Guideline 03

One PowerPoint. That is everything the judges see.

There is no separate written report, no prototype and no live pitch at the submission stage. Everything your team has observed, gathered, analysed and designed must come through in this one file.

Format requirements

Item	Requirement
File format	.pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint). Not PDF, not a Google Slides link.
Slide dimensions	Widescreen 16:9 — the default in most versions of PowerPoint.
Number of slides	Minimum 8, maximum 11.
File size	Maximum 50 MB. This allows for high-quality photographs.
File naming	SchoolName_TeamName_Theme.pptx (e.g. DPS_Vizag_TeamAlpha_WaterSanitation.pptx)

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Slide-by-slide structure

You may split a section across two slides if needed, but do not change the order or skip a section.

Slide 1

Title slide

The competition name: Social Innovation Ideathon — ICORG
Your problem title: a short, clear title for the social problem you are addressing
Your chosen theme (one of the nine)
Team name
Names and classes of all team members (2–3 students)
School name and location

Tip — Your problem title should be specific: “Unsafe Pedestrian Crossings Near Schools in Guntur” is stronger than “Road Safety Problems”.

Slide 2

The problem

Problem Understanding (25%)

What is the problem? Describe it in 2–3 clear sentences.
Where does it happen? Name the specific location.
Who is affected — students, elderly residents, farmers, commuters, shopkeepers?
How often does it happen? Daily, seasonal, at specific hours?
Why does it matter? What happens if it continues unsolved?

Slides 3–4

Evidence

Evidence & Research (20%)

Show the evidence you collected yourself — photographs, data, conversations, observations.
Use one or two slides depending on how much evidence you have.
The strongest submissions mix at least 2–3 different types of evidence.

Slide 5

Root cause analysis

Problem Understanding (25%)

Why does this problem exist? Go beyond the surface.
Has anyone tried to solve it before? What happened?
Who is responsible — government, a private entity, the community, or a gap in the system?
What would need to change for the problem to be solved?

Slide 6

Your solution

Solution & Creativity (20%)

What is your idea? Describe it in 2–3 clear sentences.
How does it work in practice?
What role does technology play, specifically?
A simple diagram, flowchart or sketch is highly encouraged — hand-drawn is perfectly acceptable.

Slide 7

Feasibility

Feasibility (15%)

What resources would be needed — cost, technology, people, permissions?
Who would need to be involved?
What are the challenges or risks? Naming them shows maturity.
Could this be implemented in your town or district as a starting point?

Slide 8

Impact & Vision 2047

Impact & Vision (10%)

Who would benefit, and approximately how many people?
What would change in your community if this idea were implemented?
How does it connect to India's vision for 2047 — developed, equitable and sustainable?

Tip — “This could improve water access for the 400 families in our ward” is more convincing than “this will solve India's water crisis”.

Slide 9

References & credits

List all news articles, reports, websites or data sources you referenced.
Credit the people you interviewed (first name and role is sufficient).
Acknowledge any teacher, parent or mentor who helped.
If you used AI tools for any part of your research or writing, declare it with a brief note on how.

How to present each type of evidence

Different types of evidence need to be presented differently. Follow these guidelines carefully.

Type of evidence	How to present it	What to include
Photographs	Embed the photograph directly in the slide. Use your own original photographs only.	Caption of what the photo shows, location and date, and your name as photographer.
Videos	Upload to YouTube as 'Unlisted', place the link in the slide and add a QR code so evaluators can scan it.	A short description, the clickable URL and a QR code. Keep each video under 3 minutes.
Conversations or interviews	Write the key quote directly in the slide, in quotation marks, attributed to the person.	The quote (may be paraphrased), the person's first name or role, and the date.
Data you collected	Present as a simple table, bar chart or numbered list. Hand-collected data is powerful.	What you measured, when and where, and the sample size (e.g. 'counted over 5 days').
Survey results	Show results as a simple bar or pie chart.	The question you asked, the number of people surveyed and a summary of responses.
News articles or reports	Mention the key finding as a supporting point. Do not paste the full article.	Source name, date of publication and a one-line summary of the relevant finding.

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How strong is your evidence?

Original photographs plus a conversation with someone affected plus your own data collection is far more convincing than ten photographs alone. Mix your evidence types.

Quick reference: slide overview

Use this as a checklist while building your presentation.

Slide	Title	What it covers	Rubric link
1	Title slide	Team name, school, theme, problem title, members	—
2	The problem	What, where, who, how often, why it matters	Problem Understanding (25%)
3–4	Evidence	Photos, videos, interviews, data, sources	Evidence & Research (20%)
5	Root cause analysis	Why it exists, past attempts, responsibility	Problem Understanding (25%)
6	Your solution	The idea, how it works, role of technology	Solution & Creativity (20%)
7	Feasibility	Resources, challenges, local implementation	Feasibility (15%)
8	Impact & Vision 2047	Who benefits, scale, connection to 2047	Impact & Vision (10%)
9	References & credits	Sources, acknowledgements, AI declaration	—

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Presentation design: do's and don'ts

Use your own photographs and visuals — original images are the most powerful thing in your submission.
Keep text concise. Short sentences and bullet points, never paragraphs.
Use simple, readable fonts such as Calibri or Arial.
Use a consistent colour scheme throughout.
Include hand-drawn diagrams or sketches if they help explain your solution.
Proofread every slide, and number your slides.

Don't

Do not use stock images or clip art.
Do not use heavy animations, transitions, sound effects or embedded music.
Do not copy-paste text from websites. Write in your own words.
Do not exceed 11 slides. If you need more, tighten your content.
Do not submit someone else's work. Plagiarism results in disqualification.

Originality & academic integrity

Every submission must be the original work of the student team. The problem identification, evidence collection, analysis and solution design must be done by the students themselves. The following are violations:

Submitting photographs or videos taken from the internet as your own original evidence.
Copying text from websites, articles or other submissions without attribution.
Presenting AI-generated content as your own original work without declaration.
Having an adult or mentor write or design the presentation on the students' behalf.

On AI tools

Using AI tools is not prohibited, but it must be declared. What is not acceptable is submitting AI-generated content as your own original work, or using AI to fabricate evidence or data. Submissions found to violate these standards will be disqualified.

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