Rules and Guidelines

Background

The Data Visualization Challenge is designed to help students experience what it’s like to think—and present—like data professionals. Teams will transform raw data into insights, communicate their findings through dashboards, and present their stories to a panel of judges from both academia and industry.

This page outlines the expectations, format, and judging approach that guide the competition. Rules are kept consistent across rounds to ensure fairness and a rewarding experience for every participant.

Deliverables

Teams will submit a single visualization project that tells a cohesive story through multiple dashboards.

Each dashboard should:

Combine several visuals that work together to answer key questions.
Communicate clearly to a specific audience.
Be thoughtfully designed to balance clarity, creativity, and technical skill.

Dashboards must be original creations—students may draw inspiration from public examples but must produce their own analysis and design.

Data Use

All teams work from a common dataset provided by the organizers to ensure a level playing field.
Participants may reference outside information for context or to enrich storytelling, but all such sources must be clearly cited. The emphasis is on interpreting and visualizing the data, not simply restating it.

Presentation Guidelines

Presentations take place live, using the approved visualization platform.
Each team has a fixed time window to present and respond to questions from judges.
All registered student team members are expected to participate actively.
Teams should speak naturally and engage their audience—note cards are allowed sparingly but should not be read from.
Presentations are evaluated on clarity, confidence, and overall storytelling.
Professionalism, punctuality, and collaboration are expected throughout.

Advancement and Recognition

The competition includes two rounds. Teams advancing to the second round will:

Receive feedback from judges to improve their dashboards and delivery.
Present revised versions of their work to a new judging panel.

Awards recognize excellence across analysis, design, and communication—including a special honor for outstanding dashboard design.

Judging Framework

Judges evaluate entries across key areas such as:

Communication: Does the dashboard clearly define its audience and tell a coherent story?
Compliance: Does it meet all stated rules and presentation standards?
Insight & Technical Skill: Does the work demonstrate strong analytical thinking and command of visualization tools?
Creativity: Is the story original, engaging, and memorable?
Design & Aesthetics: Are visuals well-chosen, readable, and visually balanced?
Presentation: Are presenters confident, clear, and audience-focused?

Scores are based on a holistic view of storytelling, design, and delivery.

Support and Resources

Students are encouraged to seek help and learn as they go. Resources may include:

Workshops or learning labs focused on visualization best practices.
Professional mentors available for consultation.
Online communities and forums for tool support and creative ideas.
Competition organizers, who are available to answer questions and provide guidance.