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3 months ago

Demo Day is THIS SUNDAY — Claim Your Slot + Everything You Need to Know!

Hey Builder,

Demo Day is 4 days away — and this is your official heads up on everything you need to show up, show out, and submit a complete project on March 8th, International Women's Day.

If you're planning to present, you must sign up in advance. Slots are limited and not automatic — reserve yours now.

You do NOT need to be finished to sign up. You just need to commit to showing up.

👉 Reserve your Demo Day presentation slot →

Demo Day runs 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST. Each track has its own time slot:

Times are approximate and may adjust based on the number of teams per track. The platform link will be sent to all registered presenters ahead of Demo Day.

Each team gets:

• 3–5 minutes to present their working prototype (live demo or pre-recorded backup)
• 2 minutes of live Q&A with judges
• A brief transition before the next team

Come ready to show your build, explain the problem you're solving, and walk judges through your technical implementation. You don't need it to be perfect!

Your project will be scored across 5 criteria:

• Clarity (25%) — Is your 4-Line Problem Frame crisp? Can your demo run from a clean start?
• Proof (25%) — Does it actually work? Are your sources cited in an Evidence Log?
• Usability (20%) — Can a non-technical person understand your 3-Line Pitch? Is it accessible?
• Rigor (20%) — Did you document your decisions, risks, and ethical considerations?
• Polish (10%) — Clean repo, no broken links, no committed secrets, professional presentation

Strong projects show how you think, not just what you built. Both communication and technical depth matter.

A reminder for all AI/ML participants: your project must incorporate Goose — Block's open-source agentic AI framework — in a meaningful way. Surface-level usage won't score as well as genuine integration. Check past updates or the participant guide on how to get access and how to incorporate it.

Before you submit on Devpost, make sure you have all of the following:

📦 Core Requirements

• ☐ Working prototype — hosted link (preferred) OR demo file with setup instructions. Must run from a clean start with no login required for core functionality
• ☐ Demo video (3–5 min, YouTube, public or unlisted) — covers your problem, solution, live demo, and SDG alignment. Captions required
• ☐ Public GitHub or GitLab repo — with a comprehensive README

📝 README Must Include

• ☐ Quickstart instructions — 1-command setup that actually works
• ☐ 4-Line Problem Frame — User, Problem, Constraints, Success Test
• ☐ 3-Line Pitch — Headline (6–10 words), Subhead (14–24 words), CTA verb
• ☐ Decision Log — 3–5 bullets on key technical choices and tradeoffs
• ☐ Evidence Log — table of sources, links, licenses, and attributions
• ☐ Risk Log — at least 1 issue caught and fixed before submission
• ☐ Known issues & next steps — what's not done and what you'd build next
• ☐ License declared — MIT, Apache 2.0, or equivalent
• ☐ .env.example file — with dummy values; no real API keys committed

💡 Not sure how to format your Decision Log, Evidence Log, or Risk Log? Templates for all documentation requirements are available in the Participant Guide → Copy, fill in, and submit (or use a tool like goose to help you fill it in!).

♿ Accessibility Requirements

• ☐ Demo video has captions
• ☐ Images include alt text
• ☐ Public-facing copy is grade-8 readable (check with Hemingway Editor)
• ☐ Color contrast meets WCAG AA standards (for web apps)
• ☐ Links use descriptive text — not "click here"

🚨 Instant Disqualification — Avoid These

• ❌ Exposed PII (emails, names, or data) in screenshots, logs, or repos
• ❌ Fabricated statistics or unverifiable claims
• ❌ Committed secrets (API keys, passwords, tokens)
• ❌ Broken demo — hosted link doesn't work, video doesn't load, code doesn't run
• ❌ IP violations — unpermitted logos, unlicensed assets, plagiarized code

Everyone who demos live on March 8th receives a special prize — we're keeping it a surprise, but trust us: it's absolutely worth showing up for. You must be present and presenting live to receive it.

Not sure if your submission is complete? Come to Office Hours on Thursday, March 5th — we'll help you work through any last-minute questions, technical issues, or checklist gaps before the March 7 deadline.

• 🕐 1:00 PM ET — Register here →
• 🕕 6:00 PM ET — Register here →

Pick the slot that works for you. Both sessions cover the same material — come with your questions, your repo, and your Devpost draft.

The celebration doesn't stop at noon. Starting March 8th, we're launching the BuildHER Parade — a month-long community celebration of your builder journey.

Grab your custom social graphics from the IWD 2026 BuildHER Kit →, personalize them, and share your story. Use #IWD2026 #75HER #BuildHERParade #HERstory and tag @CreateHERFest — we'll be amplifying you all month.

You spent 75 days building. Now let the world see it!

Questions? Drop them in Discord or email darlyze@createherfest.org or adriann@createherfest.org.

See you on the stage. 💜

— The CreateHER Fest Team