Hackathon Submission
Package your hackathon project to win: narrative, demo plan, submission copy, and judge-proofing.
The route
5 steps to Done
- 01
Build the judge narrative
Judges score dozens of projects - clarity in 30 seconds wins.
Preview prompt + verify gate ▾ Hide ▴
Build my hackathon narrative. I will paste the project description and the judging criteria below. Produce: the 30-second story (problem someone has, what we built, the impressive part, why it matters) in plain words; the one-sentence version for the submission title/tagline; explicit mapping of the project to EACH judging criterion (what we say and show per criterion); and the anticipated judge questions with honest answers (including 'what would you do next'). PROJECT AND CRITERIA: [paste here]
- ✓ The story lands in 30 seconds read aloud
- ✓ Every scored criterion has a mapped answer
- ✓ Hard questions have honest answers
- 02
Script the demo
Two minutes, one story, zero deaths.
Preview prompt + verify gate ▾ Hide ▴
Script my 2-3 minute hackathon demo. Structure: 15-second problem hook; the core flow demoed as one user story (click-by-click beats with narration lines); the technical impressive beat explained in one plain sentence; the criterion callouts woven in ('this is the [criterion] part'); a closing line on impact. For EVERY beat that touches network/AI/live data: define the fallback (pre-loaded state, recorded clip, cached result). Include the reset-to-start procedure between judging sessions.
- ✓ The demo is one story, not a tour
- ✓ Every risky beat has a fallback
- ✓ Reset procedure exists
- 03
Write the submission
The written entry is scored too - write to the rubric.
Preview prompt + verify gate ▾ Hide ▴
Write my submission copy. Produce: title and tagline (from the narrative); the description structured as problem, solution, how it works, what is technically interesting, what we would do next - with the judging criteria keywords appearing naturally where earned; the tech stack list; honest 'built during the hackathon' scope notes; and the links section (demo URL, video, repo) with a one-line instruction for judges on the fastest path to the wow moment ('Click Run Demo Flow').
- ✓ Criteria keywords appear where genuinely earned
- ✓ Scope honesty is included
- ✓ The fast path to wow is stated
- 04
Judge-proof the app
Judges click everything - nothing may be dead or fake.
Preview prompt + verify gate ▾ Hide ▴
Judge-proof my app before submission. Do a full pass as a hostile judge: click every button and link (no dead or fake controls); test the empty/fresh state a judge sees on first load (seed impressive-but-honest demo data if allowed); verify the app works logged-out or provide one-click demo access (no signup wall for judges); check load speed and mobile in case judges use phones; kill console errors on the main path. Report and fix everything found.
- ✓ No dead/fake controls remain
- ✓ First-load state is impressive without login friction
- ✓ Console is clean on the demo path
- 05
Run the cold test
The final proof: a stranger completes the judge path unaided.
Preview prompt + verify gate ▾ Hide ▴
Design and run the cold test. Give someone (or simulate as an outsider) only what judges get: the submission text and links. They must: understand the project from the copy, reach the wow moment via the stated fast path, and score it against the criteria - while I watch silently. Capture: where they got confused, what they clicked that failed, how long to wow, and their criterion scores. Fix the top 3 friction points and re-verify the submission requirement checklist (deadline format, video length, required fields) one final time.
- ✓ The tester reached wow unaided
- ✓ Top friction points were fixed
- ✓ Every rule requirement is checked