Frequently Asked Questions

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?

To participate, all you need to do is fill in a quick registration form and follow the required guidelines.

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH TOPIC FOR IARCO?

IARCO is unique in that participants can research any topic they want! Researchers can choose a topic they’re passionate about, something they wish to dive deeper into, or something they want to study in university. The only limit is the extent of their creativity and imagination.

Participation Certificate?

Yes. We provide Bootcamp Participation Verified Certificates and Winners Certificate.

WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT FORM?

The assessment form is where we ask students to share their initial research topic with us. No one will be disqualified based on the assessment form, it is simply the time by which participants need to have decided what they want to research and share this information with us. Assessment form submissions are due on November 1st and a submission link will be sent to you via email on October 26th.

WHAT IS THE TIMEZONE FOR SUBMISSION DEADLINES?

All documents are to be submitted by 23:59 UTC+06 (Asthana Dhaka).

WHEN IS IARCO 2025?

IARCO 2025 occurs from May through November 2025.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Junior: Class 7-12+Gap Year. Senior: University 1st day to any age. IARCO is open to all high school & university students . We also accept entries from 7th graders who have yet to turn 13, as well as recent high school graduates who are taking a gap year and are not enrolled in university credits. Any decipline from university student will be acceptable.

WHAT IS THE COMPETITION FORMAT?

IARCO 2025 will run across May and November, and is split into two rounds. In the 1st round, all participants must submit a 1-2 page research proposal based on the guidelines mentioned on the website. In the 2nd round, the top 20 finalists from the 1st round will have to submit a 2.5-5 minute video pitch on their research proposal.

WHAT ARE THE KEY DATES?

HOW MUCH IS IT TO REGISTER FOR IARCO 2025?

HOW DO I PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE?

The registration fee can be paid at the last step of the registration form by Mobile Banking (just like online shopping). Our payment portal is secure and we don't save any details.

HOW DO I SUBMIT MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

All registrants will receive an email from the IARCO team with the submission link a week before Research Proposals are due. If you don't receive any email, kindly add [email protected] as a primary contact in your inbox and check your spam/promotions folder.

WHAT IS THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL PAGE LIMIT?

The Research Proposal should not exceed 2 pages. Cover page, title, citations & references are not included in the 2 page limit.

I HAVE NOT RECEIVED MY REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION.

Every participant will receive a confirmation email post registration October 15th (Please Capture your payment details so we can verify). Please check your junk/promotions tab. Post-registration if you still haven't receieved anything, please email [email protected]

I AM NOT RECEIVING EMAILS, WHAT’S GOING ON?

Make sure to check your spam folder if you have used the correct email address. Registrations are not accepted from school emails and competition emails will be blocked. The competition is not responsible for changing your registration email address.

WILL THE ESSAYS BE CHECKED FOR PLAGIARISM?

Yes, all submissions will be run through iThenticate to check for plagiarism. Your submission should be your original work. Any plagiarised work will be disqualified from the competition.

HOW DO I KNOW IARCO HAS RECEIVED MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Upon your submission, we will be sending you a confirmation email within 48 hours. If you don’t receive it, email us on [email protected]

WILL I BE NOTIFIED IF MY RESEARCH PROPOSAL WAS FLAGGED FOR PLAGIARISM?

Participants will be notified if their research proposal has been marked as plagiarized and disqualified.

CAN I REQUEST AN EXTENSION?

No, to ensure the competition is fair to all students, there will be no extensions. Any submission made after the stated deadlines will not be considered.

WILL I RECEIVE A SCORE AND MARKED RUBRIC AFTER FIRST ROUND SUBMISSIONS?

No. Unfortunately we will be providing scores, marked judging rubrics, or written comments for first round submissions as we do not have the capacity to provide this to everyone due to the immense amount of submissions.

IS IT MANDATORY TO ATTEND ALL BOOTCAMPS?

While it is strongly encouraged for all participants to attend each of the webinars, it is not essential to attend them live. Students could have other preoccupations and those events may take place at inconvenient hours for some. Therefore, workshops will be recorded to enable them to be watched on replay.

ARE BOOTCAMPS RECORDED?

The participant-exclusive bootcamps are available on-demand to better suit the varying time-zones and schedules of our participants. Instructions and access will be provided to participants via email .

HOW DO I CITE MY SOURCES?

At the end of your essay you should include a list of references in IEEE Style.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I HAVE SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION?

You will receive a confirmation email that your submission has been received.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I SUBMIT MORE THAN A 2 PAGE RESEARCH PROPOSAL?

Aside from the cover page, title and citations, anything over 2 pages will not be accepted.