, autonomy, cybersecurity, logistics, infrastructure, passenger experience, workforce, or a related field?

Judges should consider the importance of the problem, clarity of the target user/customer, and whether the team demonstrates an understanding of the environment in which the solution would operate.

2. INNOVATION + DIFFERENTIATION — 15%
What makes the solution different?

Judges should consider originality, creative application of technology, differentiation from existing solutions, and whether the project introduces a better way of addressing the identified problem.

3. TECHNICAL EXECUTION — 20%
How well was the solution built?

Evaluation may include software functionality, AI implementation, engineering, hardware, system architecture, integrations, data strategy, user experience, simulation, technical feasibility, or other appropriate evidence.

Teams will be evaluated according to the type and maturity of their project.

4. PROOF + DEMONSTRATION — 20%
Can the team demonstrate that the solution works—or provide credible evidence that it can?

Evidence may include:

Prototype
MVP
Live application
AI model/output
Hardware demonstration
Simulation
Technical architecture
Testing results
Research validation
Video demonstration
Customer discovery

A polished presentation alone should not receive the same consideration as credible evidence of execution.

5. REAL-WORLD FEASIBILITY + PILOT READINESS — 15%
Could this solution reasonably move toward testing or use in an aviation environment?

Judges should consider implementation requirements, regulatory considerations, safety, infrastructure, integration, customer adoption, scalability, and the clarity of the proposed next step.

Projects are not required to already have regulatory approval or a pilot partner.

6. IMPACT + COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL — 10%
If successful, what could this solution change?

Potential impact may include safety, efficiency, accessibility, sustainability, cost reduction, passenger experience, workforce development, new business creation, operational improvement, or commercial opportunity.

Each submission may receive a score out of 100 points:

20 — Problem + Aviation Relevance
15 — Innovation + Differentiation
20 — Technical Execution
20 — PROOF + Demonstration
15 — Real-World Feasibility + Pilot Readiness
10 — Impact + Commercial Potential

TOTAL: 100 POINTS

Eligible submissions will be reviewed using the published judging criteria.

Finalists and winners will be determined based on their overall judging results and compliance with the official challenge requirements.

Where scores are substantially tied, judges may give additional consideration to:

Strength of demonstrated proof
Clarity of the real-world aviation use case
Technical feasibility
Readiness for a meaningful next step

The judging panel’s decisions will be final, subject to the official challenge rules and Devpost requirements.

Public voting may be used to highlight community interest and engagement.

Unless specifically stated otherwise in the official prize structure, public voting should not replace the formal judging criteria used to determine overall winners.

This keeps popularity separate from technical and commercial evaluation.

In addition to overall winner selection, HTCJ may recognize qualifying projects in areas such as:

Best Aviation AI Solution
Best Autonomous / AAM Solution
Best Airport or Infrastructure Solution
Best Cybersecurity / Dual-Use Solution
Best Passenger Experience / Accessibility Solution
Best Workforce or Aviation Business Solution
Best Demonstration / PROOF
Most Pilot-Ready

Recognition does not guarantee a monetary prize unless that prize is specifically listed on the official Devpost prize page.

Winning the challenge is not the only measure of success.

Qualified projects may also be considered separately for continued engagement within the HTCJ × PROOF ecosystem, including founder assessment, showcases, mentor engagement, technology matching, business introductions, commercialization support, and pilot-readiness review.

Those opportunities are separate from challenge judging and are not guaranteed by a project’s score, finalist status, or award.

REAL PROBLEM.
REAL SOLUTION.
REAL PROOF.
REAL PATH FORWARD.