# Judging Criteria

What hackathon judges actually evaluate (based on Colosseum, ETHGlobal, and Superteam patterns).

## Primary Criteria

### 1. Functionality (30%)
- Does it work? Can a judge try it right now?
- Is the core feature complete, or just a landing page?
- Does it handle edge cases gracefully?

**How to score high**: Have a working demo. A half-built product that works > a fully designed product that doesn't.

### 2. Innovation (25%)
- Is this a new idea, or a better version of an existing one?
- Does it use Solana's unique capabilities creatively?
- Would this be interesting to the broader ecosystem?

**How to score high**: Show something judges haven't seen before. Even a small twist on an existing concept counts.

### 3. Technical Execution (20%)
- Is the code clean and well-structured?
- Does the architecture make sense for the problem?
- Are Solana primitives used correctly?

**How to score high**: Clean code, proper error handling, evidence of testing. Judges will skim your GitHub.

### 4. Potential Impact (15%)
- If this succeeds, how many people benefit?
- Does it address a real need in the ecosystem?
- Is the market big enough to matter?

**How to score high**: Quantify impact. "Saves X developers Y hours" or "Enables $Z in new transactions."

### 5. Presentation (10%)
- Is the submission clear and well-written?
- Is the demo video compelling?
- Can a judge understand the project in 60 seconds?

**How to score high**: Clear writing, good demo video, scannable description.

## Judge Psychology

- Judges review 50-100+ projects in a day
- They spend 2-5 minutes per submission initially
- They're looking for reasons to ADVANCE you, not reject you
- First impressions matter — your tagline and first paragraph are critical
- A working demo is the single biggest differentiator

## Track-Specific Tips

### DeFi Track
- Show TVL or transaction volume (even on devnet)
- Explain the financial mechanism clearly
- Address security considerations

### Infrastructure Track
- Show developer adoption potential
- Explain the developer experience improvement
- Include integration examples

### Consumer Track
- Show the user flow end-to-end
- Emphasize UX over technical complexity
- Include user feedback if you have any

### AI/Agents Track
- Show the AI making a real decision
- Explain what the agent can do that a human can't
- Address safety and guardrails