HIGHEST HONOR
Gold
01Demonstrate the dry-wet closed-loop validation
02Meaningful AI↔experiment iteration (predict→test→correct)
03Standout verifiability, Human Practices, etc.
Criterion-based, not ranked
Awards & Judging
Medals are criterion-based (indicative): meet the bar to earn one, each tier building on the last, plus several special awards. Concrete criteria will be refined and published by the Judging Committee once the participant pool is clear.
Medal Standards
Medal standards (indicative, progressive)
Medals are criterion-based reference levels: each tier builds on the previous one.
Silver
01On top of Bronze, introduce a wet-lab dimension
02Advance both tracks in parallel with inspectable output
03AI model with metrics & recent (≤3-yr) baselines
Bronze
01Solid work on the dry-lab (AI / computational) dimension
02Complete, inspectable docs, code and presentation
03Open-source, verifiable code (deps, seeds, repro script)
Note: Medal standards are indicative and criterion-based (not ranked); concrete items are refined and published by the Judging Committee once participation is clear.
Special Awards
Special awards (proposed · four families)
Several special awards are planned around the dimensions below, recognizing teams or individuals who excel in a single direction. Final count and titles will be confirmed by the Judging Committee in mid-season, based on actual participation.
Overall
Grand Prize, Track Prize, etc.
Technical
AI innovation, wet-lab excellence, dry-wet integration, virtual-cell modeling, etc.
Engineering & Collaboration
Software tools, new parts, verifiability, lean innovation (doing more with less), Zhi'ao Exploration (OpenClaw / multi-agent), etc.
Social Impact
Human Practices, education & outreach, presentation, etc.
Judging System
Judging & Grand Finale
Final review combines expert evaluation with defense and showcase sessions.
Dual-domain panel
AI experts and synthetic-biology experts judge together for balanced expertise.
Defense format
15-min talk + 10-min Q&A; online judging + onsite showcase.
Conflict of interest
Judges with ties to a team must recuse themselves.
Use the criteria as your project checklist
A strong submission is usually strong long before the final defense.