Submission & Judging

Preparing your Submission

Submissions should include:

Presentation slides
Link to demo
Link to public GitHub repo

Optional:

Architecture diagrams
Mockups
Technical documentation
Videos

Your presentation should explain:

The challenge
The user
The solution
How Open Payments was used
Key learnings

Your demo should show:

A working demonstration and recording of the payment flow, clearly showing:

Payment request
Authorization
Payment execution
Successful completion

Submission & Review Process

Code submission closes at 11:00. From that point, reviews run in parallel across two tracks so that code, demos, and presentations are all checked before Round 1 judging begins at 12:00. Download the Submission and Review Guide or read on for more details.

Step by step

Step 1 - Code submission deadline (11:00).

All teams push their final code into their GitHub public repository. No further code changes after this point.

Follow these steps to submit your project.

Make your GitHub repository public - Your code needs to be visible to the reviewers, so make sure your repository’s visibility is set to Public before you submit.
Share your repository link - You will be given a Google form link on the hackathon Slack channel, where you can upload your public GitHub repository link. This is how the reviewers will find and review your project.
Make sure your repository contains all your code - The repository must include everything you wrote during the hackathon - all code, no partial uploads or code left only on someone’s local machine. Make sure you push all your branches to main.
Make sure your submission contains the requirements from AI guidelines for hackathons - The ‘AI guidelines for hackathons’ require some extra files and folders to be submitted, disclosing AI usage.

Step 2 - Technical mentors begin code review (11:00 - 12:00)

Technical mentors move to the mentors’ room, so they can discuss if there are questions. They review each team’s repository directly.

Step 3 - Demo review (11:00 - 12:00, in parallel with code review)

While technical mentors review code, other technical team members, especially Spanish-speaking collaborators, review each team’s demo video, checking that it shows a payment made through Open Payments end-to-end: payment initiation, the authorization (consent) step, and a successful completion.

The Demo videos will need to be uploaded either in your public GitHub repository, or in a Google Drive (the link will be sent in the hackathon Slack channel).

Step 4 - Presentation deck review (11:00 - 12:00, in parallel)

The same Spanish-speaking collaborators will also review teams’ presentation decks alongside the demo review.

The presentations will need to be uploaded either in your public GitHub repository, or in a Google Drive (the link will be sent in the hackathon Slack channel).

Step 5 - Uploads close at 12:00

All demo videos and presentation decks must be uploaded to your public GitHub repository or to a Google Drive by 12:00, ahead of Round 1 judging session.

Judging Criteria

Criteria	What we’re looking for
Problem Definition	Is the challenge clear and meaningful?
Use of Open Payments	Does the project demonstrate a working payment flow?
User Experience	Does the solution create value for users?
Technical Quality	Does the prototype work reliably?
Presentation	Can the team clearly explain what they’ve built and why it matters?
Inclusion	How does this solution make payments easier, more accessible, or more inclusive for underserved users?
Innovation	How creative and original is this solution’s approach to payments?
Impact	What difference could this solution make for users or communities, and how clearly is that explained?

How Judging Works

Round 1

Every team presents to a judging panel. This takes place in the hack rooms on Saturday at 12:00, after all participants have submitted their final presentations and code. There will be 4 rooms, each with a minimum of 2 judges. Teams present to the judges in their assigned room. Once all teams in a room have presented, the judges deliberate and select the teams to progress to Round 2, based on each team’s cumulative score against the judging criteria.

Round 2

The 12 teams progressing to Round 2 are announced in the auditorium and immediately present their solutions to a new judging panel, which includes representatives from each award category. All participants also vote for their favorite solution for the This Week in Fintech Community Award. Once all Round 2 presentations are complete, the judging panel convenes to select the overall award winners. All participants are then invited back into the auditorium for the winners’ announcement.