Submitting an idea

Hackathon challenges on HackerEarth typically consist of an Idea phase and a Prototype phase.

In this article, we will explore the following topics:

• Idea phase: The first phase of the hackathon process
  
  • Components of an idea submission form
• Saving your idea as a draft
• Publishing your idea
• Updating your idea

Idea phase: The first phase of the hackathon process

The Idea phase is typically the first phase of any hackathon. It allows you to understand the problem statement, brainstorm on various approaches, and come up with the most effective idea for that problem. 

If the Idea phase has not started, you will see the following on the page: ‘You can submit your idea soon.’

Components of an idea submission form

Check the Submission format for the idea phase in the Submission Format section on the hackathon page. This usually contains a PPT format that you are required to fill and attach to your final idea submission.

On the idea submission page, you can add the following details about your idea:

After filling in all these fields, you can either save your idea as a draft or publish your idea.

Saving your idea as a draft

Once the Idea Phase is open for participation, you can submit your idea on the platform. To submit an idea, follow these steps:

1. On www.hackerearth.com/challenges, open the hackathon that you have registered for.
2. Click Submit Your Idea. You can add a new idea. 
   
   
3. Click Add new idea. The idea submission page will open.
   
   Note: A sample idea will be available in the Drafts section for your reference. Click Sample idea to learn more about the details and format of the idea submission.
   
   
4. Fill in all the fields and attach your presentation.
5. Build the submission format as specified in the Submission Format section on the hackathon page.
6. Click Save as draft if you want to work on the idea further at a later stage.

Your idea is saved as a draft. You can view it in the Drafts section of your hackathon dashboard.

Publishing your idea

You can either add a new idea or publish an existing idea from the Drafts section on your hackathon dashboard.

Publishing a new idea

Follow these steps to publish a new idea:

1. On www.hackerearth.com/challenges, open the hackathon that you have registered for.
2. Click Submit Your Idea.
   
3. Click Add new idea. The idea submission page will open.
   
   

   Note: A sample idea will be available in the Drafts section for your reference. Click Sample idea to learn more about the details and format of the idea submission.

   
4. Fill in all the fields and attach your presentation.
5. Build the submission format as specified in the Submission Format section on the hackathon page.
6. In Publish idea, select the checkbox acknowledging that you cannot remove any team member after publishing an idea.
   
7. Click Publish idea.

Publishing an existing idea

Follow these steps to publish an existing idea from your Drafts section:

1. Open the Drafts section and click 🖉. The idea submission page will open.
   
   
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. In Publish idea, select the checkbox acknowledging that you cannot remove any team member after publishing an idea.
   
   
3. Click Publish idea

You can view your published ideas in the Submitted ideas on the hackathon dashboard.

Important: Once you publish an idea, you cannot remove any existing team member from your team. New members can be added until the maximum team size is reached.

Updating your idea

After you publish an idea, you cannot make any new changes to it. Make sure to make all the necessary changes before publishing the idea.