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Science · 4 Rounds

Nexus

Decipher the signal. Save the species.

Scientific and logical reasoning, computational thinking and decision-making under pressure. Decrypt an alien transmission, accelerate civilization, design a weapon and safely transport it to Pluto.

Register for Nexus
Nexus

The Rounds

How it unfolds

  1. 01

    Round 1 — The Transmission

    Decipher an intercepted extraterrestrial transmission. Analyse fragments, identify patterns, solve cryptographic and logical puzzles, and reconstruct the message to determine the aliens' intent.

  2. 02

    Round 2 — Civilization Advancement

    Access a digital Civilization Portal. Upgrade Research Institute, Power Reactor, Mining Facility and Defense Network through science minigames — Quiz, Crossword, Science Wordle and Periodic Sudoku. Bottom 50% are eliminated.

  3. 03

    Round 3 — Design the Weapon

    Adapt recovered alien knowledge to develop a scientifically viable weapon. Present the name, purpose, principles, mechanism, advantages, limitations and feasibility before a panel of judges.

  4. 04

    Round 4 — Capsule to Pluto

    Activating the weapon on Earth would destroy the planet. Build a protective capsule using cardboard, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, tape and straws to safely transport a fragile core (an egg) through a drop test.

Rules & Regulations

Event rules for Nexus

  1. 01

    Round 1 ciphers must be solved using only the materials/clues provided — no external decoding tools or AI.

  2. 02

    Round 2 civilization upgrades must follow the resource rules set by the game master; resources cannot be traded outside the system unless permitted.

  3. 03

    Round 3 prototype concepts must be grounded in real scientific principles and defended before the judging panel within the given time.

  4. 04

    Round 4 capsule builds must use only the materials supplied and must undergo the official drop test.

  5. 05

    Teams tampering with another team's build or materials will be disqualified.

Universal Rules

Apply to every event.

These rules are binding across all ten events at Plutus 2026. No exceptions.

  1. 01

    No AI tools permitted. Use of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any generative AI tool — for research, content generation, calculations, or decision-making — at any stage of any round is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification of the team.

  2. 02

    Judges' and organizers' decisions are final and binding on all matters, including scoring, disqualification, and rule interpretation.

  3. 03

    Reporting time is mandatory. Teams arriving late to their round may lose time from their allotted slot or forfeit their turn, at the organizers' discretion.

  4. 04

    Original work only — any pitch, script, design, or presentation must be created live/on-site during the event unless a round explicitly allows pre-prepared material.

  5. 05

    Respectful conduct is required toward judges, volunteers, and other teams; unsporting behavior, verbal abuse, or sabotage of another team's materials leads to disqualification.

  6. 06

    Substitutions are not allowed once a team is registered, except in case of a genuine emergency and with prior organizer approval.

Next event

Metamorphosis