How to make a hackathon demo video judges can follow
Online hackathons are judged largely through the demo video, and it's usually made in the last hours before the deadline. A simple plan and a few habits make the difference between a video judges can follow and one they give up on.
What Devpost recommends
- Plan early. Devpost suggests setting aside at least two to three hours before the deadline for the video (Devpost).
- Write a script, and divide your time across the introduction, the problem, how it's built, the demo and the close (Devpost).
- Keep it under three minutes in most cases, and open with your pitch and a quick overview (Devpost).
- Use tools you already know, such as PowerPoint, OBS Studio, Canva or Premiere Pro (Devpost).
- Get the basics right. "Judges need to be able to clearly see, hear, and access your demo video", so use a decent microphone, check privacy settings and upload somewhere reliable like YouTube (Devpost).
Always check the event's own rules too, since many set their own maximum length.
A structure for two and a half minutes
| Time | What to cover |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:15 | The one-sentence pitch: what you built and who it's for |
| 0:15 to 0:35 | The problem, with one concrete example |
| 0:35 to 1:50 | The live demo: one user, one task, start to finish |
| 1:50 to 2:15 | How it's built: the stack, and the hardest part you solved |
| 2:15 to 2:30 | What's next, and the team |
Recording it with free tools
- Mac: press Shift, Command and 5 to open the Screenshot app, which records the whole screen or a part of it, with your microphone if you turn it on in Options (Apple Support).
- Windows: Snipping Tool records video; press Windows, Shift and R, select an area and start (Microsoft Support).
- Anything more involved: OBS Studio is free, open-source software for recording and streaming, good for combining your screen, a webcam and slides (OBS Studio).
Mistakes that cost points
- A private video link. Test it in a logged-out browser before you submit.
- Inaudible narration. Record a ten-second test first and listen back on headphones.
- Slides instead of the product. Judges want to see it working, even if it's rough.
- Running over. If the event says three minutes, stop at two fifty.
The full walkthrough of recording, including prep and settings, is in how to record a demo video.
Does a tool like Teasr help here?
Mostly not for the submission itself, which should spend its time on the working product. Where it can help is afterwards: if the project turns into a real product with a public page, Teasr makes a short launch video from that page in about 10 minutes, from €19.50, for when you post about it.
Your product video, made from your website in minutes.Make my video