Lesson 1: Deconstructing Rules & Judging Criteria
Introduction: Your Guide to Winning
Welcome to the most important lesson for any competition. Many teams have brilliant ideas, but they lose because they ignore the instructions. This lesson will teach you how to use the rulebook and the judging criteria as your secret weapons.
Think of it like a treasure hunt. The **rulebook** is the map that shows you the path and the dangers to avoid. The **judging criteria** is the key that tells you exactly how to unlock the treasure chest. If you don’t study both, you’ll get lost.
Part 1: How to Read the Rulebook
The rulebook is not just a list of “don’ts.” It’s a guide that tells you exactly what to do. When your team reads the rules, you should be looking for specific instructions that affect your project.
Create a “Rulebook Breakdown” Table
As a team, get a piece of paper or open a document and create a simple table with three columns. Go through the entire rulebook and fill it out. This will turn a long document into a simple action plan.
Example: Rulebook Breakdown Table
| Rule Category | The Exact Rule | How It Affects Our Team |
|---|---|---|
| Team Size | “Teams must have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 members.” | “We have 4 members, so we are okay. We can add one more person if we need to.” |
| Video Length | “The pitch video must not exceed 3 minutes.” | “Our pitch script must be very short and direct. We need to practice to make sure we finish on time.” |
| Submission Deadline | “All materials must be submitted by August 30th at 11:59 PM EAT.” | “Our personal deadline should be August 28th. This gives us two extra days in case of internet problems or power cuts.” |
Activity 1: Rule Detective Simulation
It’s time to practice. Read the example from a fake competition rulebook below. Then, answer the questions to see if you can spot the important details.
Hint: Read every word. Competitions are very strict about limits and requirements!
Rulebook Excerpt:
Rule 3.b: Video Submission: Teams must submit a video pitch. The video must be no longer than 4 minutes (240 seconds). Videos exceeding this limit by even one second will be disqualified. The video must be uploaded as a single MP4 file.
Rule 5.c: Technology Stack: All mobile applications must be built using MIT App Inventor. No external extensions are permitted. Web applications are not eligible for the mobile category.
Part 2: How to Use the Judging Rubric
The judging rubric is the most important document in the entire competition. It is a gift from the judges that tells you **exactly how they will score you**. Your only job is to build a project that gets the highest score possible in every category.
Step 1: Find the High-Value Categories
Look at the points. Where can you earn the most marks? This tells you where to focus most of your energy.
Example Judging Rubric
Problem & Innovation (40%) | Technical Execution (30%) | Business Plan (20%) | Pitch Video (10%)
From this example, you can see that your **Idea** (Problem & Innovation) and your **App** (Technical Execution) are worth a combined 70% of your total score. Your pitch video is important, but it’s worth the least amount of points, so you should not spend 50% of your time on it.
Activity 2: Focus on What Matters
Based on the example rubric above, let’s practice planning your work. Drag the team tasks into the correct priority zone. This will train you to think like a winning team.
Hint: Look at the percentage points. A bigger number means the judges care about it more.
Team Tasks
Priority Zones
High Priority (Must be perfect)
Medium Priority (Must be good)
Low Priority (Do if time allows)
Your Mission
You have now learned how to analyze rules and use the judging rubric to your advantage. Your next step is to do this for your real competition. Find the official rulebook and rubric, and use these skills to create a clear plan for your team.
