At CrabHacks 2025, a great idea is only half the battle. To take home a prize, you need to understand exactly what the judges are looking for. We have broken down the judging criteria below with specific advice on how to maximize your score in every category.

The biggest chunk of your score comes from the problem and solution. Don't just build cool tech for the sake of it. Start your pitch by clearly stating a pain point that people actually experience, then show how your project fixes it. The judges need to walk away thinking that your solution is necessary.

For the Target Market and Unique Value Proposition section, be specific. "Everyone" is not a target market. Define exactly who will use your app (for example, "college students struggling with calculus" is better than "students"). Additionally, acknowledge that competitors exist. Explain why your version is better, faster, or cheaper.

This is where many teams lose easy points. Do not just say you will use "social media" or "flyers." That is too generic. To get full points here, give us a specific strategy. For example, tell us you will partner with specific Discord communities, reach out to specific newsletters, or use a referral program. The more detailed your go-to-market strategy is, the higher you will score.

We want you to think like a startup founder. You need to ask for a specific amount of funding and explain how you would spend it. Be realistic. If you ask for $500, tell us it is for server hosting or domain registration. If you ask for $10,000, tell us it is for marketing or hiring. Justifying the cost is key to getting these points.

For the Functionality score, we want to see a live demo. Slides are great for the business plan, but you need to show us code that runs. It does not have to be perfect, but the core feature needs to work. If you are in the Web3 track, ensure you clearly point out where Solana is being used in your workflow.

We judge how well you work together. If only one person talks during the pitch, you will lose points. Divide your presentation so that every team member speaks at least once. Introduce yourselves and briefly mention what role you played in the project (e.g., backend, design, or pitch deck).

You have exactly 150 seconds (2 minutes and 30 seconds). This is a hard limit. If you go over time, you will be cut off and lose points. We recommend rehearsing your pitch several times to ensure you can get through your demo and your business points comfortably within the limit.