2. Changes in the rules

• The competition rules are subject to changes that may be necessary, if approved by the organizing committee of the game.
   
• The organizing committee has the right to cancel the competition at any time until July 14, 2023.
   
• Any changes in the rules, clarifications, additions and / or game cancellation will be announced:
  1. Via e-mail to all participating teams;
  2. On the Rock Bowl webpage http://www.isrm2023.com/rockbowl
  3. At the opening of the competition.

3. Registration Guidelines

• Call for participation in Rock Bowl will be announced by the ISRM National Groups, on the ISRM website and on the ISRM2023 Congress website. If you have any questions, the team should contact the Organizing Committee, via e-mail rockbowl@isrm2023.com. 
   
• The registration form is available online on the Rock Bowl webpage.
   
• All team members must be from the same university. Members from different campuses will be accepted as long as they are from the same university. In exceptional cases, a country team with students from different universities can be accepted upon organizing committee evaluation.
   
• The online form has to be completed and document files have to be uploaded through the Rock Bowl website. Documents required are listed below:
  1. Application form duly completed by all participants of the team;
  2. Proof of enrollment at University (the current semester or year) of all participants of the team;
  3. Face photo of each participant (3x4 ratio);
  4. University or team logo. Team logo will be subjected to organizing committee approval. Any logo with nature other than the game purpose such as political, religious and ideological manifestation are strictly prohibited;
• Notification of acceptence for the Rock Bowl game will be communicated by the organizing committee of Rock Bowl by e-mail.
   
• The selected teams will be published on the Rock Bowl webpage at the end of the registration period.
   
• Teams that do not comply with all the rules mentioned in this item will be automatically disqualified.

4. Qualification

• Fifteen (15) teams will qualify to participate in the tournament. One team,  the winner of the t Rock Bowl LARMS, is already qualified for the final at ISRM 2023.
   
• If there are more than fifteen (15) teams registered, an online qualification round will be set up.

5. Important Dates

• The initial date of the application period of the teams will be January 15th, 2023.
   
• The final date of the application period will be April 15th, 2023.
   
• The qualification round, if required, will be held in Mai/June 2023
   
• If a qualified team has to cancel its participation the Organizing Committee of the ISRM should be informed immediately, allowing the call for new teams from the waiting list as well as adjustment of rounds.
   
• The announcement of the final list of selected teams will be made after the qualification round, including three replacement teams.
   
• The final games will take place from October 11 to October 12, 2023, at the Salzburg Congress, Auerspergstraße 6, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

6. Rules of Competition

1. Game format and general rules for the competition

• General information:
  All questions will have to be answered online for the qualification round as well as on-site using the software "Slido". This is already used at universities and is well applicable for our purposes. Therefore, a jury is no longer necessary, and the correctness of the answers is unambiguous. There is no requirement for downloading the software, participation will be enabled by scanning a QR-code.
   
• Questioning:
  1. For each question three answers are possible  - only one is correct. This will appear directly in the app/on the monitor as correct as soon as voting has taken place, in order to avoid ambiguities.
  2. A test run will be prepared to test the software and the handling and to check for any problems. (There will be dummy questions for this purpose).
  3. The questions are set up by the Organizing Team of the ISRM Congress 2023.
  4. Calculators, reference materials, and any electronic devices (except the team cell phone) are not allowed. There will be no questions involving calculations.
  5.The questions aim to explore general knowledge in rock mechanics and the like, as well as knowledge of geotechnical community applied to rocks. The questions may include history of the rock mechanics, general affairs, current events, technical questions and troubleshooting.
   
• Qualification round:
  An elimination round is to be held virtually in May/June. The goal is to get to 15 teams, which will then participate at the on-site event. The winning team "South Africa" from the "Larms 2022" in Asuncion is considered a fixed starter (Winning prize was ticket).
   
• Procedure:
  Teams are online (via cell phone software). Every team uses only one phone.
  There are 15 questions for the qualification round.
  The ranking is given according to correctness and speed. Thus, the best 15 teams qualify for the on-site quiz.
  Depending on the number of registrations, the qualification round may be split up in groups.
   
• Elimination on site
  From 16 to 8:
  Similar to online voting. All participants take in part again via mobile app but have to be present on the main stage. Questions and result will be projected on the screen.
  The number of questions has yet to be determined.
  From 8 to 4: Same system as 16 to 8.
  From 4 to 2: Same system as for 16 to 8
  Final: Same system as for 16 on 8
  
  Note: for each round a new “Slido-session” will be defined and thus a new QR-code will be provided. These sessions are prepared beforehand thus no break between sessions is required.

6.2. Participants

• A team consists of up to three (3) participants who meet the eligibility of the requirements. The following conditions apply:
  1. The maximum age of participants is 35 years by the date of the event.
  2. Each team must designate a team leader, who will be responsible for uploading the team registration documents and for all communication with the organizing committee of the game.
  3. Teams may have a professor/mentor.
   
•  The players and fans are responsible for their conduct during the tournament. Any acts of dishonesty or that are inconsistent with the spirit of the competition, detected by officers of the game, imply exclusion of the dispute. Please see the section on ethics and conduct.

6.3. Ethics and conduct

• All players, institutional representatives (private or governmental) and other people associated with a team, are subject to the code of conduct and behavior in a responsible and ethical manner. This includes:
  1. Treat all participants, organizers and the public with good manners;
  2. Not receive or give unlawful "assistance";
  3. Do not try to fool teammates and officials of the game;
  4. Abide by all decisions of the tournament officials;
  5. Not be an accomplice of another person to "change" the outcome of the game;
  6. Promptly report any violations of conduct to tournament officials.
   
• Teams are prohibited of making an occasion for marketing during the event (**).
   
• Any manifestation with nature other than the game purpose such as political, religious, and ideological are strictly prohibited, and the person who make it will be requested to leave the tournament.
   
• If any player makes a manifestation as per item 6.10.c, the team will be disqualified.
   
• Any official tournament may denounce the participants and fans of the game in the case of unsuitable behavior during the tournament. The misconduct includes inadequate behavior, unethical behavior, or any violation of the code of conduct. Tournament officials may interpret these categories at their discretion.
   
• The major committed and / or repeated infractions may result in expulsion of an individual and / or disqualification of a team at the discretion of tournament officials.
  
  **It is understood as an occasion for marketing an action that could be judged as looking for immediate advantages and opportunities for other brands that are not Geobrugg, the sponsor of the event. Any marketing goods from other companies are prohibited, such as clothing, accessories, flags, banners and others. If the judges evaluate there was bad faith of the team during their round, it will be disqualified.