What hackathon judges actually look for

Three first prizes taught me what wins a hackathon. One loss taught me what judges actually reward. Here's the rubric I bring to a panel — the weights, the one question that sorts every room, and the two sentences every team deserves to leave with. Organisers: I'm open to judging student hackathons, on-site or remote, with this rubric published in advance. I also build tools.scult.in — 15 free tools, 1,200+ prompts and a 50,000-skill library, free for anyone, no signup.