Submission & Judging

Preparing your Submission

Submissions should include:

Presentation slides
Link to demo
Link to public GitHub repo - don’t forget to add your AI usage doc.

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, demo, and presentation 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.

Step by step

Step 1 - Code, demo, and presentation submission deadline @11:00am.

All teams push their final code into their GitHub public repository. No further code changes after this point. Demos and presentations are uploaded to your folder on the Google Drive.

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.
Demo videos and presentations should also be submitted by 11am. These should be uploaded to a Google Drive. The link will be provided to you on the day and there’ll be a dedicated folder for each team

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 - Presentation practice (11:00 - 12:00)

In parallel to the technical review, participants will be able to move to the auditorium to practice their presentations. Refreshments will be served. Round 1 judging will happen in hack rooms and start at 12:00pm sharp.

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. The time limit for the pitch (including demo) is 5 minutes. 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. The time limit for the pitch in Round 2 (including demo) is also 5 minutes. 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.