# Team member eligibility (competition homepage vs official rules)

**URL:** https://community.drivendata.org/t/team-member-eligibility-competition-homepage-vs-official-rules/11540
**Category:** GEMS Prize Challenge
**Created:** [September 24, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.drivendata.org/t/team-member-eligibility-competition-homepage-vs-official-rules/11540 "2026-09-24T19:45:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![dmitry\_v](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dmitry\_v](https://community.drivendata.org/u/dmitry_v)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.drivendata.org/t/team-member-eligibility-competition-homepage-vs-official-rules/11540/1 "2026-09-24T19:45:08Z")

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Hi organizers,

The competition homepage states: “Teams must have a captain who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.”

The Official Rules (Section 1.3) add a requirement for the other team members: “Individuals competing as part of a team are eligible to participate if they are legally authorized to work in the United States.”

Could you confirm that the Official Rules take precedence here, i.e. that every team member other than the captain must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.? Or can a non-captain team member be based outside the U.S. without U.S. work authorization?

Thanks!