PGC helps students worldwide cultivate unique voices for change. While we understand that you have many commitments, PGC only accepts original work produced solely by the official participant or team members.
Project Green Challenge has a zero tolerance policy for work that has been plagiarized or is otherwise not original. This includes submissions that excerpt heavily from other sources, but fail to include proper citations. Participants who plagiarize or submit work that is not entirely their own will be disqualified from PGC without warning. Turning Green reserves the right to determine whether a submission is dishonest and may disqualify any participant at any point as a result.
If you feel uninspired, unsure or tired, simply take a break. The competition is designed to reward outstanding work, not solely the highest points. Submitting original work is always in your favor.
When wondering whether something qualifies as “original,” ask yourself: would you submit this in a class? Schools have strict and explicit academic honesty policies. Chances are, if your work fits within your school’s policy, it is acceptable for PGC.
Here is an excerpt from Harvard College’s academic integrity policy, about which you can read more (note the clear attribution, link and quotation marks): “It is expected that all homework assignments, projects, lab reports, papers, theses, and examinations and any other work submitted for academic credit will be the student’s own. Students should always take great care to distinguish their own ideas and knowledge from information derived from sources. The term “sources” includes not only primary and secondary material published in print or online, but also information and opinions gained directly from other people. Quotations must be placed properly within quotation marks and must be cited fully. In addition, all paraphrased material must be acknowledged completely. Whenever ideas or facts are derived from a student’s reading and research or from a student’s own writings, the sources must be indicated.”
