Once again about Intel contests. Memo to future participants


    Every year, Intel holds a fair number of different competitions, both for software developers and for designers of various smart devices . There is no doubt that such events will continue to take place. Based on the results of last year's Intel App Innovation Contest, vikky13 and I prepared an emotional post in which from the position of the judges we listed the typical mistakes of the participants. Now that the passions have subsided, I would like to once again return to this topic and tell almost the same thing more thoroughly and methodically. This post can be considered a reminder for participants in any development contests, not just Intel.

    Send the necessary materials in the middle of the deadline

    Most development contests are held in several stages. At the first, the idea and draft ideas are evaluated, then a demo and, finally, some final version. It is very beneficial at each stage to keep within 50-70% of the time limit, and not only because then you do not spoil the fever. The fact is that the majority still begin to move closer to the end, and the load on the judges then increases sharply. And judges are people too, and an increase in workload still affects the quality of their work. It is no longer possible to properly consider what has been proposed from all sides, although we are trying very hard. By sending your work in advance, you enable the expert to appreciate it.

    Take your time choosing an idea

    This message could well be considered banal if it were not for the terrifying number of similar ideas that we saw that came to the authors in the first second after reading the first paragraph of the competition conditions. If you need an app for a student - for sure, it will be a diary, in the category of “medical apps” the undisputed leader will be a means of monitoring health, and so on. This does not mean that such applications are not needed, but to win a contest with them is almost impossible, unless you come up with some kind of killer feature, which, in turn, will not be born in a second. So in any case, let your idea stand in your head, and there, you look, and the other will come, better.

    Check your application with a spell checker

    I won’t spread my thoughts on the tree, I’ll note only one thing: reading texts with aships is simply unpleasant. In my opinion, this is to some extent disrespectful to the reader. Of course, not everyone has innate literacy, but everyone is able to use the spell-checking function, which is available in any self-respecting text editor. I don’t see the point of talking further on this topic.

    Take your presentation seriously

    Any, even the most brilliant idea will remain only a thorn in your brain if you fail to competently present it to others. It is not necessary to think that a brilliant idea can be seen immediately, no matter in what form it is. We had to see extremes of all kinds: both presentations in the form of one sentence with common places (everything else, apparently, was suggested to be thought out by ourselves), and opuses with endless accessory clauses through which it is impossible to get through. I give free advice: give a reading to a description of your idea to a sufficiently qualified, but unfamiliar third party. It is necessary to ensure that your project a) interests, b) is understandable. Believe it, anyone can do it.

    Carefully study the conditions and requirements of the competition

    It's amazing how many people perceive contests as another opportunity to send their application, drawn up for some reason, for a long time. The conditions of the competition are read diagonally, because why? Meanwhile, compliance with the requirements is one of the main conditions checked by experts. It is worth noting that in many cases a previously prepared idea can be “turned” in the right direction, sometimes just by adding a few phrases. Healthy opportunism has never bothered the developer.

    Most likely, in this post I did not say anything fundamentally new to you. However, the next time, preparing to participate in development contests, simply re-read it so as not to miss any small but important detail.

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