Rules & FAQ.

The rules

1. 01

   Free entry, funded Champion Award

   Entry is free for eligible and verified participants. Each cycle's Champion Award is funded by Joche Solutions Ltd or a cycle sponsor - never by participants. Champion Awards may reach up to ₦500,000 depending on the cycle, available funding, and sponsorship. The actual amount for the live cycle is published when the cycle opens and confirmed on the Evidence Board at cycle end.

2. 02

   One entry per person, per cycle

   Entry is free and open to any verified account. One entry per cycle. Entry closes when the first session opens. Multiple accounts from the same person are disqualified.

3. 03

   The Award is transparent

   We publish the final Champion Award amount and the winner transfer at cycle end.

4. 04

   One Champion per cycle

   The single highest scorer at cycle end becomes this cycle's Champion and receives the Champion Award. There is no 2nd or 3rd place cash award. The only exception is a tie that cannot be resolved by the tiebreaker chain - in that case the tied competitors split the Champion Award equally (50% each).

5. 05

   AI-first scoring with limited human moderation

   Submissions are initially assessed using AI against the published scoring rubric. Human moderation is limited to suspected fraud, plagiarism, technical errors, abuse, or clear rubric misapplication. Material score corrections may be made where necessary to protect the integrity of the competition. Final leaderboard results are locked after the review period.

6. 06

   Leaderboard locks after the review period

   Live challenge submissions close at the final session of the competition period. Take-home projects are due 72 hours after the Sunday session opens. During the 7-day review and results period scores are verified, moderation is completed, the final leaderboard locks, and the Champion is announced before the next cycle starts.

7. 07

   Payouts within 7 working days

   The winner is contacted by email with a secure link to submit bank details (72-hour deadline). Bank transfer is sent within 7 working days of bank details being received. Receipts are published on the Winners page.

8. 08

   Project briefs are confidential

   Take home project briefs are only accessible to verified entrants of that cycle. Sharing a brief with anyone who has not entered that cycle is a violation of these Terms and will result in immediate disqualification of both parties.

How to submit

When a session window opens (Wednesday 8 PM or Sunday 6 PM WAT), your challenge card unlocks automatically on the Challenges page. You'll see the challenge brief, the submission form, and your time window.

How scoring works

Each Joche Gauntlet cycle runs for 21 days, consisting of a 14-day competition period followed by a 7-day review, verification, and results period. Each cycle includes 8 scored challenges: 7 live, timed challenges across two session days (Wednesday and Sunday) and 1 take-home project with a 72-hour window. Challenges open on Wednesday (8 PM WAT) and Sunday (6 PM WAT). Sunday sessions award 2× points on live challenges. Each live challenge is worth a maximum of 100 points; the take-home project is worth up to 200 points and is not subject to the Sunday 2× multiplier.

The 7-day review and results period begins the day after the Sunday session. Take-home submissions are due 72 hours after the Sunday session opens. Scoring and verification finalise, the leaderboard locks, and the Champion is announced before the next cycle starts.

Frequently asked

Is entry free?

Yes. Entry is free for eligible and verified participants. There is no entry fee, no purchase requirement, and no subscription requirement. You need a verified account to enter.

Do I need to verify my identity to compete?

You can sign up and explore the platform without verifying. To enter a cycle and compete, you verify your identity once (it is a one-time check, not per cycle). We verify via your NIN plus a quick selfie to keep the leaderboard fair for everyone and to confirm one real person per account. Your ID data is processed by our verification partner and is not stored on our servers. Verification also protects payouts, since a prize can only go to the verified winner.

Is this a game of chance?

No. Joche Gauntlet is a merit-based competitive skills platform. The Champion is decided by the highest score on published criteria, not by random draw or chance.

How long is a cycle?

Each Joche Gauntlet cycle runs for 21 days, consisting of a 14-day competition period followed by a 7-day review, verification, and results period. The review period is part of the cycle.

Who decides the winner?

The single winner is decided entirely by points. Objective challenges are scored instantly by the system based on correctness. Subjective challenges are scored by AI within 60 minutes across four published dimensions: Clarity, Originality, Practicality, and Nigerian Context. Take-home projects are scored during the review period. Human moderation is limited to suspected fraud, plagiarism, technical errors, abuse, or clear rubric misapplication. The scoring criteria are on this page so you know exactly what you are being graded on before you submit.

How does the Champion Award work?

One Champion per cycle - there is no 2nd or 3rd place cash award. Each cycle's Champion Award is funded by Joche Solutions Ltd or a cycle sponsor and may reach up to ₦500,000 depending on the cycle, available funding, and sponsorship. The actual amount for the live cycle is published when the cycle opens and confirmed on the Evidence Board.

What happens in a tie?

Ties are resolved by a fixed public chain: (1) most challenges completed, (2) fastest average submission time, (3) highest Nigerian Context score across subjective tasks. If competitors are still tied after all three checks, they split the Champion Award equally - 50% each. This is the only exception to the one-winner rule.

How does AI scoring work?

Each subjective challenge is scored across four published dimensions - Clarity, Originality, Practicality, and Nigerian Context - each worth 25 points. When you submit, an AI model reads your submission and scores it against each dimension independently. Your score breakdown is visible on your dashboard within 60 minutes. You will see exactly how you scored on each dimension and what the top scorer achieved on the same challenge.

How do you keep AI scoring fair and consistent?

Every submission to the same challenge is graded against the identical published rubric, and each of the four dimensions is scored on its own, so a strong answer in one area is judged separately from the rest. The grader receives only the challenge brief and your submission. It does not receive your name, username, or history, so the score cannot depend on who you are or how large your following is. Objective challenges are marked purely on correctness by the system, with no AI involved. Attempts to hide instructions inside a submission to inflate a score are treated as low-quality work, not followed. The model is held to the published dimensions only. It cannot invent new criteria. Where a subjective score clearly misapplies the rubric, human moderation can correct it during the review period, which is the backstop that keeps a single automated read from being the last word.

Why is the Sunday session worth double?

A cycle has two live session days, Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday's live challenges are worth double, and the take-home project opens with the Sunday session, so most of a cycle's points are decided in the second half. Weighting the finish this way keeps every cycle competitive to the last day: a builder who had an average Wednesday can still win with a strong Sunday, so no one is knocked out by a single rough session and no early leader can coast to the title. Wednesday still counts. It carries its own points, the speed bonus, and more live challenges than Sunday. The doubling rewards finishing strong, not skipping the first half.

How much is the Champion Award?

It varies by cycle and may reach up to ₦500,000 depending on the cycle, available funding, and sponsorship. Each cycle's amount is published when that cycle opens; where no amount has been announced yet, the award is listed as to be announced. The final amount and winner transfer are always published publicly on the Evidence Board.

Can a score be corrected after it is published?

Scores are AI-assessed against the published rubric and are not re-marked on request. Human moderation is limited to suspected fraud, plagiarism, technical errors, abuse, or clear rubric misapplication, and any material correction is made for documented reasons to protect the integrity of the competition. If you believe a technical or scoring error affected your submission, report it to support@jocheacademy.com before the review period ends. Final leaderboard results are locked after the review period.

Can I see proof of past payouts?

Yes. Every winner from every past cycle is listed on our Evidence Board with their payout amount and a summary of their winning submission. All transfers are made via Paystack and receipts are published publicly.

What happens if the cycle is cancelled?

If a cycle is cancelled for any reason, every entry rolls over to the next cycle.

Can I withdraw from a cycle?

Yes, up to 1 hour before the first session window opens. You can enter again in the next cycle. Email support@jocheacademy.com from the address you registered with.

What if my account is rejected during verification?

If your account is rejected during our verification process, your entry is released. You can re-apply once the issue is resolved.

What if my submission is disqualified?

Disqualification for cheating (AI-generated content, plagiarism, multiple accounts, or any rules violation) forfeits your entry in that cycle. See the Awards & Conduct Policy for full details.

How do I know the Champion Award is real?

The Award is sponsor-funded and the amount for the live cycle is shown before you enter. At cycle end we publish the final amount alongside the winner's Paystack transfer receipt on the Evidence Board.

Who runs Joche Gauntlet?

Joche Academy, operated by Joche Solutions Ltd (RC 9650706), a company incorporated in Nigeria. Contact us via email below.