Judging Criteria
Projects submitted to the Code Crunch Hackathon will be evaluated based on the following six criteria. Each project will receive a score from 1 to 5 in each category, with the final score being a weighted average of all categories.
Technical Difficulty
Evaluates the complexity of the technical problems solved and the sophistication of the solution implemented. Higher scores are awarded to projects that tackle challenging problems or implement advanced features.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Very basic implementation with minimal technical challenges
- 3: Moderate technical complexity with some challenging elements
- 5: Highly sophisticated solution demonstrating advanced technical knowledge
Functionality
Assesses how well the solution works, including reliability, performance, and completeness. Projects should function as intended without significant bugs or issues.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Barely functional with major bugs or incomplete features
- 3: Mostly functional with minor bugs or performance issues
- 5: Fully functional, reliable, and robust with excellent performance
Innovation & Creativity
Evaluates the originality and creativity of the solution. High scores go to projects that demonstrate novel approaches, unique solutions to problems, or creative implementations that stand out from typical approaches.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Derivative solution with little originality
- 3: Some creative elements but builds mostly on existing approaches
- 5: Highly original solution with innovative approach or features
Design & User Experience
Focuses on the usability, accessibility, and visual design of the solution. Well-designed projects should be intuitive to use, visually appealing, and consider the needs of diverse users.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Poor design with confusing interface and usability issues
- 3: Decent design with generally intuitive interface
- 5: Exceptional design with highly intuitive, accessible, and polished UI/UX
Impact & Usefulness
Evaluates the potential real-world impact and practical value of the solution. Projects addressing important problems, offering substantial benefits to users, or demonstrating social or environmental impact will score higher.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Limited practical use or addressing trivial problems
- 3: Moderate usefulness with potential benefits to a specific group
- 5: Significant potential impact addressing important problems
Presentation & Demo
Assesses the quality of the project presentation, demo, and communication. This includes the clarity of explanation, the effectiveness of the demo, and the team's ability to articulate the value and functionality of their solution.
Scoring Scale:
- 1: Unclear presentation with ineffective demo
- 3: Clear presentation with adequate demonstration of key features
- 5: Exceptional presentation with compelling demo and clear articulation of value
Criteria Weighting
The final score for each project will be calculated using the following weighted formula. This weighting reflects the relative importance of each criterion in the overall evaluation.
| Criterion | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Difficulty | 16.7% | Emphasizes sophisticated technical implementation |
| Functionality | 16.7% | Prioritizes working solutions that perform as intended |
| Innovation & Creativity | 16.7% | Rewards original thinking and novel approaches |
| Design & User Experience | 16.7% | Values solutions that are easy and pleasant to use |
| Impact & Usefulness | 16.7% | Recognizes solutions that address meaningful problems |
| Presentation & Demo | 16.7% | Considers how effectively the solution is communicated |
Judging Process
Here's how the evaluation process works for all hackathon submissions:
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Initial Screening
All submissions undergo an initial screening to ensure they meet basic requirements, including adherence to hackathon rules, completion by the deadline, and addressing the designated challenge categories. All code base, video, presentation, descriptive README, and track selection must be on a public GitHub repository.
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Project Review
Projects will be reviewed by judges based on submission materials in the GitHub repository. Judges will evaluate each project against the six criteria using the 1-5 scale outlined above.
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Evaluation Scoring
Judges will independently score each project on all six criteria using the 1-5 scale outlined above. These individual scores will be averaged and weighted to calculate the final score.
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Deliberation
After all submissions have been reviewed, judges will deliberate to review scores, discuss projects, and determine winners across various categories. In case of ties, judges will deliberate to determine the final rankings.
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Announcement of Winners
Winners will be announced 48 hours after the hackathon ends. All participants will receive feedback on their projects from the judges.
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