Technovation Judge Recruitment
Hello, friends!
Code Savvy and our Technovation Girls MN program are recruiting local technology professionals to volunteer as judges for our annual statewide celebration, Appapalooza, in which teams of teen girls pitch and demo their App or AI projects to a panel of business professional judges, family and friends.
The Technovation Challenge inspires and enables teen girls around the world to dream up, design, code, and pitch mobile phone apps and AI projects that address community problems. Working with professional mentors, all-girl teams develop a real-world combination of technical and entrepreneurial skills.
The 2023 season is fully underway. All the teams are working hard to develop their projects, write up their business plans, and design a creative pitch. By April 18th, the teams will be submitting their final projects! Many of you have been judges before and know what a great experience it is to showcase the hard work of our local elementary, middle, and high school teams. We are excited to assemble an amazing team of judges and we need you!
This year, Technovation Girls MN will be hosting Appapalooza as a LIVE virtual event the morning of May 20th. As we did last year, that virtual event will be followed up by an in-person Code Savvy Celebration in the afternoon at De La Salle High School in Minneapolis for those who can make it.
The winners at that morning’s Appapalooza will not automatically advance in the global competition, however, we encourage all participants, mentors, judges, and friends and families to join in our entire day of festivities to celebrate the outstanding work of the girls in Minnesota. There will be awards, prizes, and fun to be had by all.
We hope you will join us as a judge for the virtual live pitch session of Appapalooza 2023.
Why should I sign up to be a Technovation Girls MN judge?
Inspire girls to contribute their own essential voices through technology, computer science, and entrepreneurship to help make the world a better place!
Network with Minnesota’s tech community
Be seen as an industry leader and promoter
Who are we looking for?
A variety of technical, marketing, and entrepreneurial professionals
Must be able to review materials between April 27 - May 15th (~ 4-8 hours)
Must be available to attend the virtual, live pitch portion of Appapalooza (Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 9-12pm) The in-person Code Savvy Celebration later that day at De La Salle HS is optional for judges.
YOUR ACTION
If you are interested in being a judge this year:
Complete the short Technovation [MN] Judging Application by April 14th
For those of you who have already registered with Technovation Global but want to judge at our local event, you must still fill out this application.
You will be notified of acceptance as a judge on April 21st.
All judges will receive an email packet with additional information and instructions.
Judging panels will be selected to balance areas of expertise and gender.
Summary of Key Dates
4/14/2023 - Complete the judging application
4/21/2023 - You are notified if you have been selected as a Judge
4/27-5/15 - Judges to review team submissions online
Saturday, May 20, 2023 - Appapalooza!! (Live Virtual Pitch Event 9-12pm) & In-person Code Savvy celebration (2:30-5:30pm at De La Salle High School in Minneapolis). The in-person event is optional for judges.
Below are some commonly asked questions and additional information on being a judge; please ensure you read before reaching out with questions:
If I am a 2023 MN team mentor can I also be an Appapalooza judge?
In order to maintain fairness in the judging process, you will not be able to be a judge for Appapalooza if you are a mentor for one of the teams that completed their submission this year.
How will I judge the teams?
Code Savvy will provide you with a judging rubric. This year, it will be a simplified version of the global competition.
You will need to review materials (App/AI project design and functionality, business plan, pitch video, etc) for less than ten Technovation Girls MN teams between April 27-May 15, 2023
We estimate this will require about 4-8 hours.
The final judging will take place at the virtual Appapalooza, the morning of Saturday, May 20, 2023 - 9am-12pm.
Between 9-12pm on Saturday, May 20th, each team will deliver a live, virtual presentation to the judges, teammates, and guests
Your final score will be updated after the presentations
How many teams will I judge?
We are expecting around 45 teams this year to judge between our Beginner, Junior, and Senior divisions. You will be judging fewer than 8 teams in the same division.
May I share this with a friend or colleague who is interested?
Yes! We need lots of judges; please feel free to forward this on to your network.
I can’t attend Appapalooza virtually in the morning or in-person in the afternoon; can I still help?
Yes! You can sign up to be a virtual judge for Technovation Global.
I have questions…. Who should I contact?
Send an email to girlscode@technovationmn.org. This inbox is closely monitored and your questions will be answered promptly.
Being a judge is a rewarding role and the girls look forward to your inspiration!