Competition Rules

1. Overview and eligibility

Forja is the Design, Build and Release Contest, a skills-based startup competition and product organised and operated by Design Glyphe LLC. It is open to startups globally within the Home Improvement sector. Forja is structured as a merit-based competition, not a lottery, sweepstakes, or game of chance. No purchase is necessary to enter. Prizes are awarded solely on the basis of demonstrated execution and measurable results.

The competition covers 14 Home Improvement subsectors: Carpentry, Woodworking, Furniture, Soft Furnishing, Wall Finishing, Metalwork, Smart Home, Solar Systems, Plumbing/Kitchen and Bath, Roofing, Landscaping, Floor Installation, Home and Office Remodelling, and Interior Design and Fit-Out.

To be eligible, a startup must meet all of the following criteria:

• Operate within one or more of the 14 recognised Home Improvement subsectors
• Be at an early stage (pre-revenue or early-revenue). Established firms with significant market share are not eligible.
• Be building a product or service designed to generate real revenue from real customers — Forja is an execution competition, not a pitch contest.
• Have a documented founder agreement specifying each founder's equity percentage
• Maintain an Integrity Quotient (IQ) score of 7.0 or above throughout the competition. The IQ measures five dimensions on a 1-10 scale: Truthful Marketing, Quality Delivery, Transparent Pricing, Ethical Sourcing, and Customer Communication.
• Have the legal right to form and operate a business in their target market

Entry is free. The competition is void where prohibited by applicable law. Full eligibility details are available on the Eligibility page.

2. Registration and application

Registration opens on September 30, 2026. The competition kicks off on December 1, 2026. A maximum of 360 startups will be accepted into Stage One.

Applicants must submit a complete application that includes, at minimum: startup name, subsector, founding team details, evidence of current traction and market validation stage, a description of the product or service, and confirmation of eligibility requirements. Design Glyphe LLC reserves the right to request additional documentation to verify any claims made in the application.

Applications are reviewed by the Design Glyphe LLC team and evaluated on the basis of subsector fit, product viability, team commitment, and verified customer traction. Selection is at the sole discretion of Design Glyphe LLC. Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance.

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application. Unsuccessful applicants will not receive detailed feedback on the reasons for non-selection. No refunds, credits, or compensation are provided for non-acceptance.

3. Stage One: virtual qualification (4 weeks)

Stage One is a 4-week virtual qualification round. It is 100% remote and globally distributed. Contestants may participate from any location with reliable internet access. Stage One is designed to be side-hustle friendly, with a minimum commitment of 20 hours per week.

During Stage One, contestants work through the three-phase framework in sequence: Design, Build, Release. Each phase requires specific deliverables and is evaluated against defined criteria. Weekly submissions are mandatory. Failure to submit required deliverables without prior arrangement may result in elimination.

Contestants are expected to serve real paying customers during Stage One. Revenue claims, customer interactions, and delivery quality are subject to verification by the Design Glyphe LLC audit team. Customer contact information is held confidential but must be verifiable. Financial records may be requested in redacted form.

When evaluating advancement from Stage One and selecting final winners, judges and Forja leadership assess each contestant's commercial performance against a minimum standard: $1,500 USD in verified revenue from at least 2 independent paying customers, with delivery proof and an authenticated testimonial per transaction (full definition on the How It Works page). This is not a requirement to enter the competition — it is the threshold that determines whether a founder has demonstrated real market traction worthy of investment.

At the conclusion of Stage One, the top 10% of contestants (36 startups) advance to Stage Two. Ranks 37 through 44 are placed on a waitlist as potential replacements. All other contestants are eliminated. Advancement decisions are final, subject to the dispute resolution process described in the Terms and Conditions.

4. Stage Two: live competition (12 weeks)

Stage Two is a 12-week hybrid live competition. It combines physical presence at a designated venue with livestream and broadcast elements. The location of Stage Two will be confirmed before competition commencement.

Stage Two requires full-time commitment and physical relocation to the competition venue. Contestants must have the legal right to travel to and remain in the host country for the duration of Stage Two. Work authorisation in the host country must be confirmed or confirmable before advancement.

The Design, Build, Release framework is repeated at higher intensity during Stage Two. Contestants face weekly evaluations and Boardroom sessions, where the Judging Panel reviews performance, challenges decisions, and determines eliminations. The Boardroom is the formal elimination mechanism for Stage Two.

Non-advancing participants from Stage Two are not entitled to any refund, credit, compensation, or continued participation. Contestants who abandon the Stage Two venue without permission from the Competition Director are immediately eliminated.

5. Evaluation and scoring

Advancement in both stages is determined by a composite score weighted as follows: Market Performance accounts for 60% and Judge Evaluation accounts for 40%.

Market Performance is measured through verified revenue, customer acquisition, delivery quality, and operational execution. These are objective metrics validated by the Design Glyphe LLC audit team.

Judge Evaluation is based on the Judging Panel's assessment of strategic thinking, innovation, presentation quality, and adherence to the Design, Build, Release framework. Judges include both internal judges (appointed by Design Glyphe LLC) and external judges (industry professionals, investors, and subject-matter experts).

The Integrity Quotient (IQ) is monitored throughout the competition. The IQ assesses five dimensions, each scored 1-10: Truthful Marketing, Quality Delivery, Transparent Pricing, Ethical Sourcing, and Customer Communication. The IQ is the average of these five scores. A score below 7.0 at any point may trigger a review for disqualification. A score of 7.5 or above is required for funding eligibility.

All scoring decisions by the Judging Panel are final, subject to the dispute resolution process described in the Terms and Conditions.

6. Prizes and investment terms

The total prize pool is $250,000, distributed as follows:

Prizes are awarded via SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) or convertible note agreements. Prize funds are disbursed in three tranches: 40% upon execution of the investment agreement, 30% upon achievement of the first milestone, and 30% upon achievement of the second milestone. Milestones are defined in the individual investment agreement between the winner and Design Glyphe LLC.

Disbursement is contingent upon successful completion of due diligence and execution of all required legal documentation. Design Glyphe LLC reserves the right to withhold or reclaim prize funds in cases of fraud, material misrepresentation, or breach of competition rules.

Design Glyphe LLC may substitute a prize of equal or greater value if circumstances require. The specific terms of each prize agreement are subject to negotiation between the winner and Design Glyphe LLC within the parameters stated above. For full prize details, see the Prizes page.

7. Tax obligations

Winners are solely responsible for all taxes, duties, and levies arising from the receipt of prize funds, equity, and any in-kind benefits. This includes income tax, capital gains tax, and any other applicable taxes in the winner's jurisdiction of residence and/or business operation.

Design Glyphe LLC will issue appropriate tax documentation (such as Form 1099 in the United States, or equivalent forms in other jurisdictions) as required by applicable law. Design Glyphe LLC does not provide tax advice. Winners are strongly advised to consult a qualified tax professional before signing any investment agreement.

8. Disqualification

Design Glyphe LLC reserves the right to disqualify any contestant at any stage of the competition. The following table describes conduct that may result in disqualification:

Disqualification decisions are made by the Internal Judges. The Competition Director may override a disqualification decision only in extraordinary circumstances, and any such override must be documented in writing. Disqualified contestants forfeit all prizes, benefits, and standing in the competition. For conduct-related matters, see the Code of Conduct.

9. Intellectual property

Contestants retain full ownership of all intellectual property they create before and during the competition. Design Glyphe LLC makes no claim on contestant innovations, products, or business methods by virtue of participation. The sole exception is media content: Design Glyphe LLC retains perpetual rights to all video, audio, images, and content produced during the competition for promotional, broadcast, and archival purposes.

Investors who participate in prize funding gain only the rights defined in the signed equity agreements (SAFE or convertible note). No additional IP rights transfer through the investment relationship. For full intellectual property terms, see Section 6 of the Terms and Conditions.

10. Confidentiality

All contestants are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before entering Stage One. The NDA covers both business information shared during the competition and personal disclosures made in the competition environment. Judges, mentors, sponsors, and all Design Glyphe LLC staff are also bound by confidentiality obligations and sign separate NDAs.

Sponsors may not access contestant proprietary methods, financials, or intellectual property. Sponsor NDAs specifically prevent the use of competition access for competitive intelligence purposes. For full confidentiality terms, see Section 7 of the Terms and Conditions.

11. Media and content rights

By entering the competition, contestants grant Design Glyphe LLC the right to capture, produce, edit, and distribute video, audio, images, and other media content featuring the contestant, their team, their startup branding, and their competition activities. This grant is global, perpetual, and irrevocable for the purposes of competition promotion, broadcast, documentation, and archival.

Contestants may not demand editorial approval of final media content. Contestants may request a review of content they believe materially misrepresents their character, but approval of any changes remains at the sole discretion of Design Glyphe LLC. For full media and likeness terms, see Section 8 of the Terms and Conditions.

12. Code of Conduct

All participants (contestants, judges, mentors, sponsors, and staff) are required to adhere to the Forja Code of Conduct throughout the competition. The Code of Conduct establishes expectations for professional behaviour, defines prohibited conduct, and outlines enforcement procedures including investigation and appeals.

Read the full Code of Conduct.

13. Participant agreements

Entry into the competition is contingent upon the execution of all required legal agreements. These are separate signed documents provided to registered participants before competition commencement. The required agreements include:

For contestants:

• Eligibility confirmation (startup stage, founder commitment, legal standing)
• Code of Conduct acknowledgment
• Intellectual property and confidentiality agreement (IP ownership, NDA, non-compete during competition)
• Media release agreement (likeness, filming, broadcast, content permissions)
• Liability waiver (assumption of risk, release of claims)
• Compliance commitment (agreement to follow all rules, regulations, and judge decisions)
• Data privacy consent (consent to collect and use personal and business data per the Privacy Policy)
• Funding terms acknowledgment, if applicable (equity agreements, post-funding obligations)

For judges and mentors:

• Conflict of interest declaration
• Non-disclosure agreement
• Code of Conduct acknowledgment
• Media participation agreement

For sponsors and partners:

• Sponsorship terms agreement
• Non-interference agreement
• Confidentiality agreement
• Brand alignment standards acknowledgment

Full agreement documents will be provided to registered participants before competition commencement. Failure to execute the required agreements by the specified deadline will result in forfeiture of the participant's place in the competition.

14. Dispute resolution

Disputes arising from or relating to the competition are resolved through the three-step process described in the Terms and Conditions: (1) direct resolution between the parties, (2) mediation facilitated by the Advisory Board or a neutral third party, and (3) binding arbitration. Detailed dispute resolution procedures, including jurisdiction, timelines, and cost allocation, are set out in Section 13 of the Terms and Conditions.

15. Regulatory compliance

Forja is structured as a skills-based competition. It is not a lottery, sweepstakes, raffle, or game of chance. No purchase is necessary to enter. Prizes are awarded solely on the basis of demonstrated skill, execution, and measurable results. This structure is designed to comply with contest and competition laws in applicable jurisdictions.

Contestants are responsible for operating their businesses legally in their respective jurisdictions throughout the competition. This includes, without limitation, obtaining all necessary licences, permits, and insurance, and maintaining compliance with applicable health and safety standards, consumer protection laws, and business registration requirements.

Design Glyphe LLC retains a Legal and Compliance Officer who confirms contest law compliance per jurisdiction and has the authority to pause or modify competition operations if a legal or regulatory issue arises.

16. Amendments to rules

Design Glyphe LLC reserves the right to modify, supplement, or amend these Competition Rules at any time. Material changes will be communicated to all registered participants via the email address provided at registration. Continued participation in the competition after notification of a rule change constitutes acceptance of the amended rules.

Where an amendment materially affects a contestant's rights or obligations, Design Glyphe LLC will provide reasonable notice and, where practicable, an opportunity for affected contestants to withdraw without penalty.

17. Contact

For questions about these Competition Rules, formal rule notices, or legal concerns about participation, contact the Forja legal team at legal@contact.enterforja.com. For legal matters, refer to the Terms and Conditions. We will respond to all written enquiries within 10 business days.