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about 2 years ago

One month left—how to make a great submission video

There’s one month remaining in Microsoft Azure AI Hackathon! Submissions are due April 5th before 5pm ET. Find out what time that is in your city.

Start your submission now

Starting a submission is a good way to make sure that your app meets the requirements. There’s nothing worse than getting to the deadline, only to realize that you’re missing a key component. Remember: once you submit a project, you can keep editing it as needed at any time prior to the submission deadline. Need a primer on how the new submission form works? Head over to our submission form tutorial. 

Prepare your video

Your video is a major component of your submission. Here are some helpful tips for you to plan, create, and publish a winning video.

Get organized. Write out a script of what you need to say and demonstrate in your video and rehearse it before recording to be sure it is under 3 minutes. A good script should include:

  • Your elevator pitch of why you built your project.
  • A visual walkthrough of your project’s features and functionality.
  • An explanation of your expert.ai API integration.
  • Real-life context and benefits to help judges understand and appreciate your project.

Start Recording. The great thing about pre-recorded demo videos is that it doesn’t have to be perfect in one shot. Here are some suggestions for recording:

  • Use an emulator or create a screencast with audio narration.
  • There are many programs that might help you such as Quicktime Player for Mac and/or recording a Zoom meeting presentation.
  • Before you are done with your video get a friend or family member to watch it and give you feedback. 

Pro Tip: Don't wait until the last minute to upload your video. Due to file size, format, and your Internet connection, uploading a video to Facebook Video, YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku could take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.  We cannot stress this enough!  There have been many times a submission becomes ineligible due to errors with video rendering and uploading.

We can’t wait to see your project and how you showcase it in your video.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Questions?

If you have any questions about the hackathon, please post on the discussion forum.