| Time zone | Round 1 entry deadline |
|---|---|
| AWST (official) | 12 Oct 2026, 11:59 pm |
| UTC | 12 Oct 2026, 3:59 pm |
| Eastern (EDT) | 12 Oct 2026, 11:59 am |
| Central (CDT) | 12 Oct 2026, 10:59 am |
| Mountain (MDT) | 12 Oct 2026, 9:59 am |
| Pacific (PDT) | 12 Oct 2026, 8:59 am |
What is the Round 1 entry deadline in US time?
The Round 1 entry deadline is 11:59 am Eastern or 8:59 am Pacific on 12 October 2026. The official cutoff is 23:59 AWST in Perth, where the competition clock sits. Round 1 measurement follows on 13 October 2026. Results publish on 14 October 2026, and rounds then run monthly.
What are the four eligibility gates?
The four gates are entered by the deadline, educator, verifiable identity and original evidence. The educator gate requires live teaching of AEO, GEO or LLM optimization in the last 24 months. Proof can be a public event page, a recording or organizer confirmation. Verifiable identity means a real named person with a site of their own plus one major profile. Original evidence means a published test, dataset or case study of how AI engines answer.
What evidence works for US-based entrants?
US entrants can meet the evidence gates with a public event page, a recorded webinar or a published test. A conference or meetup talk page showing your name and date covers the educator gate. A publicly accessible recorded webinar also works as teaching evidence. For original evidence, publish a test or dataset showing how AI engines answer a defined prompt set. Every gate decision cites a public URL.
Where do US entrants submit the entry form?
US entrants submit through the entry form on the official site, kingofaeocompetition.com. The same form, rules and gates apply in every country. Claimants who have not entered are still scored for reference, marked not entered, and cannot hold the title. After entering, follow your standing on the official leaderboard, linked from this page.