Code of Conduct

This award exists to celebrate the people who create in the age of AI — openly, fairly, and across borders. This page says how we treat each other, our works, and the vote. It applies to entrants, voters, partners, judges and staff, on award.aicu.ai and at every award event, including the ceremony.

Our pledge

We pledge to make participation in this award a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, religion, or sexual identity and orientation — and regardless of whether or how they use AI.

We pledge to act in ways that keep this award open, public-minded, and independent of any single capital or interest.

Our standards

Behavior that builds this community:

• Being kind, patient and respectful to other people — including people who do not use AI, or who feel anxious about it.
• Giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback on works.
• Celebrating other entrants. A rival's great work makes the whole award stronger.
• Focusing on what is best for creators and the community as a whole.

Behavior that is not acceptable:

• Harassment, trolling, insults, or personal and political attacks, in public or in private.
• Sexualized language or imagery directed at a person, or unwelcome sexual attention.
• Publishing others' private information without their explicit permission.
• Dismissing a work or a person because of how it was made — whether by hand, by camera, or with AI.

Creator's conduct

We assume that entrants have read and understood the Creative AI Creator's Code of Conduct: Shigusa. Shigusa is not legally binding; entrants are assumed to comply with the laws of their own countries. In short:

• Respect other people's work. Do not casually use another person's work, style, character, name, face, or voice as prompt fuel or reference material.
• Refine the work. AI output is the entrance to a work, not the endpoint. Enter works you have examined, shaped, and made your own.
• Accept responsibility. Be able to explain how your work was made — tools, models, and process. The final responsibility always belongs to humans.
• Be honest in your entry. Enter only work you have the right to enter, and credit everyone who took part.

Fair play

• Do not impersonate another person, brand, or organization.
• Do not submit works that infringe the rights, dignity, or safety of others, or that break the law.
• Every entry and URL is screened by the Award Secretariat before publication — for safety, responsibility, and fraud prevention.

Enforcement

The Award Secretariat (AICU Inc., a Delaware company) may, at its sole discretion, take any action it considers appropriate in response to behavior that conflicts with this community code — including editing or removing content, unpublishing entries, disqualification, and exclusion from voting, membership, the community, and online or offline events. The Secretariat's decisions are final, and a violation results in expulsion for one year. The Secretariat is not required to disclose its reasons.

To report a concern, write to award@aicu.ai. Reports are handled with care and confidentiality.

Scope

This Code applies on award.aicu.ai and aicu.ai/award, in entries, in the public gallery and vote, at the award ceremony and related events, and whenever someone officially represents the award.

Adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 2.1, and the AICU Creative AI Creator's Code of Conduct: Shigusa (v.2026.7).
International AI Creator Award 2026 · AICU Inc. / AICU Japan K.K. · aicu.ai/award/2026 · Updated 2026-08-28