Template · free
Step challenge rules template
The rules page for a corporate step challenge, written as 24 plain-language rules: who can join, how steps count, how teams form, what counts as cheating and how winners are decided. Copy it into your app, change the numbers and publish.
No sign-up needed.
Who it is for
- Wellness and benefits leads launching a company step challenge
- HR leads who need rules the legal team can approve quickly
- Programme owners who answer participant questions during the challenge
How to use it
- Replace the example numbers in the Setting column with your own dates, step targets and team sizes.
- Ask HR or legal to review the Eligibility and Data rules before you publish.
- Paste the rules into the information page of the app and link them from the join screen.
- Keep a short list of rulings you make during the challenge and add them as a dated clarification.
The contents
| Rule | What it says | Example setting |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Purpose | The challenge encourages regular walking, not a race | Plain statement on join screen |
| 2 Dates | Start and end of the challenge | 4 weeks, Monday to Sunday |
| 3 Who can join | Employees on the current payroll | Includes interns, excludes contractors |
| 4 Joining window | When registration closes | Until end of week 1 |
| 5 Consent | Participation and step-data use is voluntary and explained | Consent ticked at join |
| 6 Step source | Steps come from the phone health service only | Health Connect or Apple Health |
| 7 Manual entries | Manually typed steps do not count | Excluded |
| 8 Sync | Steps must sync at least once every 3 days | Late syncs counted for original day |
| 9 Valid day | A day counts if steps are above a minimum | 3,000 steps |
| 10 Daily cap | Steps above the cap on one day are ignored | 30,000 steps |
| 11 Teams | Teams of fixed size formed by the organiser or by choice | 6 members |
| 12 Team score | Team total is the sum of members' counted steps | Capped per person |
| 13 Individual score | Individual total is counted steps over the period | Shown on leaderboard |
| 14 Leaderboard refresh | When rankings update | Every hour |
| 15 Milestones | Distance targets on the route | Four checkpoints |
| 16 Rewards | What is given and to whom | Top 3 teams, plus lucky draw |
| 17 Participation reward | Everyone reaching the minimum valid days gets recognition | 12 valid days |
| 18 Fair play | Steps from vehicles, shaking devices or other people are invalid | Reviewed by admin |
| 19 Review process | How a flagged account is checked | Admin asks for 7 days of data |
| 20 Disqualification | Consequence for confirmed misuse | Removed from rankings |
| 21 Appeals | Who decides and by when | Programme owner, 3 working days |
| 22 Inclusion | Alternative for people unable to walk | Wheelchair pushes or minutes of activity converted |
| 23 Data use | Who sees step data and for what | Totals only to the organiser |
| 24 Changes to rules | Updates are dated and announced in the app | Notice in the app |
Where it has been used
The rules follow the shape of a workplace walking expedition where steps came from the phone health service and teams moved along a virtual route.
Questions people ask
Which step sources count?
Say plainly which sources are accepted. Our template names the phone health services only and excludes manual entries, because that is what makes the leaderboard defensible when someone asks.
How do we handle someone who gets unwell mid-challenge?
Write an inclusion rule up front: allow an alternative activity conversion or a pause. It protects trust, and it shows participants that the challenge is about habit rather than punishment.
What counts as a valid day?
A valid day is a day with a minimum number of synced steps, often 3,000. Pick a number that most people can reach on a normal working day and state how many valid days are needed for rewards.
Want this running inside your event app?
Sociana turns lists like this into live screens, requests and reminders for your guests and your desk. A 20-minute walkthrough shows how.