Competition Rules

ASC REGION 8 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION

RULES AND GUIDELINES

1. Purpose and Governance

1.1 These Rules and Guidelines establish the procedures for the ASC Region 8 Student Competition, to promote fairness, integrity, and educational benefit.
1.2 The competition shall be governed by the Region 8 Competition Governance Team, comprising the Regional Director (or delegate) and the Host Institution representative.
1.3 The Governance Team is responsible for appointing sponsors, selecting judges, ensuring compliance with these Rules, and administering the competition.

2. Definitions

2.1 Sponsors – Lead industry representatives who set the problem, assist with judging, and provide awards.
2.2 Judges – Industry professionals selected by the sponsors, acting as clients for evaluation purposes.
2.3 Coach – A faculty/staff member from the ASC school responsible for logistics and pastoral support of their team.
2.4 Student Team – A group of eligible undergraduate students representing their institution, as defined in Clause 5.
2.5 Alternates – Students not in the competing four- or six-member team, whose role shall be subject to Clause 7.

3. Competition Format

3.1 The competition is held over two days. Day One is reserved for problem-solving; Day Two for team presentations and judging.
3.2 Teams may only use the resources they bring to the competition venue, together with permitted online sources, unless restricted in the problem brief.
3.3 All work on the problem must be undertaken solely by registered team members once the competition commences.

4. Ethical Standards

4.1 Coaching Restrictions – From the moment the problem is released on Thursday morning until the conclusion of presentations on Friday morning, coaches are prohibited from offering any form of coaching, critique, or assistance related to the competition problem or presentations.
4.2 Coaches may accompany teams for social purposes (e.g. Thursday dinner) but may not engage in rehearsal, run-throughs, or preparation.
4.3 Prohibition on Site Access – No team member, coach, or alternate may approach, enter, or attempt to gain access to the competition site/building. The Regional Director will instruct all sponsors to deny such access.
4.4 Violations of Clauses 4.1–4.3 constitute a breach of competition integrity and may result in sanctions including score reduction or disqualification.

5. Student Team Composition

5.1 For the CM/QS (Estimating), Project Management, and Sustainable Valuation tracks: each team shall consist of a maximum of four students.
5.2 For the Design & Build track: each team shall consist of a maximum of six students.
5.3 All members must be enrolled in an ASC member construction-related programme (exceptions for graduating semester students or agreed first-time international participants).
5.4 Each institution may enter a maximum of two teams per track and no more than eight teams overall.
5.5 A student may compete on only one team. Team members may be replaced prior to the start of the problem-solving period.

6. International Participation

6.1 To encourage outreach, teams external to Region 8 may compete, but for their first entry they must collaborate with a Region 8 member school.
6.2 Mixed international teams must comprise at least 50% students from the international partner programme.
6.3 A second entry from the same institution may be a full independent team.
6.4 In cases where no Region 8 partner can be secured, the Regional Director may permit a full international entry.

7. Alternates

7.1 Definition
An Alternate Student is an officially registered member of a participating institution who attends the competition as part of the delegation but is not one of the designated competing team members for that track. Alternates are not permitted to substitute for competing members once the competition has commenced.

7.2 Role
The sole role of an Alternate is to observe competition proceedings for learning and development purposes. Alternates are considered non-participants in the problem-solving process and have no standing in relation to deliverables, judging, or awards.

7.3 Restrictions
(a) Alternates must remain silent observers throughout the competition period once the problem has been released.
(b) Alternates shall not provide advice, commentary, research, notes, or assistance of any kind to their team — whether verbal, written, electronic, or non-verbal.
(c) Alternates shall not participate in rehearsals, practice presentations, or informal run-throughs.
(d) Alternates shall not handle, prepare, or transmit competition materials, presentation slides, or supporting documents on behalf of the team.
(e) Alternates are permitted to attend team presentations as part of the audience but may not communicate with the team during or immediately prior to the session.

7.4 Enforcement
Any report or observation of an Alternate breaching these restrictions will result in the Alternate being required to leave the competition space immediately. If the breach is deemed to have provided unfair assistance, sanctions may be imposed upon the team, up to and including disqualification.

8. Presentations and Judging

8.1 Presentations shall follow the prescribed time limits.
8.2 All team members must speak for a minimum duration.
8.3 Teams and coaches may not observe other teams’ presentations.
8.4 Judges will evaluate proposals and presentations based on criteria set by sponsors, with presentations not exceeding 30% of the total score.

9. Sanctions

9.1 Any violation of these Rules may result in sanctions ranging from score reduction to disqualification.
9.2 A review committee comprising the Competition Coordinator, sponsor representative, and one coach will adjudicate reported breaches.
9.3 Decisions of the review committee are final.

10. Awards

10.1 Prizes shall be awarded to first, second, and third place teams in each track, along with a Best Speaker Award where appropriate.