Complete the document fields and read the entire rules text: identical values appear in different clauses.
Check every [ДАТА] and [УСЛОВИЯ] occurrence; edit specific clauses in the DOCX where values need to differ.
Agree the rules and compare final files before publishing: downloading does not approve the document.
Stavleak Team · Updated October 7, 2026
You enter a date in a template, and registration suddenly closes on the day the rules were approved. The document looks complete. It can still confuse a team.
In brief
Open Stavleak’s hackathon rules template, complete the document fields, read the updated text, and download the DOCX. Identical placeholders update together, so check every date and condition in context. Where values need to differ, edit the relevant sentences in the downloaded document. Agree the rules with the people responsible before publishing and compare your final versions.
What should you decide before filling in the rules?
Start with decisions participants can act on: eligibility, team size, submission requirements, and deadlines. Mark unresolved answers in your notes. A confident sentence does not replace a decision.
MLH’s organizer guide recommends making eligibility, team size, submission requirements, and deadlines clear in advance. These are useful questions for your document; the answers depend on the event.
Keep a short decision sheet beside the template:
Event: its name, organizer, format, and venue or method of joining online.
Participation: requirements for people and teams, fees or terms of free entry.
Work: the challenge, tracks, development period, submission materials, and an exact deadline with a time zone.
Decisions: judging criteria, prize conditions, a questions channel, and an appeals process.
Can I publish as soon as every field is filled in?
No. Read the full text, separate repeated dates and conditions, remove unresolved alternatives, and agree any disputed decisions. Completed fields alone do not prove that the rules are consistent.
Can two [ДАТА] placeholders have different values?
Do not rely on automatic separation: identical placeholders update throughout the text. If one clause needs the version date and another needs the registration closing date, edit the specific clause in the downloaded DOCX.
Is the template only for online hackathons?
The fields include an online/offline/hybrid choice. Select your format and check the related conditions: venue, access to materials, submission, and demonstration. Replacing the format word alone is not enough.
Assign each unresolved question to someone who can answer it before registration opens.
How do you complete the document fields in Stavleak?
The template page has a panel labelled “Поля документа” (“Document fields”). Entered values update the corresponding places throughout the text. The template contains ten sections, from general provisions to amendments and appeals. The functions and Russian button labels were checked in the interface on October 7, 2026.
Work through related decisions together:
Who is running what: “НАЗВАНИЕ” (name), “ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯ” (organization), “ЦЕЛЬ” (purpose), and “СПИСОК ТРЕКОВ” (track list). A track name should help explain the task.
How to participate: the online/offline/hybrid field, free entry/conditions, eligibility requirements, MIN, and MAX. Check team limits against what you promise in the invitation.
When and what to submit: date, date and time, period, deadline, and additional materials. Include a time zone, such as UTC+5 if that is the organizer’s chosen reference.
How decisions are made: formula, criterion, description, channel, and time limit. Read the resulting sentences: a completed heading alone does not explain a calculation or a process for contacting you.
Other fields offer alternatives, including allowed/not allowed and not accepted/accepted under conditions. Choose a meaning. Do not publish both options separated by a slash, and check that the rest of the sentence fits your choice.
Why should you check repeated placeholders throughout the text?
A placeholder is a space for an inserted value, such as [ДАТА] (“date”). Identical labels do not mean that every sentence refers to the same milestone. In this template, repeated values update together. Automatic substitution saves retyping; it does not decide which date belongs in each sentence.
Illustrative example. You issue a version of the rules on October 15, but registration closes on October 20. Both places use [ДАТА]. Enter October 15, and it also appears where the registration deadline should be. The polished paragraph still contains an error.
Read every occurrence. In the downloaded DOCX, change the registration clause to October 20 and check that the version date remains October 15. Do not assume the field can distinguish these purposes automatically.
Do the same with [УСЛОВИЯ] (“conditions”). In the checked template, this field appears under permitted existing components and prize conditions. These may need different wording. Note each occurrence’s purpose, edit the specific clauses after downloading, and reread the surrounding sentences.
How can you check whether participants will understand the rules?
Ask a colleague to find answers to three questions: “Am I eligible?”, “What do I submit, and when?”, and “How is the result decided?” Ask them to point to specific clauses. “We will explain that in chat later” means the document still needs work.
These are editorial examples, not requirements for every hackathon:
Before: “Teams should be small.” After: “A team has two to four participants.” Also decide whether solo participation is allowed and record that decision.
Before: “Submit the project in the evening.” After: “Materials are accepted until 18:00 on October 25, 2026, UTC+5.” Separately decide what happens to a late submission or an inaccessible link.
Before: “The organizer handles questions.” After: “Submit a request through the specified channel within the chosen time limit.” Replace those generic terms with your actual channel and time limit in the final version.
MLH’s standard rules explicitly allow organizers to adapt them to an event. Do not borrow another event’s numbers and restrictions just because they are already published.
When should you use “Download DOCX” or “Print / PDF”?
First, read the whole document, including the sections after judging and prizes. Check for remaining square brackets, slash-separated alternatives, and conflicting deadlines. Then select “Скачать DOCX” (“Download DOCX”) and make any necessary changes in a text editor.
The interface provides “Печать / PDF” (“Print / PDF”) for printing or PDF output. If you later edit the downloaded DOCX, distribute the final revision. An earlier PDF may still contain the old text.
There is also a “Вернуть шаблон” (“Restore template”) button. Save any working revision you need before returning to the original. Downloading a file does not settle the conditions: refer questions about rights to the work, personal data, and liability to the appropriate specialists.
