Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Holberton Hackathon Management — organizers, judges, teams, and support.

Q1.What is this platform for?

It is an all-in-one hackathon console: approve participants and teams, collect project submissions, run judging with a rubric, show announcements, track a mentor help queue, view analytics, and publish results with optional podium places.

Q2.How do I create an event and share access?

Open Create Event from the dashboard, complete the wizard, and use Preview to copy the join link and send email invites. Participants use your event code or link to register; role (organizer, judge, mentor, hacker) depends on how accounts are set up and invites are sent.

Q3.How do I switch the active event in the dashboard?

Use the event menu in the header (Switch event / your events). Reports, submissions, Results, and many tools are scoped to the event you select.

Q4.How do judges log in and submit scores?

Judges sign in and open the Judge Dashboard. They pick a team, score each criterion, and submit. For scores to persist on the server, their user must be linked as a judge for that event (Judge panel / backend). Otherwise the app may save scores only in that browser as a backup.

Q5.Why do I see warnings about “local only” or score errors?

Usually the judge row is missing in the database, the API returns an error, or the network fails. The app then stores scores in local storage on that device so work is not lost. Organizers can still review merged data on the Results page when needed; fixing judge assignment and the API restores normal server saves.

Q6.Where are results and 1st / 2nd / 3rd place?

In the organizer dashboard, open Results. You get a table of teams with average scores (server data preferred, local backup if missing). Use the podium selectors or “Apply top 3 from scores” to set places.

Q7.What is the Help Queue — is it the same as FAQ?

No. Help Queue is for live support tickets from teams to mentors during the hackathon. This FAQ explains how the product works. Use Help Queue for hands-on technical help during the event.

Q8.How does participant registration work?

Team Leads (and teammates, depending on your flow) register through the shared join link or event code. The organizer approves teams as configured; teammates may need approval or OTP — follow the on-screen steps after registration.

Q9.Languages and theme?

Use the language switcher in the header on login and in the dashboard. Where available, use the sun/moon control to switch light or dark theme.

Q10.Where is the API documented?

See the project’s BACKEND_API_CONTRACT (or your team’s API docs) for routes and payloads. The UI calls the same REST endpoints your deployment exposes.