Please read this before you write your document. It will help you avoid two common mistakes that cost teams marks.
1. Don't just repeat the problem statement
The problem statement only tells you what the problem is. It is not the answer. If someone can guess your whole idea just by reading the problem statement, you have not really added anything yet.
Example — "The Middleman Killer" (Track 1, P1): Just writing "an app where farmers list crops and buyers bid" is not enough — that's already what the problem statement says. Think one step further: why hasn't this worked before? Maybe farmers don't trust unknown buyers, or the app is too hard to use, or there's no way to actually deliver the crop. Pick one real reason and build your idea around solving that.
Quick check: Ask yourself "so what?" — if your idea sounds exactly like the problem statement, go back and think again.
2. Don't oversell your idea
This is the opposite mistake, and it happens just as often:
- Don't use big tech words unless you can explain them. Writing "we will use AI, blockchain, and IoT" means nothing if you can't explain exactly what each one does in your project. If a simple solution works, use the simple solution.
- Don't make up big numbers. "We will help 10 million people" sounds good but means nothing if you can't explain how you got that number. A smaller, real, believable number is much better.
- Don't try to solve everything at once. Pick ONE clear part of the problem and solve that well. Trying to cover every case means you'll do nothing properly.
- Don't skip the hard part. If you say "AI will detect X," explain roughly how — what information it looks at, what it does with it. Just saying "AI" and moving on is not an answer.
- Don't claim you're the first. Saying "no one has solved this before" is risky — if a judge knows something similar already exists, it makes your whole submission look less trustworthy.
3. About videos, apps, and simulations — not needed for Round 1
You do NOT need to build a working app, website, video, or simulation for Round 1. That kind of work is for later — after Round 2 results, when you're preparing for the final round. Round 1 is about your idea and your document only.
If it helps explain your idea faster, you can add a simple hand-drawn diagram or picture of how it works. That's enough. Please don't spend your time this round making videos, working demos, or simulations — save that effort for after Round 2, if your team is selected.
Before you submit, check:
- Does my idea say something MORE than the problem statement, or am I just repeating it?
- Can I explain every big word, every number, and every claim I've written, if someone asks "how do you know that?"
- Could my team actually build the core of this idea, even a small version, in the time we have?
- Can I say my idea in one line that is NOT just the problem statement with "we will" added in front?