{
  "watch_schema": "nmd-vcell-challenge-watch/1.0",
  "interface_build": "EA-20260730-36",
  "checked_at": "2026-07-30",
  "challenges": [
    {
      "challenge_id": "ARC-VCC-2025",
      "state": "COMPLETED",
      "verified_facts": [
        "More than 5,000 registrants across 114 countries",
        "More than 300 final submissions",
        "Hybrid deep-learning and classical statistical features led the final rankings",
        "Models did not consistently beat naive baselines across every metric"
      ],
      "source": "https://arcinstitute.org/news/virtual-cell-challenge-2025-wrap-up"
    },
    {
      "challenge_id": "ARC-VCC-2026",
      "state": "ANNOUNCED_RULES_PENDING",
      "verified_facts": [
        "Official launch date is 2026-08-20",
        "Round two will use a new prediction problem",
        "A wider range of metrics is planned",
        "Grand prize is USD 100,000"
      ],
      "unknown_until_launch": [
        "training_and_test_datasets",
        "exact_prediction_contract",
        "metric_formulas_and_weights",
        "submission_format"
      ],
      "source": "https://www.linkedin.com/posts/arc-institute-org_start-assembling-your-team-because-the-2026-activity-7477802662269186048-SXyD"
    }
  ],
  "launch_day_binding": [
    "Freeze official files, URLs and checksums",
    "Map official fields to the local prediction contract",
    "Audit leakage and permanent baselines",
    "Record compatible, incompatible and unresolved fields separately"
  ],
  "boundary": "Challenge readiness is not task compatibility and is not a competition score."
}