CityHacks Judging Guidelines

Remember that hackathons are like marathons. Some people go to compete but most people take part to learn new skills and have fun!

Demos

After hacking finishes, teams will record a video that demos what they have built. It is totally okay (and even expected) that your hack is incomplete and contains bugs. Completion is only a minor part of the judging criteria (10% of your total score). Demoing is a chance to share with others what you have learned, what you tried to build, and your motivation—that's what hacking's truly about!

This year, to better accommodate those with internet issues or who will have difficulties presenting projects live, hackers will be submitting 2-minute prerecorded videos that judges will then view and discuss together. Your face does not need to be shown in the video, if you feel uncomfortable doing so. To be fair to all hackers, only the first 2 minutes of longer videos will be watched by judges. In other words, there will NOT be any live Q&A time between the judges and the teams. This may cause some hackers to worry that they have not incorporated all the relevant, or evaluated, components of their hack in their video. Have no fear! Below, we provide a checklist of what questions to answer in your demo video to succeed.

Checklist:

• Did the hack address a clearly defined problem space that benefited from this development? Did your team explore a new application domain (e.g. conservation, education, etc.) with which you weren’t previously familiar?
• How relevant and creative was your project in solving an issue within the track you chose to follow?
• What technologies did your team leverage? Did your team try to learn a new technology?
• Was your team methodical and collaborative in your hacking process? Did your team overcome any obstacles or major goal changes during hacking?
• Did your team put thought into the user experience? What accessibility considerations did you make?

Please keep in mind that the usage of fancy vocabulary, and especially your English-speaking abilities, will have absolutely no influence on your score. However, you will be evaluated on your team’s summary and showcasing of your project, which should be adequately explained and easy to follow.