VITERBI
A demo scored on five things
Keep it short enough that a stranger can follow it. Practice with a timer. Here is a shape that fits.
Twenty seconds: the problem, in the user's words. Twenty seconds: who has it. Ninety seconds: the live demo, with your hands on the keyboard, not a slide of a screenshot. Thirty seconds: the dual-use angle, everyday Los Angeles and a global resilience use in the same build. Twenty seconds: what happens next, including who you would talk to on Monday.
The five scores map onto that shape.
Technical execution is the ninety seconds. Show the hard part working. If it crashes, say what broke and what still works.
Feasibility and impact cover who is better off, and whether the build can live past Sunday.
Dual-use fit is the thirty-second bridge. If you can only tell one story, civilian or defense, you have not made the turn.
Adapting to twists is how the build holds when the problem shifts. Demo and pitch is whether a stranger can follow it. Each item is 1 to 5 points. If two teams tie, dual-use fit decides.
Do not introduce the team for a minute. Do not read the slide. Stand next to the screen, do the thing, then stop talking. If you finish early, that is better than rushing the last sentence.
Practice twice out loud on Saturday night and once on Sunday morning. Time each block. If the demo runs long, cut words, not the live part. A judge who cannot see it work cannot give you technical execution, no matter how strong the story is. Bring a backup: a phone recording of the same path, in case the room network drops. Tell the truth about what is fake. A labeled sample dataset is fine. A hidden one is not.